I thought it would be kinda interesting to see how well each genre is doing in comparison to the previous generation LTD numbers. One reason I decided to do so was because of the popular opinion that the overall decline from last generation is just due to the loss of casuals on Nintendo platforms.
I'm using numbers from the game database on this site so they may not be 100% accurate.
Action
PS3/360-550.01 million
PS4/XBO-116.17 million
21.12%
Adventure
PS3/360-38.10 million
PS4/XBO-6.97 million
18.29%
Fighting
PS3/360-89.28 million
PS4/XBO-9.44 million
10.57%
Misc
PS3/360-139.46 million
PS4/XBO-13.56 million
9.72%
Platform
PS3/360-41.72 million
PS4/XBO-7.55 million
18.09%
Puzzle
PS3/360-1.46 million
PS4/XBO-0.02 million
1.36%
Racing
PS3/360-139.90 million
PS4/XBO-19.17 million
13.70%
Role-Playing
PS3/360-146.92 million
PS4/XBO-33.30 million
22.62%
Shooter
PS3/360-474.65 million
PS4/XBO-122.80 million
25.87%
Simulation
PS3/360-25.24 million
PS4/XBO-1.19 million
4.71%
Sports
PS3/360-273.06 million
PS4/XBO-62.18 million
22.77%
Strategy
PS3/360-15.08 million
PS4/XBO-0.70 million
4.64%
Total
PS3/360-1.96 billion
PS4/XBO-0.40 billion
20.40%
It comes as no surprise that the action/adventure, shooter & sports genres are doing the best as these are the primary hardware drivers for PS/XB consoles.
Role-Playing is also doing pretty well in comparison (I would argue that most WRPGs are open-world action games, but i guess thats besides the point).
Genres such as puzzle, simulation, strategy have cratered but then again they werent really big to begin with and these are the type of games that have transitioned to being digital only titles so that xould explain the decline.
Misc was a previously very large genre that is not currently doing well, the decline in Kinect/Move & plastic instrument games (Rock Band/Guitar Hero/DJ Hero) is the culprit here with very little to replace them.
The biggest surprise for me are the fighting & racing genres. These are two genres that are historically seen as "hardcore" and having a pretty strong presence, but dont seem to being so hot at the moment.
Anything neat or surprising for you guys?
When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.
