The global games market’s total digital revenue in February of this year increased by four percent from 2016 to $7.83 billion according to a Superdata Report.
This slight growth can be mostly attributed to a nine percent growth in the mobile games market and an eight percent growth in the console games market, balanced by the shrinking pay-to-play, free-to-play and social segments throughout the month. Console digital revenue grew by eighteen percent year-over-year due to an increase in the average selling price if digital units. GameStop revealed through their recent earnings that the shift to digital sales and players spending more time with existing titles through additional DLC releases made a huge impact on the retailer’s ability to stay relevant.
For Honor, Ubisoft’s newest IP, sold more than 700K units. This is considered a feat as the game released in mid-February, a historically slow month for video game sales after the holiday season. For Honor is a third-person action/fighting game set in a medieval inspired fantasy world. The game pits three different factions representing knights, samurai and Vikings as players choose a side and compete in PVP combat in order to seize territory for their chosen faction. The game has been praised by numerous critics for its engaging and unique combat system. For Honor is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
In February, Battlefield 1 sold more digital units across all platforms than Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Titanfall 2 combined. At the same time, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare generated the most additional content revenue through its first DLC release. Battlefield 1 is a first-person shooter developed by EA DICE and serves as the fifteenth instalment in the Battlefield series. The game originally launched in October 2016 and received positive reviews for its depiction of the First World War, impressive visuals and single-player campaign. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is also a first person shooter and was developed by Infinity Ward, releasing in November. During development, many fans placed the game into a rivalry with Battlefield 1. The game was met with mixed reception with many criticizing the overly familiar gameplay.
In the mobile market, Blizzard’s popular card game, Hearthstone reached its lowest point in terms of gained revenue since the game’s release on Android and IOS devices. Recent changes made to the game have been unpopular with Hearthstone’s community, resulting in a sharp decrease in conversion on mobile. PC revenue for Hearthstone has dropped as well, but to a lesser extent. Hearthstone is a free-to-play card game that builds off of the already existing lore used in Blizzard’s Warcraft franchise. The game has proven successful for Blizzard and is now a popular eSport.
A full list of the top grossing titles in 2017 along with further details on certain title’s sales numbers can be found on SuperData’s website.
