The mighty Flakker is still a decent gun, but it’s not the beast it used to be.

The NPD Group has released its report for September 2019, revealing which games and consoles sold the best during the month in the United States. The report also provides an update on the overall health of the gaming industry–and September 2019 was harsh.

All categories–hardware, software, accessories, and game cards–experienced declines in sales. In total, spending across all sectors reached $1.278 billion, which is down eight percent year-over-year. On a year-to-date basis, total spending in all categories fell six percent to $8.3 billion. Drop-offs on hardware spending drove the decline, the NPD said.

This is expected given that the PS4 and Xbox One are in the end-stages of their lifecycles, with next-generation consoles from both Sony and Microsoft expected in Holiday 2020.

Moving to games specifically, NBA 2K20 was September’s best-selling title in the US. Its first-month sales were the highest for any sports game in history; the previous record-holder was NBA 2K19. Again, this list covers only the United States, where FIFA–a chart-topper in Europe and other parts of the world–is not as popular.

Also notable for the NBA 2K series is that, with September’s sales accounted for, the NBA 2K franchise passes Guitar Hero to become the sixth-biggest gaming franchise of all time in the US based on dollar sales.

Another big release in September was Borderlands 3, and it finished No. 2 behind NBA 2K20. Its launch-month sales represent a new first-month sales record for the franchise in the US. Globally, Borderlands 3 shipped five million copies in its first five days to become 2K’s fastest-selling game ever.

Coming in at No. 17 for September was the new Plants vs. Zombies game, Battle for Neighborville. It doesn’t officially release until October 18, but players who buy the Founder’s Pack can get in now, which explains why a game that hasn’t officially released landing on the charts.

Total dollar sales on video games in the US during September fell four percent to $732 million. The Xbox One and Nintendo Switch saw growth in games sales during September, but PS4 game sales slid. That drop-off was to be expected, given Sony’s blockbuster hit Spider-Man launched in September 2018.

Moving to hardware, the Switch was the best-selling console of September–it’s been on top now for months. It is also the best-selling console of 2019 overall.

Despite the strong Switch sales, total spending on consoles fell 22 percent to $240 million. The Switch was the only console to post sales gains in September and for the entire year so far in 2019.

Spending on accessories and game cards, meanwhile, dropped seven percent to $306 million.

The industry still has time to turn things around in 2019, as a number of big new releases are coming up, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (October 25) and Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (November 15). There is also the Black Friday shopping bonanza that leads into the holiday shopping season where games should fly off shelves and help improve the fortunes of the industry.

September 2019 Best-Selling Games

1. NBA 2K20
2. Borderlands 3
3. FIFA 20
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening*
5. Madden NFL 20
6. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
7. Gears 5^
8. Code Vein
9. NHL 20
10. Mario Kart 8*
11. Minecraft#
12. Grand Theft Auto V
13. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
14. Spyro Reignited Trilogy
15. Red Dead Redemption II
16. Rainbow Six Siege
17. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
18. Spider-Man
19. Catherine
20. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*

• *Digital sales not included
• ^Steam digital sales not included
• #Digital sales on PS4 and Xbox One not included

Get some free games with this sweet new AMD Ryzen 9 3900X processor.

When it comes to PC gaming, there’s no shortage of deals and discounts on great games. Steam has its weekly sales, Epic has its free games, and now PC game store Fanatical has a great sale of its own. The Insanity Sale discounts a heck ton of great games for a limited time, including Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition. Most of them are available to redeem on Steam, with a few exceptions like Borderlands 3 (which is on the Epic Games Store) and any Ubisoft games, which will redeem on Uplay. Each product page will specify where the game key can be redeemed.

Over the course of Fanatical’s Insanity Sale, new flash deals will go up at a fairly constant pace. These deals won’t last long–most discounts are available for 24 hours, while some only last a few hours. This story will be continuously updated with the best game deals as each flash deal comes and goes, so keep your eyes on us as the Insanity Sale progresses.

