Wii U hardware sales saw a 233 percent year-on-year increase, bolstered of course by the release of Mario Kart 8, which helped raise software sales by a mammoth 373 percent for Nintendo’s flailing console.

It was also a good month for the 3DS, selling 150,000 units and pushing newly-released Tomodachi into the top ten bestselling software charts with more than 175,000 copies sold.

Speaking of software, Watch Dogs topped the charts, with most copies being sold on PS4, and Mario Kart 8 came in second, selling 470,000 copies (total now more than 885,000, and 2.5 million worldwide).

Top Ten Software:

1. Watch Dogs (PS4, 360, Xbox One, PS3, PC)
2. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
3. Minecraft (360, PS3)
4. UFC (PS4, Xbox One)
5. FIFA 14 (PS4, 360, Xbox One, PS3, Vita)
6. NBA 2K14 (360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
7. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
8. Call of Duty: Ghosts (360, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Wii U, PC)
9. Tomodachi Life (3DS)
10. Grand Theft Auto V (360, PS3)

Industry Trends:

According to the NPD Group: “June 2014 new physical video game sales across hardware, video game software, and accessories, grew by 24 percent over June 2013.  This was due to hardware sales growth of over 100 percent, and a modest 1 percent growth in accessories.

‘Nine out of the last ten months saw year-over-year growth in new physical video game sales.  While the new hardware launches were a major factor in overall new physical video game growth, the start of this year-over-year growth began in September 2013, two months before the Nov. 2013 launches of Xbox One and PS4.  September and October 2013 year-over-year growth for overall new physical video game sales were driven by software increases.”

Hardware: 

“The 106 percent increase in hardware sales (vs. June 2013) was lifted entirely by console hardware sales, which were up by over 200 percent. The strong sales performance of console hardware helped to offset the declines seen in portable hardware.

“Combined sales of Xbox One and PS4 are over 80 percent higher than the combined totals for Xbox 360 and PS3 – an indication of the strength of the start of this new console generation.”

Software:

“In terms of software titles, many of the top games in June 2014 mirrored those of May 2014, with six of the same games ranking in the top ten.  Three of these top ten games were also new launches from May 2014 (Watch Dogs, Mario Kart 8, and Wolfenstein: The New Order), indicating the weakness of new launches in June.

“While unit sales of launch titles in June’14 declined 67 percent when compared to June’13 launch title sales, there was a 47 percent increase in unit sales for games that launched across the second quarter of 2014 (April – June) when compared to the same time period in 2013.”

Historically a slow month, May 2014 was a boon for the games industry, with both hardware and software sales performing better year-over-year.  Hardware sales jumped to $187 million (95 percent), and software sales by 57 percent ($284 million). And although next-gen consoles lead the way, Wii U and Vita also saw sales growth, thanks to strong games like Wii U’s Mario Kart, and the PS Vita Borderlands 2 bundle.

Software Sales:

May 2014 Software top ten (new physical retail only)

1. Watch Dogs – Ubisoft (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
2. Mario Kart – Nintendo (Wii U)
3. MLB 14: The Show (PS3, PS4, Vita)
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order – Bethesda (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
5. Minecraft – Microsoft/Sony (PS3, Xbox 360)
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (3DS, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
7. NBA 2K14 – 2K (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
8. Titanfall – EA(PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
9. Kirby Triple Deluxe – Nintendo (3DS)
10. Call of Duty: Ghosts (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

We’re awaiting responses from Sony, Microsoft and hopefully Nintendo about these results. Once we have them, they’ll be posted.

One last note, the NPD Group only account for physical game sales, and with digital distribution becoming more and more popular, one must consider these numbers, on the software side of things at least, with the understanding that the games industry is actually in better shape than these numbers suggest.

Notes:
-”PS4 software combined with Xbox One software sales are up over 40 percent compared to sales of the PS3 and Xbox 360 through their first six months. Wii U software sales were up over last year by over 80 percent,” said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.
-Xbox One has an attach rate of 3.
-Xbox One sold 447,000 games.
-Xbox 360 sold 2.2 million games.
-The Xbox One and Xbox 360 combined accounted for 53% of all software sales.
-Infamous was the best selling next-gen game. (As in, in terms of only counting sales of games on XB1/PS4/probably Wii U, this game sold the best if you ignored all other sales.)
-Skylanders sales are up double digits.

PlayStation 4: Best selling hardware.
Xbox One: 115K, Second best selling hardware. (This would be lower than any 360 April sans this one.)
Xbox 360: 71K

Notes:
-”Life to date, sales of PS4 and Xbox One hardware have more than doubled the combined sales of PS3 and 360 hardware through their first six months of sales,” said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.
-“[Home] console hardware sales increased by 120 percent in April 2014 over last year,” said Callahan. 
-”Xbox One continues to outpace Xbox 360 sales in the same historical time period by selling over 76 percent more units in the first six months on the market.” – Microsoft


Other Information:

Originally Posted by Microsoft

April NPD Results: Xbox Leads U.S. Software Game Sales

April NPD Group figures released today showed that Xbox One continues to lead in software sales with the most cumulative units sold for any eighth generation home console platform life-to-date. Combined, Xbox One and Xbox 360 held eight of the top 10 spots on the generation eight and generation seven console game lists in the U.S. And, Xbox One continues to outpace Xbox 360 sales in the same historical time period by selling over 76 percent more units in the first six months on the market.

