The NPD Group’s report for August has arrived, shining a light on which games and consoles sold the best in the US during the month. The report also provides an overall snapshot of the health of the industry.

In total, consumer spending on games in the US during August 2021–spanning hardware, software, and accessories–jumped by 7% to reach $4.4 billion, which represents a new record high for spending in any August in NPD’s history. Total spending so far in 2021 rose by 13% to $37.9 billion compared to the first eight months of 2020.

Looking at hardware specifically, the Nintendo Switch was once again the best-selling platform in terms of total units sold, for August and the entire year so far. The PlayStation 5, however, generated more money in August and the year to date thanks to its higher price point.

Spending on hardware in August 2021 reached $329 million, which is up 45% compared to August 2020, and it’s the highest for an August month since August 2008 ($395 million). Over the first eight months of 2021, spending on hardware rose 49% to $3 billion.

Shifting to games, the month’s big new release, Madden NFL 22, was unsurprisingly the best selling game of August 2021. It also became the fourth best-selling game of 2021 so far. The NPD said this represents the 22nd straight year that a Madden game has reached the top of the charts during its launch month.

Ghost of Tsushima finished August at No. 2, rising from the 110th spot in July thanks to the launch of the Director’s Cut. Also of note, The Last of Us Part II jumped up the PlayStation-specific charts to finish 10th overall thanks to price cuts in August, and Humankind was the fourth best-selling game overall and the top-seller for PC during August 2021.

The mobile category was also massive for August 2021, with revenue exceeding $2 billion during the month. Candy Crush Saga, Garena Free Fire, Roblox, Coin Master, Pokemon Go, Genshin Impact, Homescapes, Clash of Clans, and PUBG Mobile were the top revenue-drivers in August 2021.

In terms of accessories, the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller was the top seller during August, while the PS5’s DualSense controller continues to be the highest-selling accessory for 2021 so far. In total, spending on accessories reached $164 million, which was flat compared to last August. Year-to-date, spending on accessories jumped 12% to $1.6 billion.

Top 20 Best Selling Games Of August 2021 All Platforms

1. Madden NFL 22
2. Ghost of Tsushima
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
4. Humankind
5. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
6. Mario Kart 8*
7. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword*
8. Minecraft
9. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
10. MLB The Show 21^
11. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
12. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
13. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
14. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
15. Pokemon Sword/Shield*
16. Mortal Kombat 11
17. Super Mario 3D World*
18. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
19. Mario Golf: Super Rush*
20. Super Mario Party*

*Digital sales not included

^Xbox digital sales not included

All Platforms 12 Months Ending August 2021

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
3. Madden NFL 21
4. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. Super Mario 3D All-Stars*
6. NBA 2K21*
7. Marvel’s Avengers
8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
9. Mario Kart 8*
10. FIFA 21

*Digital sales not included

August 2021 Nintendo Platforms

1. Mario Kart 8*
2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword*
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
5. Pokemon Sword/Shield*
6. Super Mario 3D World*
7. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
8. Mario Golf: Super Rush*
9. Super Mario Party*
10. Minecraft*

*Digital sales not included

August 2021 Xbox Platforms

1. Madden NFL 22
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
3. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
5. Flight Simulator (2020)
6. It Takes Two
7. Forza Horizon 4
8. Marvel’s Avengers
9. Minecraft
10. Mortal Kombat 11

August 2021 PlayStation Platforms

1. Madden NFL 22
2. Ghost of Tsushima
3. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
5. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
6. MLB The Show 21
7. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
8. Minecraft
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
10. The Last of Us: Part II

Kompletter Artikel: Switch Outsells PS5 And Xbox Series X In The US, Top 20 Best-Selling Games Revealed For August

Call of Duty fans are gearing up for the launch of Call of Duty: Vanguard and the new Warzone Pacific map this year, but what’s coming next? Insider Tom Henderson reported that Call of Duty 2022 is codenamed Project Cortez, and it will be a sequel to 2019’s Modern Warfare. Like that game, it’ll be developed by Infinity Ward, it seems. VGC’s own sources back up Henderson’s report.

