NES Classic sold 196k in US in November but US market falls sharply

The hard to find NES Classic Mini shifted just shy of 200k units in its first month in the US, NPD data has shown.

Note that this number would undoubtedly have been far higher had Nintendo been able to meet demand.

The overall market was not a pretty picture, however. The total US games industry in November saw the market plummet by 24 per cent to $1.97bn. Hardware was down 35 per cent, console software down 18 per cent and accessories down six per cent.

That latter number, worryingly, also factors in sales of the PlayStation VR, although the blame for the fall was placed firmly at the feet of the 49 per cent toys-to-life dip.

Also in the dock are the lowered prices for next-gen hardware, which has dragged down revenue comparisons. PS4 was the best-selling machine, however, ending Xbox One’s four-month winning streak.

Tough comparisons with last year’s holy trinity of Fallout 4, Black Ops III and Star Wars: Battlefront were also blamed for the declines. Incidentally, among titles outside of the month’s top three there was sales growth of 12 per cent, suggesting it was the supposed big hitters – Battlefield 1, Infinite Warfare and Pokemon Sun and Moon – that really let the side down.

The latter still enjoyed a record launch for the franchise, however, beating former champion Pokemon White and Black by eight per cent – and that’s with 19 fewer days on the market, too.

Also positive was Titanfall 2’s second month performance.