The GamesIndustry site reveals a study from Circana, a global advisor on consumer behavior. This reveals new growth in the American video game industry.
The start of the decade is marked by significant figures due to the pandemic and the desire of people to stay connected to each other, but also to have fun during confinement. Obviously a sharp decline followed, this time with a shortage of components and the restructuring of consumer spending, as well as the numerous postponements did not help in this sense. While Circana (formerly The NPD Group and IRI) forecasts an end of 2023 with an increase of 3% for the American video game market compared to 2022, or a total of 58.3 billion dollars, the Nintendo Switch finally manages to break a record .
The Nintendo Switch finally breaks this record
The shortage of consoles caused a lot of discussion at the start of the generation, but we can now say that it is ancient history. The current generation is catching up well and, over the same period, the PS5 exceeds the sales of the PlayStation 4 by 5% and the PlayStation 3 by 87%. For the Xbox Series, the results are a little more mixed. The console is 10% below the Xbox One’s numbers, but ahead of the Xbox 360 by 6%.
Then there is the case of the Nintendo Switch. While it should pass the torch next year, the hybrid console continues its rise. 2023 is overall a very good year for the console, which is notably helped by the release of Zelda Tears of The Kindgom. Big N’s machine continues to accumulate medals and finally exceeds the number of units sold by the Wii over its entire period of life in the United States. It’s been a while since total sales of the machine surpassed those of the Wii worldwide, but the record was a long time coming in the American market.
And for good reason, the popularity of the Wii was such that 48 million consoles were sold in the United States, almost half of the console’s global sales which amounted to 101 million copies. The Nintendo Switch becomes third on the American podium behind the Xbox 360, still ahead of it by a million units and the PS2 by a little over 5 million. It is now the Japanese firm’s best-selling home console in the United States.