Industry-tracking firm The NPD Group is known for releasing reports regarding gaming sales with hard numbers. But this time round, the company’s lead gaming analyst, Mat Piscatella, was up to something else. He released a prediction of the titles that will top the charts in 2019.
It’s not a surprise that in NPD’s prediction, Infinity Ward’s CoD: Modern Warfare would top the charts. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is predicted as 2019’s best-selling game, the 9th time a Call of Duty game would lead in sales over the past 11 years. 7 of the top 10 predicted best-sellers launch in 2H,” read his post on Twitter.
The first-person shooter game finishing top of the charts at the end of the year is inevitable. Infinity Ward and Activision have been keen on expanding the game and have even announced a CoD mobile version for Android and iOS.
https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1174338538244120578
The second game in Piscatella’s prediction is NBA 2K20, and there’s no doubt about this. Even though the new release has been criticized for its microtransactions and a few glitches here and there, no other game apart from CoD can rival it. Much has been improved, and for the first time, all twelve teams from the WNBA are included.
Third, in the list is the National Football League-inspired Madden NFL 20. The American football simulator franchise has been praised for the control refinements and updated story mode.
Surprisingly, NPD predicts that Borderlands 3 will be the fourth game on the charts despite the major performance issues it is facing on all the consoles. Gearbox is offering short term solutions and fixes yes, but the question is, will fans be patient enough?
Coming at fifth is Mortal Kombat 11 which dominated the second quarter of 2019. The NetherRealm Studios’ blockbuster was the bestselling game in April, and May and even surpassed the sales of Kingdom Hearts II.
Here is the full list:
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2. NBA 2K20
3. Madden NFL 20
4. Borderlands 3
5. Mortal Kombat 11
6. Star War Jedi: Fallen Order
7. Ghost Recon Breakpoint
8. Kingdom Hearts III
9. The Division 2
10. Pokemon Sword and Shield
Well, these are just predictions, and things might change eventually. While the top three slots seem sealed, expect some juggling in the rest of the projections.
Piscatella also revealed that despite the dip in the last few months, the industry is still growing, with an impressive 6 percent year-on-year growth. According to a post on Twitter, the NPD puts the Total 2019 US Video Game industry expenditure at $45 billion. While content sales will foster growth, Mobile, and Digital Console content are the biggest drivers.