The Modern Warfare sequel’s story mode will follow US soldiers going to war against Colombian drug cartels, according to the report. The Project Cortez codename may be a reference to the villain, Felix Cortez, from the 1994 Harrison Ford film Clear and Present Danger.

Given the usual three-year studio rotation, 2022 would be Infinity Ward’s turn to take the reins, following Treyarch’s leading effort on Black Ops Cold War and Sledgehammer for Vanguard. Infinity Ward making a sequel to 2019’s massively successful Modern Warfare reboot would be no surprise. Not only was the game a huge commercial success, but it ended with a very blatant set-up for the next Modern Warfare story.

Both Henderson and VGC have accurately reported on unannounced Call of Duty news many times in the past. However, Activision has not made any official announcements of the next big Call of Duty game, so nothing is confirmed at this stage. We have contacted Activision in an attempt to get more details.

In addition to the next Call of Duty game, Activision is developing a new Call of Duty mobile game from a newly established studio.

Call of Duty: Vanguard and the new Warzone Pacific map are scheduled for release later this year. You can try Vanguard’s multiplayer this month through its beta tests on all platforms.

All of this is happening as Activision Blizzard faces a lawsuit from the state of California over discrimination and sexual harassment of women.

Kompletter Artikel: Call Of Duty 2022 Is A Modern Warfare Sequel About Colombian Drug Cartels – Report

Ein Insider hat offenbar erste Informationen zu Call of Duty 2022 enthüllt. Demnach soll es sich bei dem Shooter um ein Sequel zu Modern Warfare handeln, das von Studio Infinity Ward entwickelt wurde.

Kompletter Artikel: Call of Duty 2022: Wird angeblich ein Sequel zu Modern Warfare

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s RAAL MG is a light machine gun with a low fire rate, but the gun boasts high damage and range stats. The Stoner is becoming a popular light machine gun option for Warzone, but with a constantly shifting meta, there is a chance the RAAL MG can take over as the next best weapon for mid-range and long distances.

The new RAAL MG light machine gun follows the CX-9 submachine gun that was quietly added into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone on August 3. These unannounced additions were previously leaked, teased, and even available for a brief time in Warzone before being removed without any official word. Here’s how players can now officially unlock the RAAL MG light machine gun in both Modern Warfare and Warzone.

How To Unlock The RAAL MG

RAAL MG unlock challenge

The RAAL MG can be unlocked via an in-game challenge, and the challenge is the same whether you choose to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Warzone. You need to get five kills in seven different matches while using LMGs equipped with the Scout Optic attachment.

At this time, the shop doesn’t have any bundles listed with the RAAL MG, so you’ll need to do the work to get your hands on this new weapon. The easiest way would likely be to hop into some Modern Warfare multiplayer, but if you only have Warzone, your best bet will be to drop into matches of Plunder.

The RAAL MG arrived as part of update 1.41 which also has enabled players to once again edit their loadouts during pre-game lobbies. It also changed the lobby background. This update quietly follows the hype from Warzone’s in-game reveal event for Call of Duty: Vanguard. Players can also expect a Vanguard multiplayer reveal and beta test soon.

Kompletter Artikel: How To Unlock The RAAL MG For Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare

Call of Duty: Warzone is getting a brand-new map later this year, featuring a new environment and a new anti-cheat system from developer Raven Software. You might be wondering what might happen to any of your previous battle pass unlocks or store purchases when the change happens.

The good news is that this content–including progression-based unlocks and items purchased with real money–will move forward with you, Activision has announced. There will be universal progression between Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, Vanguard, and Warzone. So ranking up in one game, whether that be standard rank progression or battle pass XP, also applies to the others.

