Worldwide digital game spending ‘down 4% in May’

Worldwide digital game spending in May 2019 was down 4% year-over-year.

That’s according to the latest global market report from Nielsen’s SuperData, which says the decline was driven by a 6% drop in revenue generated by mobile games.

More money is spent on mobile gaming that console and PC gaming combined, according to the research firm.

Honour of Kings retained its position as the top grossing mobile game in May, ahead of Perfect World and Candy Crush Saga, it says.

Fortnite generated $203 million across all platforms, down 38% compared to May 2018, but enough to give it the No.1 spot on console, which is the title’s biggest market.

FIFA 19 took second place despite a year-on-year decline in FIFA Ultimate Team revenue, while April’s top console title, Mortal Kombat 11, slipped to third in May.

Total War: Three Kingdoms debuted at No.6 on the PC chart, behind an unchanged top five, after bringing in $62 million in digital revenue.

While PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds doesn’t feature in any of the monthly top ten charts, SuperData estimates the game sold 4.7 million units digitally across PC and console between January and May 2019.

According to data from market research firm the NPD Group, Nintendo Switch continued to lead US hardware sales in May, while Mortal Kombat 11 retained the top spot on the monthly software chart.