Mortal Kombat 11

It’s a “flawless victory” for the return of Mortal Kombat, as the 11th entry in the long-running video game franchise tops the charts for April video game sales, and immediately takes its place as the year’s second-best-selling title to date behind Kingdom Hearts III.

Consumer spending on video games rose 1% in April to $842 million, compared to $838 million a year ago, according to the NPD Group.

Growth in full game software sales — both physical and digital — continues, up 15% to $427 million in April, versus $370 million last year. Strong sales in software are offset by a 29% decrease in sales of gaming hardware, as saturation for current generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles is past its peak. The Nintendo Switch is the notable exception, as sales for the platform continue to grow.

Top 20 Video Game Titles | April 2019 (All Platforms)

  1. Mortal Kombat 11 | Warner Bros. Interactive
  2. Days Gone | Sony
  3. MLB 19: The Show | Sony
  4. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 | Ubisoft
  5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Nintendo
  6. Grand Theft Auto V | Take 2 Interactive
  7. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Activision Blizzard
  8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | Activision Blizzard
  9. NBA 2K19 | Take 2 Interactive
  10. Yoshi’s Crafted World | Nintendo
  11. Red Dead Redemption 2 | Take 2 Interactive
  12. Mario Kart 8 | Nintendo
  13. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey | Ubisoft
  14. Minecraft | Multi
  15. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Nintendo
  16. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster | Square Enix Inc
  17. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Nintendo
  18. Jump Force | Bandai Namco Games
  19. Battlefield V | Electronic Arts
  20. Borderlands | Take 2 Interactive

Year-to-date spending on accessories and game cards is up 3% when compared to $1.2 billion a year ago. Nintendo Amiibo Super Smash Bros. Series 1 Character Packs were the best-selling accessory this April. Sony’s PS4 DualShock 4 Black Wireless Controller is the best-selling accessory thus far this year.

Overall sales for video games are down 2% year-to-date, with a 16% drop in hardware sales offsetting gains in software and accessories.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

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