June Video Game Sales Are Out; What Do They Show?

In a report published Friday, Brean analyst Todd Mitchell analyzed June's NPD retail video game industry sales, which showed an 18 percent increase in video game industry sales during June to $69 million.

Mitchell commented that the sales growth came from a 20 percent jump in software sales due to "solid" releases from Warner Bros. and Nintendo. In addition, software was likely "even more understated than usual" given an increase in hardware bundles and digital console sales.

In fact, hardware sales rose seven percent on the back of a 15 percent increase in current-generation sales. Combined sales for Microsoft Corporation MSFT's Xbox One and Sony Corp (ADR) SNE's PS4 consoles are now tracking just under 50 percent higher than their prior-gen counterparts at the same point during the last cycle.

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Who Made The List Of Top 10 Games?

Mitchell noted that Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. TTWO maintained two titles ("Grand Theft Auto V" and "NBA 2K15") in the top 10 list of most purchased titles. Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI only held one title ("Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare") while no titles from Electronic Arts Inc. EA made the list for the first time in months, although the analyst noted SuperData information suggests that FIFA digital sales "continued to outperform" in international markets.

Mitchell also commented that as a whole, the three publishers had a "muted" retail sales month in June, though he did note a "much stronger" presence in SuperData's top 10 list for digital sales, a trend that is expected to continue as new console buyers "catch-up" and digitally purchase "must-have AAA" franchise titles.

Shares of Activision, Electronic Arts and Take-Two are all Buy rated with $28, $75, and $32 price targets, respectively.