Quarantine boosts US to record $10.86b video game sales

Quarantine and social distancing might have contributed to an all-time United States consumer mark in video game sales of $10.86 billion.

NPD Group released first quarter sales totals, which include two weeks in March when much of the US was on lockdown due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Video games have brought comfort and connection to millions during this challenging time," Mat Piscatella, an industry analyst at The NPD Group, said in a press release.

"As people have stayed at home more, they've utilized gaming not only as a diversion and an escape, but also as a means of staying connected with family and friends. Whether it was on console or mobile, PC or virtual reality, gaming experienced play and sales growth during the first quarter."

The record represents a nine percent increase over the first quarter in 2019.

Video game sales and in-game microtransactions made up $9.58 billion of that total sales figure.

The most popular titles in video games were Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Doom Eternal, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, MLB The Show 20 and NBA 2K20.

NPD Group estimates the sales totals for the second quarter ending June 30 will be even higher.

Hardware sales were up to $773 million. The top-selling console was Nintendo Switch.