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