Digital games sales across all platforms combined — PC, console, and mobile — went up 7 percent worldwide in August compared to the same month last year, according to game and market intelligence group SuperData Research.
SuperData cites pay-to-play PC games like World of Warcraft, and free-to-play console games such as Fortnite as the main drivers for the growth. They offset the slight losses from free-to-play PC and social revenues.
World of Warcraft made $161 million in August. This was thanks to the launch of the Battle for Azeroth expansion, which released on August 14. World of Warcraft first came out in 2004, but the online multiplayer game can still make lots of money thanks to a dedicated fan base and its subscription and paid expansion model. However, World of Warcraft was still only second in the PC category, following Dungeon Fighter Online.
It isn’t good new for everyone. League of Legends is having its worst performing year since 2014, with revenue down 21 percent compared to the same time period in 2017. This happens as developer Riot Games deals with accusations of workplace sexism and inappropriate behavior. SuperData does not cite this, or any other factor, as a reason for the decline.
Above: August 2018 digital sales.
Fortnite was the top earner for consoles. The free-to-play battle royale has been a huge hit on all platforms, but Fortnite has less competition on consoles. Its main competitor, PUBG, is only available on Xbox One. Fortnite is on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Monster Hunter: World launched for PC on August 8, and the port of the action role-playing game already sold 2 million copies. Meanwhile, Madden NFL 19 was a hit on consoles, selling 664,000 digital copies on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One after debuting on August 10.
On mobile, Honour of Kings is at the top, which is a MOBA from China. It’s known as Arena of Valor in the West. It released for Switch today as a free-to-play game.
