June 2016 NPD: Interactive gaming-toy sales plummet 21% in June

Gamers are spending less on those “toys-to-life” statues.

Interactive gaming toys dragged down the accessories sector of U.S. game sales in June, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. Game-related accessories generated $120.9 million in June, which is down 6 percent from $129.1 million in June 2015. NPD credits the Skylanders, Amiibo, and other interactive figures for the decline.

“Interactive gaming toys experienced a decline of 21 percent, but remained the lead accessory type,” NPD analyst Liam Callahan said. “Gamepad sales were also down a slight 4 percent, despite the 18 percent growth in eighth-generation gamepad sales.”

This decline comes a month after The Walt Disney Company canceled its Disney Infinity games, which featured Marvel, Star Wars, and other properties. The company is now licensing those brands to other companies because, as it explained to investors, the interactive-toy business isn’t growing.

Activision created the interactive-toys genre in 2011 when it released Skylanders. The game functions by unlocking content when players put different toys on a USB-connected portal. That franchise has since made more than $1 billion in revenues, which led competitors to get in on the action. Nintendo, Disney, WB, and more are now also in the space.