January NPD 2018: Monster Hunter even slays beasts like Call of Duty and PUBG

2018 is off to a good start for the gaming industry. Revenues in January were up 59 percent year-over-year and generated $1.096 billion, according to the industry-tracking firm The NPD Group.

The big winner is Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World, which was the best-selling game for the month despite launching January 26. The series has always been popular in Japan, and it’s one of the publisher’s most successful franchises. It doubled down on Western audiences with Monster Hunter: World, focusing on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 rather than Nintendo systems. It also introduced a more open-world feel. Capcom’s efforts paid off, and it sold over 5 million copies of the game in the first weekend alone.