The thrilling January 2023 NPD sales report is in, and the scales have been tipped in Fire Emblem’s favor. The seventeenth mainline entry in the series, Fire Emblem Engage, debuted at an amazingly strong #5 in overall sales, ahead of both new games like Forspoken and darlings like Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok. The only other new title to top it is the Dead Space remake at #2, and considering the remainder of the top four spots was filled with the usual annual franchise shooty sports series that sell septillions of copies without even trying, that’s a fantastic debut.
January 2022 US NPD THREAD – U.S. consumer spending on video game content, hardware and accessories totaled $4.3 billion, a decline of 5% when compared to a year ago. Video game hardware spending was flat, while content (-5%) and accessories (-14%) spending fell. pic.twitter.com/TvmxTayZr6
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) February 13, 2023
It’s even stronger when you remember that Nintendo never publishes digital sale data, meaning the game may be doing even better than listed. While a February drop-off can be expected, it’s clear that Nintendo’s premier strategy franchise is firmly one of its A-tiers at this point, just shy of S-tier heavyweights like Zelda, Mario, or Pokémon. And in our opinion, that’s well deserved. There isn’t too much else Nintendo-related to note – Pokémon Scarlet/Violet had a sizable drop-off after the holiday sales rush, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to sell really well no matter what. Stay tuned for more thrilling sales reports next month.
Leave a Comment
Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
