August 2019 marked one of the slowest months for software sales in the video game industry since 1998 according to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. Software sales totaled out at $257 million which is a tremendous drop compared to last August’s $341 million. Sales for the month overall were $666 million with hardware, accessories, and game cards included.
Looking at overall sales compared to last year, software sales are actually about the same as they were in 2018. Piscatella says this is due to the Nintendo Switch software. Despite Nintendo holding it down,Madden NFL 20was the best-selling game of August despite the game releasing in July. The latest title in theMaddenseries is also the third best-selling game of the year as of this month.
On the Nintendo side of things, five Nintendo Switch exclusives made it to the top 10 best-selling games for August. Platinum Games’Astral Chainwas the only new game that came out in August to make it onto the top 10 list. However, previously released Nintendo games likeSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,Fire Emblem: Three Houses,Super Mario Maker 2,andMario Kart 8 Deluxeall outperformed the game. It’s important to note as well that Nintendo’s digital sales are not accounted for. Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console for August and remains the best-selling console of 2019.Fire Emblem: Three Houseswas the best-selling Switch exclusive in August.
Unfortunately, Remedy Entertainment’s newly released third-person shooterControldid not make it into the top 20 best-selling games for the month. While critics seemed to reallyenjoy the game overall,Controlfound itself at number 23 for the best-selling games in August.
In order from first to fifth,Mortal Kombat 11,Kingdom Hearts III, Madden NFL 20,The Division 2,andAnthem,make up the top-selling games of 2019 so far.Mortal Kombat 11,a fighting game, comes as a big surprise. With the holidays getting closer this lineup with likely change with big titles likeBorderlands 3,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,Death Stranding,and more releasing before the end of the year. For a more comprehensive breakdown of August 2019, you can check out Piscatella’s analysis video below.
