The wait was worth it as Kingdom Hearts 3, the first numbered release in the franchise since 2006, was the best-selling game in January, according to a report by the NPD Group.
The Square Enix-Disney mashup bested its predecessor, Kingdom Hearts 2, by more than doubling the sales of the 2006 release, which was previously the best-seller in the series. Released Jan. 25, Kingdom Hearts 3 sold 5 million units in its first week.
Meanwhile, Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 remake came in at the No. 2 spot for January. The reimagining of the classic 1998 survival horror game also had a massive first week of release (it launched Jan. 25, as well), shipping 3 million copies worldwide. The new title generated nearly three times more dollar sales than the 1998 PlayStation version of the game.
Rounding out the top five for the month were New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch (a package of two games from Nintendo’s previous console, the Nintendo Wii U), Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Despite the success of Kingdom Hearts and Resident Evil, total video game sales for January were down 19 percent year-over-year with $893 million in 2019 compared with $1.1 billion in 2018. That downturn was true across all areas, from software to hardware to video game accessories.
However, while the total sales were down from a year before, last month was still the second highest-grossing January period since 2013.
The top 10 games in January 2019 based on dollar sales follows.
Kingdom Hearts III
Resident Evil 2 2019
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Digital sales not included)
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Digital sales not included)
Red Dead Redemption II
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
NBA 2K19
Mario Kart 8 (Digital sales not included)
Grand Theft Auto V