The first set of deals feature the Castlevania spiritual successor Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the Lord of the Rings spinoff Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition, and the management sim Project Hospital, in addition to real-time strategy game Grey Goo: Definitive Edition and the first-person classic Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition. You’ll also find a nice discount on Borderlands 3 and SoulCalibur VI for PC.

The Insanity Sale is scheduled to end on October 18 at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. You can check out the table below for an overview of the best deals available now. Fanatical is also giving a sneak peek at upcoming deals over at its homepage.

See all current deals at Fanatical

Best Insanity Sale deals so far

Game	Price (USD)
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night	$25 ($40)
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition	$12 ($60)
Project Hospital	$15 ($25)
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition	$0.80 ($7)
Hitman 2: Gold Edition	$33 ($100)
Everspace: Ultimate Edition	$8 ($50)
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons	$1.49 ($15)
Borderlands 3	$51 ($60)
SoulCalibur VI	$16 ($60)

In addition to the constant flash deals as part of the Insanity Sale, quite a few Ubisoft games are discounted, including Far Cry: New Dawn, Far Cry 4: Gold Edition, and Far Cry 5 as well as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Origins. Watch Dogs 2, Ghost Recon Wildlands, and Rainbow Six Siege are also on sale, in addition to their various deluxe editions–Siege’s various editions grant access to a certain portion of the game’s DLC operators, depending on the edition.

Bandai Namco also has a good selection of deals right now, with Dark Souls Remastered and Dark Souls III – Deluxe Edition on sale. Fighting game fans can take advantage of discounts on SoulCalibur 6 and Tekken 7, while others can grab Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom and Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown at reduced prices. The popular Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is also on sale.

The latest event tied to Borderlands 3’s month-long 10-year anniversary celebration has begun. Called Eridium Week, the event is aimed at increasing your amount of Eridium as well as the items you can use it for. The event is live across all platforms, so you can jump into it whether you’re playing Borderlands 3 on Xbox One, PS4, or PC.

During Eridium Week, there will be adjustments to Eridium drops for all enemies. Additionally, the items you can buy with Eridium will also lower in value, allowing you to buy more than you usually can. All of the changes are listed below.

Borderlands 3 Eridium Week In-Game Changes

• All enemies drop Eridium, not just badasses, anointed, and bosses
• Eridium drops are increased more so than they already are in Mayhem mode
• Moxxi’s Eridium slot machine will cost less to play
• Crazy Earl’s assortment of Vault Hunter cosmetic skins and special guns will cost less Eridium

Eridium has been an important in-game resource in the Borderlands series for a while now, but its role has fundamentally changed in Borderlands 3. In previous games, you use Eridium to purchase SDU upgrades, which allow you to increase your carrying capacity for your backpack, storage, and weapon ammo. In Borderlands 3, SDU upgrades became tied to cash, transitioning Eridium into an in-game currency for cosmetics and powerful weapons.

In GameSpot’s Borderlands 3 review, I wrote, “If you’ve never been a fan of the franchise, it’s unlikely Borderlands 3 does enough things differently to change your mind, as the game best excels at continuing what the series has always done: deliver a humorous tall tale of misfits looting and shooting their way to heroism.”

Best Cosplay Of PAX Aus 2019

You can’t have a PAX without hundreds of amazing, dedicated cosplayers. This year at PAX Aus 2019, there were plenty of fantastic costumes to see–too many, even. In this gallery are dozens of the best costumes we managed to stumble across. You’ll find plenty of Marvel and DC representation of course, but also plenty of great video game costumes from Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher, Bioshock, Fallout, Mortal Kombat, and Borderlands 3.

Once you’re done perusing the great costumes, be sure to check out the Best Games We Played At PAX Aus.

There’s also plenty more stuff to watch and read on the PAX Aus hub, including an interview with CD Projekt Red on Cyberpunk 2077, a first look at Chorus, the new game from Dragon Age writer David Gaider, and all the panels from GameSpot Theatre.

All photographs by Dan Crowd.

