Superdata February: digital spend up 17% year-on-year, but down QoQ

Digital games spend analyst firm Superdata noted a small dip this month, to counterbalance the NPD's spike.

Digital spend was $959 million in the US in February, a 17% year-on-year increase.

Month-on-month, digital spend was down 5% from January's $1.09 billion. Superdata CEO Joost van Dreunen attributed the dip to the upcoming release of Titanfall, as gamers tend to be more conservative with spending when anticipated a big release.

Titanfall's season pass and digital deluxe PC release are expected to drive March's digital spend upwards.

Superdata noticed a decline in social spend, from $205 million in December to $167 million in February. Casino games, on the other hand, are on the rise.

Candy Crush Saga revenue has flattened over the past few months, Superdata said, suggesting it may be peaking. On the other hand, the casual games market in general weakened in February, with MAUs dropping 3% and revenues dropping 2%, so it may just be a reflection of this softening.

That said, Supercell's Clash of Clans saw a revenue per user increase in February.

Superdata expressed optimism about the free-to-play market, noting the releases of The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot and Loadout, as well as World of Tanks' console debut. Year-on-year free-to-play games market is up 22%, totalling $291 million in revenues in February.

Superdata's monthly report can be considered alongside the NPD's to provide a more complete picture of the US games industry.