The NPD Group, a market research company, has recently released its report detailing the current status of the gaming market. This report covered everything from the overall spending numbers, the top 10 best selling games of 2019, and March's top 10 best selling games, with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Division 2 topping March's charts.

Concerning overall spending, the NPD report contains software and hardware numbers, though digital figures only come from willing and participating publishers. March saw an 11% decline in overall spending, with this spread across software, hardware, game cards, and accessories. February was a decent month for the market, but this drop in March resulted in a 2% decline for the first quarter over last year, despite many big AAA title launches such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Divison 2.

Hardware was expected to take a hit with many likely saving up or waiting on a next-gen console since the PlayStation 5 may cost $499 at launch. Still, the hit was a little harder than expected, as hardware sales fell by 15% in March and 13% for the quarter. Software such as Sekiro and Division 2 saw a small 2% growth for the first quarter, but an 11% drop compared to last year.

sekiro march 2019

For March, The Division 2 was the biggest release, making it Ubisoft's sixth highest-selling game ever and the second best-selling game in 2019 so far (just behind Kingdom Hearts 3). The somewhat niche Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice took the number two place, outselling all other From Software games except Dark Souls 3. MLB 19: The Show takes third place, and Devil May Cry 5 takes the fourth spot. Here are the top 10 best selling games of March 2019:

  1. The Division 2
  2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
  3. MLB 19: The Show
  4. Devil May Cry 5
  5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  6. Red Dead Redemption 2
  7. NBA 2K19
  8. GTA 5
  9. Yoshi’s Crafted World
  10. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Grand Theft Auto 5 released on current gen consoles in 2014, but it is not surprising to see it on this list, as it is one of the best selling games of all time. The hype behind the franchise and the strong sales will likely do much for the next title, Grand Theft Auto 6, which is among the rumored PlayStation 5 games.

The Division 2 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: vg247