Cyberpunk 2077 – Male V

Instagram: Cyborg_Benji

Cyberpunk 2077 – Female V

Instagram: LucidInRapture

Pokemon – Team Rocket Jessie

Instagram: cc.viper

The Witcher – Geralt of Rivia

Instagram: Sparta_Cos

The Witcher – Yennefer

Instagram: ShadowMinxx_

The Witcher – Triss Merigold

Instagram: OfficialGothBarbie

Borderlands 3 – Troy Calypso

Instagram: grimmbonez

Borderlands 3 – The Calypso Twins: Troy Calypso and Tyreen Calypso

Instagram: grimmbonez and luckybonez

How To Train Your Dragon – Toothless

Catwoman

Instagram: simayargentocatwomancosplay

Predators

Facebook: PredatorCosplayAustralia

Halo – Red Spartan

Instagram: mc_bretag

Destiny Warlock

Instagram: TwoSwordsCosplay

Fallout Vault Dweller

Facebook: PegasusPropsAndDesign

Leon Kennedy

Instagram: mrbenveniste

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Talion

Instagram: HunterForgedCosplay

Bioshock Crew

Instagrams:

BatemanBeyond (Jack)

KPGeeStar (Splicer)

Purple_Zara (Little Sister)

Bonez_977 (Subject Delta)

KritXHit (Little Sister)

Tomb Raider – Lara Croft

Facebook: AtlanticRiotCosplay

Cuphead and Mugman

Instagram: TotallyTab85

Deadpool

Instagram: DeadBatOrManPool

Mortal Kombat – Nighthawk

Instagram: thenewrecruitsshow

Raiden

Instagram: Little.Miss.111

Mortal Kombat – Kano

https://instagram.com/Badge3D_

Batwoman

Instagram: Belle_Cosplay

Black Canary

Instagram: SnowBahoff

Iron Man, Rescue Armour, Spider-Man, Mysterio

Instagrams:

LockedProps (Iron Man)

lozza.moo (Rescue Armour)

Spiderman_aus (Spider-Man)

Melbourne_Ironman (Mysterio)

Oogie Boogie

Instagram: Teacher.In.Hiding

Catwoman and Harley Quinn

Instagrams:

MaraudingMakeup (Catwoman)

JessicaStormCosplay (Harley Quinn)

Inspector Gadget

By Garrad Flint

D.Va, Brigitte and Ana

Instagrams:

Hunnymoon_Cosplay (D.Va)

Parker_Luck_Cosplay (Brigitte)

JP_Cosplay (Ana)

Fallout – Nuka Cola Ghoul and Nick Valentine

Instagrams:

KirieCosplay (Nuka Cola Ghoul)

MissLucifiend (Nick Valentine)

Fallout – Nuka Cola Ghoul

Instagram: KirieCosplay

Fallout – Nick Valentine

Instagram: MissLucifiend

Fallout: New Vegas

Let us know if you know who this is!

Hollow Knight

Instagram: DustyPuppy82

Monster Hunter World

Instagram: Royal_Cospage

J. Jonah Jameson

Facebook: geelongsclownprincecosplay

Into The Spider-Verse: Peter B Parker

Instagram: SammmyMCosplay

The Legend of Zelda – Tingle

Instagram: Smashing_Cosplay

One of the most talked-about developments in gaming over the past year has been Fortnite developer Epic establishing a new digital store and its pursuit of exclusives–of which there have been many. In addition to paying for exclusives, Epic’s store gives creators 88 percent of revenue compared to 30 percent on Steam and others. Publisher Ubisoft no longer releases new titles on Steam because they believe the 70/30 revenue split is “unreasonable.”

Now, one of the founders of boutique game publisher Devolver Digital (Hotline Miami, Genital Jousting, Fall Guys) has spoken up to defend Steam and call for a “reset” of the wider conversation that can at times paint Steam as the bad guy.

“I feel like this conversation needs to be reset,” Graeme Struthers told GameSpot at PAX Aus. “The conversation never really took place properly in my opinion.”

Struthers said the launch of Steam more than a decade ago changed the landscape of PC gaming. Steam was an integral part of the success of Devolver and other studios, he said.

One part of what made Steam appealing then and continues to now is that developers are paid every month, which is not the case with every store.

