The NPD Group has revealed that Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was the best-selling game in the U.S. in April 2022. While it was a bumper month for the latest Lego game, gaming spending was down 8% in April 2022 compared to April 2021, marking the sixth consecutive month of year-on-year decline.
Thanks to Mat Piscatella on Twitter, we know that Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was the best-selling game of April 2022 in the U.S. It sold so well, in fact, that it has become the second-best-selling game of 2022 to date, behind Elden Ring. The Skywalker Saga also became the first third-party game on Nintendo Switch since Monster Hunter Rise back in March 2021 “to rank as the best-selling title on Nintendo platforms.”
The sales success of The Skywalker Saga doesn’t stop there. After its first month on sale, it now “ranks among the top 6 best-selling Lego games life-to-date.” This was thanks to the game achieving “the highest launch month dollar sales for any Lego title in history.” As you can see in the tweet above, Elden Ring, MLB: The Show 22, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and Nintendo Switch Sports round out the top five best-sellers in April.
Despite the success of The Skywalker Saga and the continued success of Elden Ring, spending on gaming has reduced 8% year-on-year as of April. The current spend for 2022 in the U.S. on games, consoles, and accessories stands at $18.3 billion. By the end of April 2021, the year-to-date gaming spending total was $19.9 billion. Surprisingly, hardware sales have risen by 16%.
While official reasons for the six consecutive months of year-to-date decline haven’t been given, the pandemic petering out in the U.S. with fewer rules on what you can and cannot do outside is probably to blame for some of the reduction in gaming consumer spending. Another factor is likely the recent cost of living rises. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that people are spending less on gaming when fuel costs and bill prices rise.
