U.S. Video Game Spending Up 40%

NPD Group announces that consumer spending on videogames in the U.S. is up 40% in the first half of 2018. They put the figure for the first six months at $19.5 billion. "Video Game industry spending in the U.S. showed strong growth in the first half of 2018, with content sales driving performance across all platform segments including mobile, console, portable, and PC," said Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at The NPD Group. "Hardware and accessories also reflected strong performance, while the evolving segment of subscription spending has experienced an accelerated growth rate. I maintain an optimistic outlook for the remainder of 2018, thanks in part to the strong lineup of titles set to be released in the fourth quarter. This, combined with continued strength in hardware and accessory spending, should result in double-digit annual percentage gains for the total market." Here's more of their analysis:
Overall total industry consumer spending on video gaming in the U.S. reached $19.5 billion in the first half of 2018 (Jan.-June), an increase of 40 percent compared to the same time period last year, according to the latest Games Market Dynamics: U.S. report from leading global information company The NPD Group.

Video game content sales increased 43 percent to $16.9 billion. All content categories, which include full-game, DLC/MTX, subscriptions, and mobile saw increases, with mobile games experiencing the most growth.

The software titles having the most positive impact on dollar sales in the first half of the year include (listed alphabetically) Candy Crush, Far Cry 5, Fortnite, God of War, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and Roblox.