“Every month we were getting paid, and you were being paid accurately,” he said. “We’ve all got our horror stories about doing audits on our publishers and finding huge discrepancies about what was being reported in sales. Here’s Steam–every month, accurate, straightforward, and transparent.”

Regarding the revenue share model, Struthers pointed out that Steam’s 30 percent cut was a more generous offering than others at the time. The payment scheme that Steam offered allowed publishers to offer more favorable terms to developers, Struthers said.

“To come out of a model [before Steam] where we were, as a games publisher, maybe making 25 percent, and that’s if you were successful. To be in a 70/30 relationship, it was transformative in every sense,” he said. “And that led to realignment with relationships with developers. If there is more money and it’s more frequent, you can have better terms with developers.”

“Steam has invested I don’t know how many hundreds of millions of dollars in their platform; Epic have yet to do that.” — Struthers

With the launch of competing game stores–including Epic’s–developers have more options, and this competition is good overall for the industry, Struthers said. At the same time, Struthers stressed that comparing Steam to Epic directly is not fair or helpful.

Steam has been around for more than a decade; it’s a refined platform with important toolsets and features for developers and consumers alike that make for a better overall experience, Struthers said.

“Competition is going to come along at some point. Epic have taken a view that their way of bringing content to their platform is far more generous revenue share and obviously they’ve been pushing exclusives–that’s great,” he explained. “And it’s giving developers and publishers a choice. You can’t compare the two things however as like for like. Steam has invested I don’t know how many hundreds of millions of dollars in their platform; Epic have yet to do that. I’m not saying they won’t, and hopefully they will. In terms of the features and in terms of the toolsets for developers, there’s a ways to go. But competition is good.”

Finally, Struthers said all the drama and controversy over Epic paying for exclusives “doesn’t really hold up” because exclusivity has been a part of gaming since the beginning.

“The rise about developers and publishers going to Epic and exclusivity, it doesn’t really hold up,” he said. “I play games on PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch, and Devolver–we’ve done console exclusives with Sony, with Microsoft–I think it’s good, but I think we have to respect Steam for what they’ve done. Without them, none of this would have been a conversation in the first place.”

In addition to paying developers a larger share of revenue, Epic gives studios money up front to convince them to make games exclusively for Steam. Games like The Division 2, Metro Exodus, and Borderlands 3 are all currently exclusive to the Epic Games Store, though they will also release on other PC stores at a later date. The next big exclusive for Epic is The Outer Worlds from developer Obsidian; it launches on October 25.

Here’s some news to brighten up your Monday: Amazon is offering some killer discounts on a wide range of games for PS4 and Xbox One right now, as well as some Switch and PC deals. From new releases like Borderlands 3 and Control to games from earlier this year, like Resident Evil 2 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, there are a ton of great games available at some of the lowest prices we’ve seen.

With these deals, Amazon is likely price-matching Target, as the latter retailer is once again offering its 25% off with same-day pickup deal all week long. While you’ll need to drive to your local Target to take advantage of that offer, you can find most of the same deals at Amazon with free one- or two-day shipping included. Because it’s Amazon we’re talking about, there’s no telling how long these discounts will be available, so don’t wait too long if you see anything on your wishlist.

Some of the best deals include Remedy’s new mind-bending thriller, Control, which is down to $37.49, and Gearbox Software’s latest loot-shooter, Borderlands 3, which is already on sale for $45 (Xbox One only). If you’re interested in the Super Deluxe Edition of Borderlands 3, which includes the Season Pass, bonus content, and a steelbook case, it’s down to $75 from $100 on both PS4 and Xbox One. You’ll also find more of 2019’s biggest releases for cheap, including Days Gone for $30, Resident Evil 2 for $28.49, Devil May Cry 5 for $26.24, and Mortal Kombat 11 for $31.87.

Unfortunately, pickings are slim on the Switch side of things (the Target sale focuses on PS4 and Xbox One titles), but you can snag a few upcoming Switch games at a nice price, including Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition for $41.88 (out tomorrow), the Resident Evil Triple Pack for $50 (out October 29), and Just Dance 2020 for $33.84 (out November 5). The nice thing about Amazon pre-orders is that if the price drops even lower between now and when the item ships, you’ll only be charged the cheapest price that’s appeared on Amazon.

