EnU.S. imports of videogames have struggled to beat 2015’s record highs during the pre-holiday season , Panjiva data shows. Seaborne imports by volume were unchanged on a year earlier in November, but were 4.6% lower overall when covering the August-to-November pre-holiday shipments. The picture for the dollar value of imports is worse, with October showing a 23.8% drop on a year earlier. Given November shipments were 8.7% below October, the value of imports could be 20.8% lower year on year for the four month period.
Source: Panjiva
A large part of this poor performance may be the result of the new versions of Sony’s PlayStation. Imports of consoles and related products fell 24.5% in November, and have fallen on a year earlier every month since May. That said, the PlayStation Pro only launched November 10, so imports may have come in by air to ensure deliveries for the holiday season.
Imports associated with Xbox jumped over 150%, though this may also reflect Microsoft taking on more control of imports rather than relying on third parties. Imports of Nintendo products fell 8.5% after four months of growth. This likely reflects a decline in enthusiasm ahead of the “ Switch” console launch due in March.
Source: Panjiva
U.S. imports from South Korea jumped 83.9% on a year earlier, though this likely reflects increased shipments of arcade and casino systems by Tovis rather than a shift in gaming console supply chains. Imports from China in volume terms were unchanged on a year earlier, and still accounts for three quarters of all shipments.
Source: Panjiva
Chinese manufacturers’ global exports have been lacklustre more broadly, and fell for a second month in October by 5.8%. Growth for major manufacturers including Foxconn (via its Hon Fu Jin Precision subsidiary), Mingshuo Computer and Flextronics (maker of the Xbox) is instead coming from Japan and the emerging markets.
Source: Panjiva
