Tom Nook Takes March 2020 NPD To The Bank
March was probably one of the worst months for many of us in recent years. With the global pandemic disrupting much of what we do on a daily basis. Many industries have been struggling because of the virus. However, there appears to be one exception to this. The video game industry in March had a record-setting month despite the current global situation. As per NPD analyst Mat Piscatella, in March 2020 the industry as a whole generated $1.6 billion. This is across hardware, software, accessories and game cards. Which is up a stunning 35% when compared to last year’s numbers. This is the highest amount of cash spent for the month of March since 2008.
Numbers in terms of software sold was also up in a major way. There was a total of $739 million in software sold and tracked. This translates to a 34% increase when compared to sales back in March of 2019. This is the highest amount of software sold in March since all the way back in 2011. In which a total of $787 million was sold.
Top 20 Best Selling Games of March 2020
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- MLB: The Show 20
- Resident Evil 3
- NBA 2K20
- Doom Eternal
- Persona 5: Royal
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Borderlands 3
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
- Nioh 2
- Red Dead Redemption II
- FIFA 20 [EA Sports]
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
- Madden NFL 20 [EA Sports]
- Just Dance 2020
- Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Remastered
Tom Nook and Nintendo Come In Big
Animal Crossing was no doubt going to be a massive title for Nintendo. With the game putting up massive numbers in Japan on its launch week, it was almost a guaranteed number one finisher. Not only did Animal Crossing: New Horizons become the best selling game of March, it also became the second best selling game of 2020. The most impressive part of these numbers is the fact that Nintendo does not disclose digital sales. This means there is a good chance that these numbers could be even higher if the digital copies had been included. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the 3rd best highest launch month for any Nintendo published game. Only being beaten out by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Smash Bros. Brawl which launched in 2018 and 2008 respectively.
Nintendo also came in big in the hardware department. While hardware overall was up a massive 64% across all platforms. The Nintendo Switch was a landslide runaway in terms of sales. The Switch generated the most first-quarter hardware sales for any hardware platform since the Nintendo DS back in the first quarter of 2010. The Nintendo Switch sold more in March of 2020, then it did during the month of March 2017. Which, coincidentally is the month and year that the platform officially launched. We can now officially say, without a doubt. That Nintendo has officially rebounded from the Wii-U and then some.
Call of Duty Cannot Be Stopped
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was the 2nd best selling game of March, which is impressive considering the game has been on the market for almost 6 months. Modern Warfare is officially the best selling game in the US for 2020 as it stands right now. This will likely be the place it holds for the remainder of the year. It is also interesting to note, that Call of Duty saw its highest sales for the month of March since 2010. This previous sales record was held by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which is often considered the golden standard for the franchise.
A Swing And A Hit
March was also an amazing month for developers Sony San Diego. As MLB The Show 2020, had a record-breaking launch month for the franchise. The Show was the 3rd best selling game for the month of March. While taking the number 5 spot in the best selling games of the year. The game is the fastest-selling title in franchise history, which outpaces its previous iteration. The Show continues to grow and grow with every year. It will be very interesting to see what the numbers will look like when the game goes multiplatform in the future.
Best Selling Games of 2020
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
- NBA 2K20
- MLB: The Show 20
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Resident Evil 3
- Madden NFL 20 [EA Sports]
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
- Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order
Top 10 Xbox One Games of March 2020
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Resident Evil 3
- Doom Eternal*
- NBA 2K20
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Madden NFL 20 [EA Sports]
- Red Dead Redemption II
- Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order
- FIFA 20 [EA Sports]
- Minecraft: Xbox One Edition
Top 10 PlayStation Games of March 2020
- MLB: The Show 20
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Persona 5: Royal
- Resident Evil 3
- NBA 2K20
- Nioh 2
- Doom Eternal
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Remastered
- FIFA 20 [EA Sports]
Top 10 Nintendo Games of March 2020
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
- Just Dance 2020
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Super Mario Party
- Luigi’s Mansion 3
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
- Pokemon: Sword
What do you think of March’s NPD numbers? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to check back for the latest gaming news and information.
