In 2016, many video game players across the U.S. Took a liking to shooter titles, according to new data from research firm NPD.
The most popular video game for all gaming platforms—including the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC—was Activision Blizzard’s (ATVI) Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The game, which puts players into a war zone, was followed by another first-person shooter from Electronic Arts (EA) called Battlefield 1. Capping off the top three is yet another shooter, Tom Clancy’s The Division, developed by Ubisoft.
Two sports games—NBA 2K17 and Madden NFL 17— landed in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Grand Theft Auto V, Overwatch, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, FIFA 17, and Final Fantasy XV rounded out the top 10.
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NPD has long been the singular source for U.S. Video game industry sales data. The organization, which collects data from retail through a wide array of proprietary checks, releases gaming sales data each month. It also shares annual sales each year in January.
While NPD collects sales data for individual games, the company does not make that information public. It’s impossible to know how many more units Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare sold than Battlefield 1.
That said, NPD does offer details on the broader gaming industry. For instance, the company found that consumers spent $2.8 billion on video game hardware, software, and accessories in December—a 15% drop compared to December 2015. Over the year, American consumers spent $12.2 billion on video game hardware, software, and accessories—down 12% year-over-year.
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The annual drop last year was due in no small part to video game hardware, including consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox One (MSFT) and Sony’s PlayStation 4 (SNE). According to NPD, hardware sales topped $3.7 billion in the U.S. In 2016, compared to $4.9 billion in 2015.
“2016 was a tough year for hardware spending,” NPD video game industry analyst Sam Naji said in a statement. “The category was down 24% as unit sales and the average retail price for consoles declined compared to 2015.”
Software sales were also off by 6% year over year, reaching $5.8 billion in revenue, according to NPD’s data.
NPD’s data comes from its evaluation of both online and retail sales outlets. Its data includes physical sales, like game discs and consoles, as well as full-game digital downloads from game publishers that partner with the company. Its data doesn’t include in-app purchases and other goods customers can buy to enhance their gameplay.
