According to research firm Circana, the US games industry sales report for March, released on Wednesday, reveals significant trends.
Helldivers 2, which previously secured the top spot in February’s sales chart and maintained a strong second position in March, emerges as the best-selling premium game of the year thus far based on dollar sales.
March’s chart-topper, Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2, now stands as the third best-selling game of 2024, following Helldivers 2 and Modern Warfare 3. Circana’s executive director, Mat Piscatella, notes that Dragon’s Dogma 2’s March performance alone has already exceeded the cumulative tracked dollar sales of its predecessors, Dragon’s Dogma and Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen.
New entries on March’s software sales chart include MLB The Show 24 ranking at No.3, Rise of the Ronin at No.5, Princess Peach Showtime at No.6, Unicorn Overload at No.8, and WWE 2K24 at No.9. While software and accessories sales both experienced a 9% year-over-year increase in March, hardware sales witnessed a notable decline of 32% compared to the previous year.
Spending on PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch each decreased by a minimum of 30% year-on-year. The hardware sales for the first quarter of the year dropped by 24% compared to the same period in 2023. Total US consumer spending on game hardware, content, and accessories in March showed a 4% year-over-year growth, amounting to $4.9 billion.
