October NPD: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reigns

News by Sherif Saed Contributor

Published on Nov. 15, 2019

October has been a very good month for video game revenue this year.

The monthly NPD Group games report is here, and October has predictably been very busy. Hardware, software and accessories combined to generate $1.03 billion in spending, which is behind October 2018's $1.57 billion.

Although that's a significant drop year-on-year, October 2019 holds the second-highest total for an October this decade. Industry analyst Mat Piscatella believes this to be the result of fewer big games this October, and a two-week late release for Call of Duty compared to last year.

Hardware

Hardware continued to decline in October, dropping 41% compared to last year. Only $182 million were spent on hardware during the month. Nintendo Switch held its dominance, and even saw growth in October.

Once again, Switch was the best-selling console in October, and the best-selling so far this year.

Software

October this year saw spending of $620 million in software spending, a 37% drop compared to last year. That revenue is significantly higher still than most other Octobers, ranking third behind October 2008 and October 2018.

Unsurprisingly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was October's best-selling game - now 12 years in a row. Not only that, Modern Warfare also exceeded all other 2019 releases to become this year's best-seller so far this year.

The Outer Worlds claimed the second spot, which is good for a new IP. Luigi's Mansion 3 landed at number three overall, but topped the Nintendo Switch charts.