NPD's Video Game Sales Data For September: What To Expect

The NPD Group will release its September video game sales report on Oct. 12, which is expected to show the video game industry having benefited from a mid-teens increase, said Stifel's

Drew Crum

. In fact, the upcoming report is considered to be of "greater interest" for investors, as it includes a few key AAA titles that were

recently released, including "Destiny 2," "NBA 2K18" and "FIFA 18." Overall video game sales should show a gain of 20 percent or more on a year-over-year basis, Crum stated. But the hardware category will likely show a double-digit decline although the Nintendo Switch gained further traction. It is important to note that the same period a year ago was boosted by the Xbone S and PS4 Slim, which were relatively new at the time.

The analyst also made the following projections for third-party publishers for the month of September:

Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI: sales of $90 million ($20 million a year ago) reflecting the launch of "Destiny 2."
Electronic Arts Inc. EA: sales of approximately $80 million amid "modest growth" for "Madden NFL" and slightly lower results for "FIFA 18."
Take Two Interactive Software Inc TTWO: Retail sales will likely be down in the high-single digits to around $100 million despite gains in the "NBA 2K" franchise.