January 23, 2020
Content spending increased 2 percent over 2018
Washington, DC – January 23, 2020 – U.S. video game content generated $35.4 billion in revenue in 2019, a 2 percent increase over 2018*, according to new data released today by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and The NPD Group.
This industry figure includes revenues from all software and in-game purchases, as well as U.S. mobile spend data.
Sales gains were seen in full-game and DLC MTX digital content on console, as well as mobile and subscription spending, while physical content and PC digital content experienced declines.
“The continued economic growth and impact of the industry illustrates what we in the industry see every day – more and more people of all ages and backgrounds love playing video games and are celebrating their unparalleled entertainment,” said ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis. “As new platforms and technology continue to reach more players across the country, we expect 2020 to be yet another exciting year of engaging content and innovation as video games cement their place as the leading form of entertainment in America.”
“Consumer spending on entertainment software increased in 2019, driven by the expanded reach and accessibility of content across a variety of platforms including console, PC, mobile and virtual reality.” said Mat Piscatella, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “2020 is expected to be a year that sets the stage for the next period of rapid spending growth for video game content. New hardware, subscription, and cloud gaming offerings are poised to give players even more options to engage with gaming content wherever, whenever and however they wish.”
*2018 sales adjusted to include same number of tracking weeks in retail calendar year
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About The ESA
The ESA offers a wide range of services to interactive entertainment software companies, including conducting business and consumer research; providing legal and policy analysis and advocacy on First Amendment, intellectual property, and technology/e-commerce issues; managing a global content protection program; owning and operating E3; and representing video game industry interests in federal and state government relations. For more information, visit the ESA’s website or follow the ESA on Twitter @theESA.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
NPD offers data, industry expertise, and prescriptive analytics to help our clients grow their businesses in a changing world. Over 2000 companies worldwide rely on us to help them measure, predict, and improve performance across all channels, including brick-and-mortar and e-commerce. We have offices in 27 cities worldwide, with operations spanning the Americas, Europe, and APAC. Practice areas include apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, books, B2B technology, consumer technology, e-commerce, fashion accessories, food consumption, foodservice, footwear, home, juvenile products, media entertainment, mobile, office supplies, retail, sports, toys, travel retail, video games, and watches / jewelry. For more information, visit npd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgames.
