Nintendo’s latest ‘Zelda’ best-selling game in U.S. in May, says Circana

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella said that spending on video game content grew 9% in the U.S. in May when compared to a year ago, reaching $3.6B. Console full game and add-on content spending increased 58% when compared to May 2022, offsetting declines across Mobile and PC. New physical video game software spending reached its highest May total since May 2014. Nintendo’s (NTDOY) “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” was the best-selling game of May 2023, instantly becoming the #2 best-selling title of 2023 year-to-date, despite only physical sales from Nintendo being included in the best-selling titles charts. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” returned to the top 20 monthly chart in May, placing 13th after finishing April at #28. Other top-selling premium games for the month of May in the U.S. were Warner Bros. Interactive’s (WBD) “Hogwarts Legacy,” Electronic Arts’ (EA) “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,” Embracer’s (THQQF) “Dead Island 2,” Activision Blizzard’s (ATVI) “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” and Sony‘s (SONY) “MLB The Show 23.”