We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of "Playing the Edge." Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!A new Madden game has continued the series’ best-selling streak, according to industry-tracking firm Circana. That said, FromSoftware’s Armored Core VI: The Fires of Rubicon has also placed high on the list, and with considerably less lead time than Madden NFL 24. While the industry overall hasn’t greatly increased spending year-over-year, the hardware market has fluctuated in the last month.“Video game hardware spending fell 13% when compared to a year ago, to $328 million,” said Mat Piscatella, Circana’s executive producer for games reports. “PlayStation 5 dollar sales fell by a single-digit percentage in the month when compared to a year ago, while both Switch and Xbox Series declined by a double-digit percentage.”Hardware sales were down similarly last month — 19% to be specific — and it’s likely for similar reasons. The industry mitigated some of its supply chain issues last summer that were choking hardware sales, meaning that sales were up dramatically. Accessories sales, on the other hand, have risen, with the PlayStation DualSense being the biggest seller and the PlayStation VR2 also ranking in the top 8.“PlayStation 5 continued to lead the 2023 hardware market across both units and dollars. Year-to-date hardware spending was 13% higher when compared to the same period in 2022, at $3.2 billion,” continued Piscatella. “Accessories spending in Aug grew by 12% vs YA, to $159M. 7 of the top 8 best-selling accessories of August in dollar sales were PlayStation DualSense gamepads, with PlayStation VR2 ranking as the only non-DualSense gamepad appearing among the top 8.”GamesBeat Next 2023Join the GamesBeat community in San Francisco this October 24-25. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry on latest developments and their take on the future of gaming.A Madden title taking the top spot for its release month is no surprise — it’s the 24th year in a row that the Madden NFL series has done this. As noted above, Armored Core VI made it to second place despite only having one day of sales (including pre-orders) to report.God of War Ragnarök likely got a bump up the list thanks to a recent sale of PS5s that come with the game bundled. It could also have been bolstered by rumors that a DLC is in development. Similarly, Gran Turismo 7 likely also jumped into the Top 20 thanks to a boost from the launch of the Gran Turismo film.There were several August releases that didn’t make it onto the bestseller list. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Stray Gods and Immortals of Aveum were released during the reporting period but didn’t break the Top 20. Immortals, at least, is reported to have seen poor sales that may have led to layoffs at developer Ascendant Studios.One of August’s most-discussed releases was Larian Studio’s RPG Baldur’s Gate 3. However, despite the game’s positive reviews and audience feedback, it’s not on the Circana chart. According to Piscatella, this is because Larian Studios is not a member of Circana’s reporting panel. However, he noted that it “would have been right up there” and that it “helped drive 132% growth in digital premium download spending in the PC, Cloud, and non-Console VR content segment.”The year-to-date charts see the addition of both Madden NFL 24 and Armored Core VI. As with the August charts, Armored Core VI is on the list despite being only one day into the reporting period, so its debuting at 20th place is not a surprise. Last month’s Remnant II, which similarly launched only four days before the end of the July reporting period, debuted at 18th and has moved up to 13th in the time since. It’s the only game that has moved up the list.GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.© 2023 VentureBeat. All rights reserved.