According to the NPD, total videogame industry spending declined 15% year-over-year to $4.9 billion. Declines were seen across hardware, software, mobile, and accessories, with first-quarter 2022 spending down 8% to $13.9 billion compared to the same period in 2021. In hardware, sales declined by 24% year-over-year to $515 million. Sales reached $1.2 billion during Q1 2022, which is a 15% decline compared to Q1 2021. Xbox Series X/S was the best-selling console for March 2022 in terms of dollar sales and for Q1. Xbox hardware unit and dollar sales in March 2022 set new all-time March highs for the platform. Previous Xbox bests were in unit sales during March 2011, and dollar sales in March 2014. While Xbox Series X/S may have led in dollar sales, Nintendo Switch led in unit sales, making it the best-selling console for the month. With software, Elden Ring was the best-selling game for March. Dollar sales were up by double-digit percentage sales compared to when it topped the charts in February. The game was first in dollar sales across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The game is currently the best-selling title year-to-date and is second overall for the 12-month period ending March 2022. Dollar sales of Elden Ring trail only those of Call of Duty: Vanguard. Gran Turismo 7 debuted as the second best-selling game for the month, and second on PlayStation consoles. The title set a new all-time launch sales record for a Gran Turismo franchise launch, and it is the fourth best-selling game of Q1. On the software charts, Pokemon Legends: Arceus came in second, Horizon Forbidden West was third, followed by Gran Truismo 7 and Call of Duty: Vanguard, respectively. The full top 20 chart can be seen below, and best-selling games per platform can be found at the bottom of the article. Mobile games sales for the month were down 12% year-over-year, and Google Play games revenue declined almost 25% during the period, offsetting App Store games spending, which was down less than 1/4 of a percent. Despite the decline, consumer spending on mobile games in the US was off by less than 10% year-over-year during the quarter. According to Sensor Tower, the top mobile games by revenue for March were: Candy Crush Saga, Roblox, Coin Master, Garena Free Fire, Genshin Impact, Evony: The King’s Return, Bingo Blitz, Royal Match, and Candy Crush Soda Saga. March 2022 spending on accessories fell 23% to $227 million year-over-year, with Q1 accessory spending declining 16% to $592 million. The Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller was the best-selling accessory during March, and it remains the best-selling accessory year-to-date.
