Persona 5 Had The Strongest Debuting Month In Franchise History In The US

Industry-tracking firm NPD Group shared the latest on videogame hardware and software sales in the United States for the month of April 2017, where Persona 5 stole the hearts of many.   Through the month of April 2017, total video game spending from hardware, software, and accessories, grew 10% compared to last year at $646 million. This makes it the first time the industry saw two months of consecutive growth since November 2015.   While it doesn’t take much to guess that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe led the way in software sales and Nintendo Switch for hardware, Persona 5’s performance was definitely worth noting. In April 2017, Persona 5 had the strongest debut month for any Persona game in franchise history. Just how strong? It managed to sell five times that of the previous best-selling debut, Persona 4.   Software sales grew 6% from last year to $304 million in the month thanks to the all-time best-selling racing franchise in the U.S., Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, along with Persona 5, and a strong second month for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.   As for hardware sales, spending increased 37% from last year, to $195 million. The Nintendo Switch led the way with sales topping 280,0000 units, helping the industry drive its highest April for hardware sales since April 2011. The top two platforms of the month were both from Nintendo with the Nintendo Switch at #1 and NES Classic at #2.