Switch and Call of Duty come out on top in a record-breaking year for US game sales
$56.9 billion was spent on hardware, content and accessories in 2020
US consumers spent a record total on video game hardware, content and accessories in 2020, according to market research firm NPD Group.
Total sales tracked by the company came in at $56.9 billion last year, which was 27% higher than in 2019.
December 2020 spending across hardware, content and accessories also hit a record $7.7 billion, 25% higher than in 2019.
Nintendo Switch and Call of Duty games were the star performers in 2020, NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said on Friday.
Nintendo‘s console was the best-selling hardware platform in units and dollars in both December and 2020 as a whole.
Switch hardware’s annual dollar sales have only been bettered once, by Nintendo Wii in 2008.
Nintendo’s system has now been the best-selling console in the US for a record 25 consecutive months.
Having broken hardware launch sales records in the US in November 2020, PS5 was the second best-selling console of the year in dollar sales, while PS4 was the second best-selling console based on units sold.
On the software front, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was the best-selling game of December and 2020 as a whole.
It marks a record 12th consecutive year that a Call of Duty game has ranked as the best-selling title in the US.
2019 release Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was 2020’s second best-selling game, ahead of Animal Crossing New Horizons (digital sales not included), Madden NFL 21 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Animal Crossing New Horizons enjoyed the highest physical dollar sales for a Nintendo published game in a calendar year since 2010’s Wii Fit Plus.
Released on December 10, Cyberpunk 2077 was the month’s second best-selling game and 2020’s 19th best-selling title based on physical sales alone.
The Last of Us Part II, which was 2020’s sixth best-selling game overall, is now publisher Sony’s third best-selling game in US history in dollar sales, behind only 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man and God of War.
Multiple analysts recently forecast that Switch will be the best-selling console of 2021, boosted by the launch of a new ‘Pro’ model.
