Video game revenue returned to growth in May, as sales of game systems, titles and accessories inched up 3% to $4.45 billion, compared with $4.32 billion in the previous-year period, according to new data from The NPD Group.
In April, video game revenue fell for the first time in 14 months.
In May, the surge was led by hardware, up 5% to $244 million, from $232.4 million. The category was again spearheaded by Nintendo Switch, with new generation consoles from Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox following.
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Sales of packaged media and digital games increased 3% to $4.06 billion, from $3.94 billion a year earlier. Accessories fell 8% to $142 million, compared with $154.3 million a year ago.
Industry year-to-date revenue is up 17% to $24.02 billion, from $20.52 billion in 2020. Hardware sales are up 36% to $1.94 billion, from $1.42 billion. Accessory sales ballooned 17% to $1.03 billion, from $880.3 million. Games are up 15% to $21.05 billion, compared with $18.3 billion in 2020.