Additionally, your Warzone loadout can be made up of weapons and content from across Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard. For Vanguard specifically, the content will come to Warzone when the new map launches later this year. We don’t know exactly when that’ll be just yet, however.

Activision also promised that fans can look forward to a “massive calendar” full of new maps, modes, playlists, and seasonal events across Warzone and Vanguard in the future. “Expect the most connected Call of Duty experience ever seen,” Activision said.

More details on Vanguard, Warzone, and the new anti-cheat system will be announced in the lead-up to the Vanguard’s launch on November 5.

For more on Vanguard, check out GameSpot’s new preview, “Call Of Duty: Vanguard Is Looking To Turn The Tide Of World War II.” You can preorder Vanguard right now.

Kompletter Artikel: Call Of Duty: Warzone Will Honor Battle Pass Unlocks And Purchases When New Map Launches

The once mysterious CX-9 submachine gun was quietly added into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone today. This new weapon was leaked, teased, and even available for a brief time in Warzone before being removed without any official word. Here’s how players can now officially unlock the CX-9 submachine gun in both Modern Warfare and Warzone.

How To Unlock The CX-9 In-Game

If you just want to score the new CX-9 submachine without spending any money, it can be unlocked via an in-game challenge. The challenge is the same whether you choose to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Warzone. You simply need to get 2 longshot kills while using any submachine gun in five different matches.

If you’re trying to unlock the weapon now, you may notice your kills aren’t tracking. Raven Software tweeted it’s aware of an issue with the CX-9’s unlock challenge and level progression not tracking.

How To Unlock The CX-9 With COD Points

If you don’t want to waste time on challenges, this once mysterious weapon can be officially unlocked in today’s new Warzone shop bundle, which is the long-awaited John “Soap” MacTavish operator pack.

Soap MacTavish is a main character featured in 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, who also played major roles in the two Modern Warfare sequels that followed. Given that Soap is such an iconic Modern Warfare character and the bundle was highly-anticipated, it feels weird to not have this tied to any major announcement or event, but he’s finally available for those who wish to purchase him for 2,400 COD Points. The Soap bundle comes with ten items total, which is obviously highlighted by the Soap operator skin and the Serac weapon blueprint for the new CX-9 submachine gun.

Today’s surprise additions to Warzone and Modern Warfare also arrived with a new Season 5 cinematic trailer to tease the return of the famous Numbers broadcast from the first Black Ops game. Season 5 is set to launch on August 12. Here’s what we know so far about the season, and we’ll be updating with any new details.

This quiet arrival of content emerges while Activision Blizzard is also facing multiple lawsuits concerning alleged sexual harassment and a “frat boy” culture.

Kompletter Artikel: CoD: Warzone And Modern Warfare Finally Add Soap And The CX-9, Here's How To Unlock Them

It’s strange enough that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare got a couple of new maps this far into Black Ops Cold War‘s lifecycle. To make things even weirder, the two maps were originally added back in March, but then removed in April to spend more time in development.

Now, though, Al-Raab Airbase and Drainage are back, probably for good (although we can’t be sure). Al-Raab Airbase is a 6v6 map that’s currently featured in a 24/7 playlist, while Drainage is a 2v2 Gunfight map.

When the two maps were added back in April exclusively to private matches, they took players by surprise. Seemingly just as suddenly, they were stealthily taken offline in April. Activision later explained that they were released prematurely and needed more work.

It’s pretty unusual for Activision to continue to support older Call of Duty titles with new content, but this might be indicative of the continuing popularity of Modern Warfare. Of course, Black Ops Cold War is still receiving the bulk of the attention, and you can check out what’s new in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone here.

Kompletter Artikel: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Maps Return To Game After Being Removed In April

The NPD Group has released its latest monthly report for the US video game industry, revealing which games and consoles sold the best during May 2021. The report also covers how well the industry overall performed during the month.

Here are the big takeaways, including Resident Evil Village leading the pack.

