In a year of crisis, more players than ever want to escape the everyday, and the June sales for games like The Last of Us Part II reflect this. Games have always been an escape, but as titles grow to represent all kinds rather than a strict boy's club, more and more people can experience the joy of settling into another world. That's reflected in game sales, which have been increasing steadily over the course of the global pandemic. With homes on lockdown and movies at a near-standstill, those craving new digital entertainments are turning to games even if they've never tried them before.
In a microcosm, industry watchers saw this with Pokemon Go, which updated to include activities players could do at home. This lets Pokemon trainers keep playing even while they couldn't venture outside, leading to a surge of activity from both veterans and returning players.
Now, as the sales figures from June 2020 roll in courtesy of Spider-Man for historic launch month sales on a Sony platform.
Elsewhere in the chart, record high demand earlier in the crisis. With many gyms remaining closed, Nintendo fans and novices alike were looking to the 2019 fitness game to stay in shape. Across all games, including hardware and accessories, sales were up 26 percent, making it the best June for the industry since 2009. Software sales haven't been this good since 2010 either, with similarly high figures due to players having more time to invest in new titles.
It was inevitable that The Last of Us Part II would be a sales success, but it likely never would have reached the heights it did without the world's current unique set of circumstances. While the success of big corporations is cold comfort to anyone suffering from the effects of the pandemic, but it does prove the unique place in the market games inhabit. Video games are often time sucks, even when they're not designed to be for monetary reasons. While this can be a criticism at times, there is always a time and place for contemplative escape, and nothing can provide more of that then the fully realized fantasy worlds of today's biggest titles.
Source: Mat Piscatella
