Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

2015 video game retail sales suggest more people are buying digitally

Mike Epstein
By

multiplayer call of duty black ops 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder
American consumers spent $13.1 billion on video games hardware and disc-based software in 2015, slightly less than the year before, according to game sales reporting firm NPD.  Combined hardware and software sales were less than one percent year-over-year, with home and portable console sales down four percent. Physical video game sales were down two percent overall in 2015. Interestingly, the largest growing segment in gaming was the accessory market, which grew 12 percent compared to 2014.

At the same time, the Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U had their best single month ever in December, despite a comparatively sluggish month, industry-wide.

Recommended Videos

“After 26 months of sales, the combined cumulative sales of Xbox One and PS4 exceeds the 26 month total of the PS3 and Xbox 360 by 47 per cent,”NPD analyst Liam Callahan told Gamesindustry International. “The lead from the prior generation has expanded due to the strong PS4 and Xbox One 2015 holiday, going from 38 per cent by the end of October, growing to 47 per cent by the end of November, and maintaining 47 per cent higher sales by the end of December.”

Related

Analysts and pundits suggest that the lackluster numbers seen on NPD may not indicate stagnant growth, but an increased number of digital sales, which are not reported by the service, and the end of consumer migration from the Xbox 360 and PS4. — “Seventh generation” hardware sales, Xbox 360/PS3/Wii, were down 53 percent, including a 71 percent slump in December.

Speaking of games, NPD also reported the top-selling video games on the year, overall, for 2015. As one might expect, the list consists wholly of established brands. Despite relatively lackluster support from critics, Call of Duty: Black Ops III helped the franchise maintain control of the top-seller list.

These are the top 10 best-selling games of 2015:

  1. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
  2. Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
  3. Fallout 4 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
  4. Star Wars: Battlefront (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  5. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One) 360, PS3, PC)
  6. NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
  7. Minecraft (360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
  8. FIFA 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
  9. Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
  10. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mike Epstein
Mike Epstein
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Michael is a New York-based tech and culture reporter, and a graduate of Northwestwern University’s Medill School of…
How to start the Nuka-World DLC in Fallout 4
People standing outside Nuka World.

The first major DLC expansion for Fallout 4 lets players go to the abandoned amusement park called Nuka-World. While there's plenty of fun and excitement to be had here, don't expect it to come from the roller coasters or carnival games since this park is the battleground between rival raider gangs. This new zone adds a ton of new quests and side activities to the base experience, but it isn't as simple to get to as a real theme park. Don't worry if your Pip-Boy isn't helping you get to Nuka-World -- we'll show you how to start this DLC.

Read more
How to start the Automatron DLC in Fallout 4
A man and a robot walking in the wastelands in Fallout 4.

Each piece of Fallout 4 DLC adds something substantial to the base experience. In the case of the Automatron expansion, an entire new questline pitting you against a robot army led by a figure known as the Mechanist. Starting it isn't as difficult as starting other DLCs like the Nuka-World expansion, but it-s still a bit cryptic. Buying the DLC doesn't automatically make it apparent how to actually start this new adventure, but we'll give you specific directions to find it in the wasteland.

Read more
One of 2023’s best indie games is getting a movie starring LaKeith Stanfield
James descends on an elevator in El Paso, Elsewhere.

El Paso, Elsewhere, one of Digital Trends' favorite indie games of 2023, now has a film adaptation in the works.

Variety reports that LaKeith Stanfield -- an actor known for his work in films like Judas and the Black Messiah, Knives Out, and Haunted Mansion, as well as TV shows like Atlanta -- is going to star in and produce the film. The adaptation is in the works at Di Bonaventure Pictures, the production company behind the Transformers, G.I. Joe, and The Meg film franchises. Little else is known about the film at this time, although we'd presume it will be a fairly direct adaptation of this intense story-driven game.

Read more