USA charts: Elden Ring, Gran Turismo, Kirby and the Xbox Series are a hit in March
With revenue of $4.9 billion, March 2022 is therefore down 15% compared to March 2021. As a result, the balance sheet for the first quarter of 2022 is itself down 8% compared to the first. quarter of 2021 and reached $13.9 billion. Chief among those responsible for this decline were console sales, which reached $515 million in March, a 24% decline.
However, a manufacturer stands out this month: Microsoft quite simply achieved the best month of March in its history in the United States, surpassing the performance of the Xbox 360 in March 2011 (433,000 consoles sold). If this is not enough to pass the Switch in volume, the Xbox Series is the console which currently achieves the largest turnover over the last three months.
As we know, these days, the one who puts the most consoles on the market than the other wins the game. And in this very random little game, it is Sony that has been hit the hardest by the shortage since the start of the year. Consequence for the whole of the first quarter of 2022, the PlayStation 5 is beaten by both the Switch (in number of consoles sold) and by the Xbox Series (in turnover). In this context, we guess that putting a little boost on the PC would not hurt business.
There remains one area in which Sony can rejoice at the moment: the remarkable success of its exclusives. But before tackling the subject, honor to the king, place for the champion. Despite the competition jostling at the gate, Elden Ring did not shake and remains by far the best-selling game for the second consecutive month, even registering an increase of more than 10% compared to its sales in February. Everything has already been said about its worldwide success, which resulted in an incredible score of 12 million copies sold worldwide.
Without the FromSoftware signature phenomenon, it’s Gran Turismo 7 who would have taken the throne, but the racing sim has earned its own little crown anyway: this episode had the best launch in franchise history in 25 years. Small detail, this best launch was achieved in value but not in volume. To complete the podium, we welcome Kirby and the Forgotten Worldwhich also signs without doubt the best launch in the history of the franchise, even if the NPD did not raise this detail.
On the other hand, the NDP emphasizes a very important point concerning MLB The Show 22, which could otherwise have been accused of poor performance: if the baseball simulation is “only” 4th in the ranking, it is because only the sales of the MVP and Digital Deluxe editions are taken into account, the editions standard of the game being released too late to appear in the March ranking. Suffice to say that even Elden Ring could well take a hit in the rankings next month, especially as the Switch is added this year to the PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
The top 5 ends with Horizon Forbidden West which seems to hold the distance honorably for its second month. Despite the exceptional presence of 3 new PlayStation Studios in the top 5, the disappearance of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Moralesyet subscribed to the top 20 since November 2020, illustrates well the lack of availability of the PS5.
Also to know
Spending on iOS and Android games is down 12% from last year. Candy Crush Saga, Roblox, Coin Master, Garena Free Fire, Genshin Impact, Evony: The King’s Return, Bingo Blitz, Royal Match and Candy Crush Soda Saga are the titles that made the most money last month in the United States .
Spending on accessories is down 23% compared to last year. The accessory that has brought in the most money since the beginning of the year is the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller.
