Video game hardware sales in the U.S. were down 38% in November compared to the same month in 2020, reaching their lowest November total since 2016.
Driving the news: Blame the supply chain.
“It's all about stock,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said on Twitter. “The console with the most units in market will lead the charts. Will likely be the case for a long while.”
Details: The Switch was first, followed by Xbox Series consoles.
NPD pegged Activision's Call of Duty Vanguard, followed by EA’s Battlefield 2042 and Nintendo’s Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl as the month’s top three games (caveat: NPD doesn’t track Nintendo’s digital sales).
Despite the weaker November, NPD says spending on games hardware, content and accessories in the U.S. is $52.9 billion year-to-date, up 9% from last year.