NPD Group has published a report where it predicts Elden Ring will finish as 2022’s best-selling premium game – beating Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
This will be only the third time that a Call of Duty game release hasn’t led the year’s market; however, overall, Call of Duty will remain the best-selling premium franchise for its 14th consecutive year.
It is notable that Elden Ring is a FromSoftware ‘Souls’ game, as these games have historically been considered to be niche. This highlights just how successful Elden Ring was at bringing the genre to the mainstream.
The report also predicts that hardware shortages – specifically regarding the PS5 and Xbox Series X – will remain prevalent into 2023 and potentially impact ancillary gaming hardware sectors like VR.
However, PC GPU prices are predicted to fall as this hardware becomes more commonly available, which, if proven accurate, could provoke many to invest in upgrading.
Overall, the report noted that the video game hardware market is expected to be worth $55.5 billion by the end of the year, an 8.7% drop from last year, and subscriptions will be the only video game growth sector.
While not ideal, the report concluded on a positive note that while the short-term predictions indicate a decline, the long-term prospects for the industry’s growth are “as strong as they’ve ever been”.
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