Month: September 2020

The Nintendo Switch was once again the best-selling system in August 2020, and it also set the record for the Highest August dollar sales for a hardware platform in US history, surpassing the August 2008 dollar sales of the Nintendo Wii.

As revealed by The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella, the Switch also more than doubled its unit sales total from August 2019.

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As for games, Madden NFL 2021 was the best-selling title of August 2020, achieving a “double-digit percentage dollar sales growth compared to the release month of Madden NFL 20.” It debuted at the 6th best-selling game of 2020, and this marks the 21st consecutive year a Madden NFL franchise game has been the best-selling title in its release month.

UFC 4 claimed the second spot, setting a new franchise record, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare took third place. Final Fantasy VII Remake returned to the top 20 best-selling list at #19 after finishing #41 in July 2020, following a discount in the month of August.

In addition to the Switch selling incredibly well, Nintendo games accounted for 10 of the top 20 games this month. The full list of August 2020’s top 20 best-selling games is as follows;

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August 2020’s Best-Selling Games

1. Madden NFL 21
2. UFC 4
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
4. Ghost of Tsushima
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
6. Ring Fit Adventure
7. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
9. Paper Mario: The Origami King
10. Mortal Kombat 11
11. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
12. The Last of Us Part 2
13. Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition
14. PGA Tour 2K21
15. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
16. Super Mario Party
17. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
18. Super Mario Odyssey
19. Final Fantasy VII Remake
20. Luigi’s Mansion 3

Consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories was $3.3 billion, a 37% increase when compared to August 2019.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is releasing on December 8 for current and next-gen systems, and it’ll feature a new Adventure Mode. The first game’s single-player mode was wonderful, and it looks like the sequel will add a few new features.

The trailer below features an introduction by Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, and shows what’s changed. Characters from the first game (such as Ringo and Tee) are back, but the structure of the game has changed a bit. There’s a world map to move around through now, complete with optional levels to complete. It’s a better way to visualize your progress than what the first game had.

A new “Skill Battles” form of play has been added, too. You can choose your play style in these fights (between Tetris and Puyo Puyo) and level up your characters. You can change difficulty levels and see how you stack up, too. There’s a separate Skill Battle mode outside of Adventure Mode, too, so you can carry your skills over.

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Although Halo Infinite has been delayed to 2021, it appears a number of the tie-in merchandise items for the game will be released as scheduled. Microsoft recently announced new Halo Funko Pops, while the company also partnered with Monster Energy for a new campaign. The next merchandising opportunity for Halo Infinite is a new collaboration with the apparel company Hex for branded backpacks and more.

Described as “premium bags,” these new backpacks and duffels were designed in partnership with developer 343 Industries as part of the marketing campaign for Halo Infinite. The Hex Halo collection includes four items in total, including a Spartan backpack ($100 USD), a Spartan Tech backpack ($200 USD), an ONI sling ($80 USD), and a UNSC duffel ($150 USD). They are all available to pre-order now, and shipping is free for orders of $75 USD or more, so all of these items qualify. International shipping is also available.

The Spartan backpack has multiple compartments and can hold a laptop up to 15″. The bag is inspired by Master Chief, and as such, it sports an olive-green color and Chief’s Spartan-117 ID number. The Tech backpack is a super-sized version of the backpack, with more space for storing equipment like gaming gear. As you can see in the image above, this bag has enough space to hold a standard-size Xbox (probably not the much-bigger Xbox Series X, though), along with headphones and two controllers.

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Streaming giant Netflix has acquired the rights to a new movie starring Zendaya and John David Washington that was filmed during the pandemic.

The movie is called Malcolm & Marie, and it was directed by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. According to Deadline, Malcolm & Marie was filmed “quietly” during the pandemic in June and July this year at the Feldman Architecture’s Caterpillar House in compliance with COVID-19 health and safety measures. The movie is black and white, and it was shot on 35mm film.

It’s a Euphoria reunion of sorts, as Zendaya also stars in that show. Additionally, Euphoria cinematographer Marcell Rév also worked on Malcolm & Marie.

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