It's quiet, too quiet... | GI Market Report
Christopher Dring
Head of Games B2B
Wednesday 27th April 2022
This article was originally published as part of the GI Market Report newsletter. To sign-up for free, click here and select 'Retail and Publishing newsletter' to receive it.
What did you make of the March NPD results?
Not so much the performance of the console hardware market, we all know what's going on there. But rather the software sales. NPD's figures show that US game sales dropped 13% compared with the same period the year before. And that's despite a healthier release schedule.
It's in contrast to Europe, which reported a strong software sales increase of 34%. And even the UK, a territory that's a little similar to the US, posted a slight uptick in sales over March 2021.
Of course, comparing US NPD data with European GSD figures isn't sensible. They include different things, for starters (NPD counts DLC and subscriptions). And Europe is continuing to see strong sales of its big sports franchises, namely FIFA 22 and F1 2021, which aren't as significant in the US.
Those who had told their investors and bosses that 2022 was going to be a huge year for games are naturally feeling nervous
Nevertheless, March 2022 was still a busy month for game releases globally, with the launch of Gran Turismo 7, WWE 2K22 and the continued sales of Elden Ring. So the US sales report made for sobering reading, and suggests that 2022 might not be quite the triumphant year for games a few had hoped for.
For others, it's not a surprise at all. In a post-lockdown world, it is inevitable that in-home activities like gaming would decline as more people return to their offices, attend gatherings and even go on actual real holidays.
The console space is also at a tricky stage. The
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