Dead Space dominated post-holiday sales | NPD January 2023

According to industry research firm The NPD Group, the games industry experienced a post-holiday slump in the first month of 2023. Every sector of gaming sales the company recorded in January fell or remained flat, though this isn’t surprising given the overall downward trajectory of gaming sales over the past year and the post-holiday period. However, several newly released January games did well enough to make the bestseller chart.

“January 2023 marks the first time the U.S. video game market has experienced a year-over-year decline since September 2022, when consumer spending was 4% below September 2021 levels,” said NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. “Drops in mobile content, physical console content, and gamepad spending drove the deficit in January.”

Last year, hardware sales were up 22% year-over-year, and this year the industry looks set to remain at the same level. Piscatella said of hardware, “Hardware spending growth for PlayStation 5 and Switch was offset by declines on other platforms.” Accessories sales, on the other hand, fell dramatically compared to the previous year, with gamepads being one of the biggest hit areas.

January 2023 NPD: Top 20 Best Selling Games of the Month in the US

Several of the new January releases managed to hit the charts, though crowd-pleaser Hi-Fi Rush just missed out – likely due to its release near the end of the month and its availability on Game Pass. The chart largely contains the usual: Call of Duty, sports titles, and Pokémon. Other popular releases including Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarök also remain in the top 10.

Two games made a notable jump to the top 20 from low on the list: The Last of Us Part 1 and Monster Hunter Rise. The Last of Us likely benefits from the popularity of the HBO Max show based on the game, which premiered on January 15. Likewise, Monster Hunter Rise was released on PlayStation and Xbox, which would explain the dramatic rise from 68th place to 13th.

Dead Space, Engage and Forspoken

Of the new releases that made NPD’s list, Dead Space debuted in second place on the list. The series’ reputation – and given that it’s a remake of the much-loved original – has likely helped raise its profile. Likewise, Fire Emblem Engage performed well thanks to the franchise’s positive reputation among both console gamers (with Fire Emblem: Three Houses) and mobile users (with Fire Emblem Heroes).

Forspoken, on the other hand, didn’t reach as high as the other two, coming in at 7th place. It’s not a bad feat for a new IP – December’s Callisto Protocol didn’t even break the top 15. However, some negative word of mouth could have contributed to the game’s lower ranking on the list, especially considering that Engage’s position does not take digital sales into account.