After several quarters of double-digit growth, spending growth on video games slowed considerably in Q2 2021. This is per recent data [press release] from The NPD Group, which found that Q2 consumer spending on video game products grew by only 2% year-over-year (y-o-y).
Total industry consumer spending on video gaming reached $14 billion in the second quarter of 2021.
Reflecting a mere 2% y-o-y growth, video game content sales reached $12.6 billion, with games such as “Among Us,” “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War,” and “Call of Duty: Warzone” listed among the best-selling and most played games for the quarter.
The NPD Group points out that subscription content was the only content segment to see significant growth (+12.2%) for the quarter. That said, gaming hardware sales grew by 12%, although accessories experienced a y-o-y decrease of 11%.
Although growth in video game spending has fallen off from previous quarters, The NPD Group contends that “consumer spending has not only maintained the elevated levels reached a year ago, but exceeded them in key areas such as hardware, mobile and subscription spending.”
Other research from Morning Consult suggests that there is potential for this growth to continue. Not only did it find that some 72% of Gen Z adults currently play online games on a computer or console, but it also revealed that one-quarter of all adults surveyed say they expected to play more online games in a year than they are playing currently.
The press release can be found here.
About the Data: The NPD Group data includes the purchase of video games hardware, software and accessories, as well as spending on PC games.
