January NPD 2018: Monster Hunter even slays beasts like Call of Duty and PUBG

Author: Stephanie Chan / Source: VentureBeat

2018 is off to a good start for the gaming industry. Revenues in January were up 59 percent year-over-year and generated $1.096 billion, according to the industry-tracking firm The NPD Group.

The big winner is Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World, which was the best-selling game for the month despite launching January 26.

The series has always been popular in Japan, and it’s one of the publisher’s most successful franchises. It doubled down on Western audiences with Monster Hunter: World, focusing on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 rather than Nintendo systems. It also introduced a more open-world feel. Capcom’s efforts paid off, and it sold over 5 million copies of the game in the first weekend alone.

“Sales of Monster Hunter: World represent an all-time launch month high for the Monster Hunter franchise in the U.S.,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said.

Here are the numbers for January 2018:

• Total: $1.096 billion (up 59 percent from $690 million in January 2017)
• Hardware: $278 million (up 119 percent from $127 million)
• PC and console software: $517 million (up 51 percent from $343 million)
• Accessories: $301 million (up 37 percent from $220 million)

The NPD now reports PC and console software sales together. The report doesn’t cover total market spend, and it is missing certain data. It is more of a snapshot of the market as a whole, using data from participating publishers and platforms.

Software

Overall

1. Monster Hunter: World
2. Dragon Ball: Fighterz
3. Call of Duty: WWII
4. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds*
5. Grand Theft Auto V
6. NBA 2K18
7. Super Mario Odyssey**
8. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild**
9. Mario Kart 8**
10. Madden NFL 18
11. Star Wars: Battlefront II*
12. Assassin’s Creed: Origins
13. UFC 3
14. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
15. FIFA 18*
16. Dragon Ball: Xenoverse
17. The Sims 4*
18. Splatoon 2**
19. Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT
20. Need for Speed: Payback*

* No PC digital sales
** No digital sales

Capcom was the top publisher for the month, thanks to Monster Hunter: World hitting the target. But the Dragon Ball franchise also had a successful month. Dragon Ball Fighterz from developer Arc System Works and publisher Bandai Namco ranked as…

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