According to a recent NPD report, video game spending hit a high point through June, with sales reaching $1.2 billion. That brings the year's total so far for hardware, software, and accessories to $6.6 billion, the highest it's been in 10 years.
With COVID-19 still a hot topic on people's minds, video games have consistently been a source of entertainment, so it's no wonder they're selling well. In addition, the last few months have seen high numbers coming from the year's most anticipated games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and The Last of Us Part II. Players are wanting these new titles, and with plenty of time on their hands, now's the time to get them.
June's numbers came in at a 26 percent increase in comparison to 2019. This is most likely due to COVID concerns and more people staying inside, but the year's numbers so far are the closest they've ever been to those seen in 2010.
By this time back in 2010, video games sales had racked in $7 billion. The high numbers this year make sense, but what happened 10 years ago to bring in so much?
Looking at the release calendar, 2009 was full of anticipated titles near the end of the year. Sequels to popular franchises were hitting shelves like Assassin's Creed II, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and new projects like Batman Arkham Asylum, Minecraft, and Borderlands were catching gamers' eyes. There was lots to play as 2010 rolled around and this year has seen similar results.
If the infamous Nintendo Switch shortage is any indication, people are playing video games more than they have in a long time and with the current console generation coming to a close, now's the perfect time to pick up some games you might've missed. In addition, seeing a rise in numbers is definitely not a bad thing, considering we should be supporting game developers who are struggling because of the pandemic and supporting their art is the best way to do that.