March 2016 NPD: Ubisoft, Nintendo shake up sales chart with The Division, Zelda

Gamers aren’t spending more than they did last year, but that’s only because many of them already have the latest hardware from Microsoft and Sony.

New video game products generated $964.1 million in sales at United States retailers in March, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. That is relatively flat from $968.4 million in spending during the same period in 2015. Hardware sales continue to decline in terms of currency because the average system is selling for less than it was in 2015. Gamers are instead shifting that budget into bumping up their spending on software and accessories.