August 2020 NPD: Madden NFL 21 Tackles As Switch Continues Sales Streak
The NPD Group has released its August 2020 sales figures, and for the 21st year in a row Madden NFL has come out on top.
The NPD Group has released its US sales results for August 2020, which once again saw year-over-year growth and a number of new games hitting the top ten in sales figures.
Overall consumer spending in August 2020 hit $3.3 billion, representing a 37% year-over-year increase. Digital content, mobile spending, and subscription services had the largest growth. That brought year-to-date consumer spending up to $29.4 billion, which is 23% higher than the same period of time in 2019.
Hardware spending was up 37% year-over-year, while game content (like DLC and subscriptions) was up 37%, and accessories were up 42%.
Nintendo Switch set a new US August hardware sales record. That beat out the previous record set in 2008 by Nintendo Wii. NPD says that Switch unit sales more than doubled over the same period last year. That strength was reflected in software sales too, as nine of the top 20 are Switch exclusives, and that's without counting digital sales for Switch games.
The top-selling game in August was Madden NFL 21, and this year's entry in the annual football franchise is already #6 in the year-to-date charts. Its strong performance is no surprise, though, as NPD notes this is the 21st year in a row that a Madden NFL game has been the best-seller in its release month.
Check out the full results below. New releases are marked in bold.
August 2020 NPD Software Sales
- Madden NFL 21
- UFC 4
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Ring Fit Adventure
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Paper Mario: The Origami King
- Mortal Kombat 11
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- The Last of Us: Part 2
- Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition
- PGA Tour 2K21
- New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
- Super Mario Party
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Luigi's Mansion 3
Best Selling Games Year-to-Date
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- The Last of Us: Part II
- Final Fantasy VII: Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Madden NFL 21
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
- MLB: The Show 20
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
- Mortal Kombat 11
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