February was another dismal month for the video game industry as gamers and retailers look forward to the next-generation console launch this fall.
According to the NPD Group, overall sales for the entire video game category — including hardware, software, and accessories — was $755 million, a 29% decline versus last year. In terms of overall software sales, this February’s $307 million was a whopping 36% decrease from the same period last year. Year-to-date spending for the video game category is $1.4 billion, a 28% decline over last year.
The lack of a hot new title pushed Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare back to the top of the charts while Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 returned to the Top 20 at No. 5 thanks to promotional pricing that placed the game as low as $2.99 digitally with physical copies selling as low as $5. Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot remains the best-selling game of 2020 thus far.
Top 10 Video Games for February 2020
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 (Activision Blizzard)
- NBA 2K20 (Take 2 Interactive)
- Grand Theft Auto V (Take 2 Interactive)
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (Ubisoft)
- Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo)
- Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo)
- Madden NFL 20 (Electronic Arts)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo)
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Electronic Arts)
The gaming industry is currently looking into new options for connecting with fans due to the recent cancelation of this summer’s E3 due to coronavirus concerns. Many new titles for existing and forthcoming consoles were slated to debut at the annual event. Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is in the midst of another boost thanks to this week’s surprise release of Call of Duty: Warzone — a massive, free-to-play add-on for Modern Warfare that is also available as a standalone game for anyone. The game is positioned as a Fortnite competitor that allows 150 players to participate in a real-time Battle Royale.