There’s also an interesting deal available for PC gamers, particularly those interested in streaming. Amazon is offering a bundle with the Blue Condenser Microphone in Cool Grey and Assassin’s Creed Origins for $87.29, down from $140. The microphone normally costs around $130 on its own, so this is an excellent deal if you’re looking to get into Twitch streaming, podcasting, or anything else where you’ll need good audio.

There are countless deals available right now, but you can check out our picks for the best deals below. You can also check out all the deals available at Target and Amazon. Please note that many of the below prices will be displayed during checkout. When looking at a product listing, you’ll see a tiny message under the price reflecting the additional discount. Due to the ever-fluctuating nature of Amazon’s prices, the below discounts are subject to change without notice.

Best gaming deals at Amazon

PS4:

• Anthem — $10
• Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition — $41.88
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — $22.50
• Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition — $75
• Control — $37.49
• Dark Pictures: Man of Medan — $18.74
• Dark Souls Remastered — $15
• Days Gone — $30
• Devil May Cry 5 — $29.62
• Dragon Quest Builders 2 — $37.49
• FIFA 20 — $45
• Hitman 2 — $17.24
• Infamous: Second Son — $11.17
• Kingdom Hearts III— $25
• Madden NFL 20 — $30
• Mega Man 11 — $11
• Monster Hunter World — $15
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $31.87
• NBA 2K20 — $40.49
• Resident Evil 2 — $28.49
• Sega Genesis Classics — $15
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — $30
• Shadow of the Colossus — $14.39
• Shenmue I & II — $18
• Sonic Mania Plus — $20.62
• Spyro Reignited Trilogy — $21.72
• Subnautica — $17.62
• Team Sonic Racing — $27.37
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy — $14.92
• World War Z — $22.49
• Yakuza 0 — $10.87

Xbox One:

• Anthem — $10
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — $22.50
• Borderlands 3 — $45
• Borderlands 3: Super Deluxe Edition — $75
• Control — $37.49
• Dark Pictures: Man of Medan — $18.74
• Dark Souls Remastered — $15
• Devil May Cry 5 — $26.24
• Devil May Cry HD Collection — $12
• Doom — $10.87
• FIFA 20 — $45
• Gears 5 — $37.49
• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice — $20.39
• Hitman 2 — $17.24
• Kingdom Hearts III — $25
• Madden NFL 20 — $30
• Metro Exodus: Day One Edition — $19.87
• Monster Hunter World — $15
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $27.74
• NBA 2K20 — $39.74
• Resident Evil 2 — $28.49
• Samurai Shodown — $30
• Tales of Vesperia — $22.49
• Team Sonic Racing — $30

Nintendo Switch:

• Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition — $41.88
• Civilization VI — $28.20
• Just Dance 2020— $33.84
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $38
• Resident Evil Triple Pack — $50
• Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission — $30.57
• Tales of Vesperia — $30
• Trine Ultimate Edition Collection — $41.88
• NBA 2K20 — $45

PC:

• Anthem — $10
• Assassin’s Creed Origins Blue Condenser Microphone (Streamer Bundle) — $82.18

It appears PS4’s PSN service is currently experiencing some issues. Players across social media are reporting they aren’t able to access certain games and online features on PS4.

It’s currently unclear how widespread these issues are. GameSpot unsuccessfully tried to join a party on PS4, and many players on Twitter are reporting similar issues. However, we were able to log into both Apex Legends and Borderlands 3, so these issues don’t appear to be affecting all titles. Sony’s PSN status page claims “all services are up and running.” [Update: GameSpot has verified that PS4’s party feature is once again working. We’ll update this story with any further developments.]

The issues coincide with Fortnite’s big “The End” event, which saw a black hole swallow up everything in the game. Since the event, players have not been able to join any new games of Fortnite, but they are still able to log in and watch the mysterious black hole, although those on PS4 appear to be having a much harder time logging in due to these issues.

Developing…

Amara gets buffs, too.