Overall

Total spending on games in the US during May 2021–spanning hardware, games, and accessories–rose by 3% to $4.5 billion. Year-to-date, meanwhile, spending rose by 17% to $24 billion. These are both year-over-year comparisons.

Hardware

For game consoles, total spending on hardware rose by 5% year-over-year to $244 million for May 2021. Spending on hardware year-to-date performed even better, jumping by 36% to $1.9 billion so far in 2021.

The Nintendo Switch was once again the top-selling home console in the US during May 2021, outperforming the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S systems (which remain difficult to find in many places).

The Switch was the top-performer both in terms of total units sold and dollars spent for both May 2021 and year-to-date.

Games

Shifting to games, total spending on software for May 2021 rose to $4.06 billion, which was up 3% year-over-year. Year-to-date, spending on games surged by 15% to $21 billion.

Resident Evil Village was the month’s best-seller overall, and it quickly became the second best-selling game of 2021 so far. Capcom is discussing Resident Evil during an E3 showcase today.

MLB The Show 21, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, New Pokemon Snap, and Mortal Kombat 11 rounded out the top five for May 2021.

May 2021 Top-Selling Games All Platforms

• Resident Evil Village
• MLB The Show 21^
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
• New Pokemon Snap*
• Mortal Kombat 11
• Mario Kart 8*
• Returnal
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
• Minecraft
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)
• Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Super Mario 3D World*
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
• It Takes Two
• Biomutant*
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• Monster Hunter: Rise
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
• Pokemon: Sword/Shield*
• Days Gone

*Digital sales not included

^ Xbox digital sales not included

Accessories

The accessories category was the only segment to drop year-over-year, with total spending falling by 8% to $142 million for May 2021. Year-to-date spending has now reached $1 billion, which is up 17% year-over-year. Steering wheel accessories are doing especially well, rising by more than 45% in terms of revenue year-over-year. The Logitech G920 Driving Force racing wheel is 2021’s best-selling steering wheel so far.

Kompletter Artikel: Best-Selling Games And Systems Of May 2021 (US): Resident Evil Village Leads The Pack

After nearly 20 years, Call of Duty has evolved from a humble WWII game into an unstoppable force of the first-person shooter genre. Let’s look back at the series with Richie as he recalls his experiences playing the entire series in 2021.

Kompletter Artikel: I Played Every Call of Duty in 2021 (Part 1)

Two prominent Call of Duty developers from Infinity Ward have left the studio to pursue what they are calling a “rare and exciting new opportunity.”

Narrative director Taylor Kurosaki and design director Jacob Minkoff left Infinity Ward earlier this year, though the news is only just becoming public now. “It was an honor to be a part of the studio for the last 7 years and we’re so proud of what we created together with Modern Warfare and Infinite Warfare. We wish the team nothing but the best,” they said in a joint statement.

The statement goes on to explain that Kurosaki and Minkoff are not yet able to announce their next gig, but they remarked that more details should come soon. The joint statement was attributed to both Kurosaki and Minkoff, so they are presumably sticking together for whatever they are working on next.

Before joining Infinity Ward, Minkoff spent years at Naughty Dog where he worked on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, including its acclaimed train level. He was promoted to lead designer for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and The Last of Us.

As for Kurosaki, he also came to Infinity Ward from Naughty Dog. He worked at the Sony studio for more than 10 years as a narrative design lead across a number of projects.

Given their experience, it will be interesting to see where Kurosaki and Minkoff land next. The statement says only that they are leaving Infinity Ward and not Activision overall, though that could be a possibility as well. We’ll report back with more information as it’s announced.

2021’s new Call of Duty game is coming from Sledgehammer Games, the developer of Call of Duty: WWII. The new game, which is due out this holiday, is rumored to be another WWII game that may be called Vanguard. This game is expected to integrate with Call of Duty: Warzone in some capacity that hasn’t been clarified yet.

Kompletter Artikel: Call Of Duty Veterans Who Worked On Modern Warfare And Infinite Warfare Leave Infinity Ward