Dragon Ball FighterZ and Monster Hunter: World boost January digital spending to nearly $9bn

January saw an 11 per cent growth year-on-year in worldwide digital spending, boosted by the success of Monster Hunter: World, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Rainbow Six Siege, according to SuperData’s monthly report. Players spent $8.9bn (£6.4bn) in digital games this January, across all platforms.

Digital console games saw the most impressive growth, with a 57 per cent increase year-on-year. Premium PC sales were also up 24 per cent year-on-year, while mobile games saw a 11 per cent growth. The only segments to decline were the social and pay-to-play MMO sectors, which decreased five per cent and nine per cent respectively.

Looking at the console Top Ten, Call of Duty: WWII remained at the top of the worldwide digital charts in January, but Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World entered the charts directly at No.2, confirming the game’s impressive launch performance. Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball FighterZ debuted at No.5, with SuperData noting it was “the most successful fighting game digital console launch of all time.” SuperData estimated that the two titles combined sold 1.5m digital console copies. Rainbow Six Siege re-entered the charts at No.10 “due to Ubisoft’s continued support of the game,” the report added.

Meanwhile, PUBG and Fortnite made a combined $200m in digital revenue across PC and console this January.