Highlights from April 2014 NPD Group results include:
Xbox One continues to see impressive software sales, maintaining an average of three games sold per console.
With Xbox One and Xbox 360 combined, the Xbox platform sold the most games across all console platforms with 2.6 million games sold. Xbox One sold 447,000 games in April and Xbox 360 sold 2.2 million, totaling 53 percent of the total software market share (Xbox 360 and Xbox One combined).
Xbox One and Xbox 360 together held eight of the top 10 spots on the generation eight and generation seven console game list in the U.S.: “Titanfall” (Xbox One), “Kinect Sports Rivals” (Xbox One), “Titanfall” (Xbox 360), “Call of Duty: Ghosts” (Xbox 360), “NBA 2K14” (Xbox 360), “Grand Theft Auto V” (Xbox 360), “Minecraft” (Xbox 360) and “Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare” (Xbox 360).
Xbox One sold 115,000 units in the U.S. in the month of April and has outpaced box 360 sales by 76 percent in the first six months on the market.
Xbox 360 continues to grow its install base with 71,000 units sold in April in the U.S., more than any other seventh generation console.
Looking ahead to June, we’ll launch significant updates for Xbox. Earlier this week, we announced more choices and better value for Xbox fans who have been asking for options in games and entertainment experiences as well as options in hardware selection. Beginning on June 9, in all markets where Xbox One is currently sold, we will offer Xbox One starting at $399, in addition to Xbox One with Kinect. We’re also bringing a new generation of Xbox Live including Games with Gold and Deals with Gold coming to Xbox One, as well as giving anyone with an Xbox 360 or Xbox One access to apps – whether or not you have an Xbox Live Gold membership.

We’re excited to share more about the amazing lineup of games coming to Xbox during our Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing, Xbox: Game On, which will take place Monday, June 9 beginning at 9:30 a.m. PDT. During the briefing, we’ll showcase in-depth looks at previously announced games as well as trailers for our unannounced games coming in 2014 and beyond.

Although both PS4 and Xbox One sales were strong during the month of March, with Xbox One in particular being aided by Titanfall, Sony’s PS4 still managed to come out on top in sales, a reality that paints a tough picture for Microsoft moving forward.

As for software sales, Titanfall came out on top, being available on PC and Xbox One, and this comes as no surprise. Coming in a strong second is PS4 exclusive inFamous: Second Son.

Overall,”Year-over-year sales of every platform declined from March 2013, with the exception of the PS Vita, which saw sales grow due to the release of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster,” the NDP’s Liam Callahan said.

Hardware

PS4: 371k
Xbone: 311k
3DS: 159k
360: 111K
Wii U: 70k
PS3: 67K
Wii: 28k
Vita: ~10k
PSP: 5k

Software

TitanFall> 1 million (X1 version/ no PC)
Infamous: Second Son ّ<500k
South Park: SoT< 440k, 360 55%
Dark Souls 2<350k PS3 ~51%
MGSV: GZ =278k, PS4 ~ 54%, XBO ~ 20% (both combined 204k), PS3 ~ 19%
FFXHD – 260k (208k PS3, 52k Vita)
Yoshi’s New Island <160k
GTA V ~150K
Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze – 84K (highest selling Wii U game this month)

Total PS4 software = 6.78M
Total XBO software = 7.48M

Although PS4 continues to outsell Xbox One, that doesn’t mean that Microsoft console is performing terribly. To the contract in fact, the console’s performance is way stronger than that of its predecessor during the same period in its life cycle. Liam Callahan says: “When comparing the first five months of sales for the Xbox One and PS4 to their predecessor’s first five months, total Xbox One and PS4 sales are up close to 60 percent.”

So overall the industry has seen growth year-over-year of 3 percent according to the NPD Group, which bodes well moving forward, and casts doubts on the outlook of analysts who incessantly proclaim decline because of mobile disruption.

Wii U sales rose by 25 percent on the back of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, with the console selling an estimated 82,000 units. The 3DS also performed respectably, selling 200,000 units across physical and digital, Nintendo made known.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze managed 130,000 sales across physical and digital. Callahan said it was the fourth best-selling SKU of the month; unfortunately, the prevalence of multi-platform titles with higher total sales kept it out of the charts.

Nintendo also said Pokémon X & Y sold 130,000 units in February across physical and digital, bringing its life-to-date sales to 3.4 million.

Software:

1. Call of Duty: Ghosts (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, Wii U, PC)
2. The Lego Movie Videogame (360, PS3, 3DS, Wii U, Xbox One, PS4, Vita)
3. NBA 2K14 (360, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, PC)
4. Thief (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
5. Grand Theft Auto V (360, PS3)
6. Battlefield 4 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
7. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (360, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Wii U, PC)
8. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, 360)
9. Minecraft (360)
10. Bravely Default (3DS)

Trivia:
-Bravely Default: Over 200K physical + digital
-Donkey Kong Wii U: 130K physical + digital
-Pokemon X/Y: 130K physical + digital, 3.4M LTD
-Xbox One has a 2.75 attach rate
-Xbox One sold 772,000 games in February and Xbox 360 sold 2.46 million

Hardware:

PS4: 258,000 / 0.9 = 286.7K (Though XB1 is “over 90%” of the PS4′s sales, so it might be a bit lower.)
Xbox One: 258K
Xbox 360: 114K (-62.2%)
Wii U: Nearly 82.5K (+~25%)

Total industry spend for the month of February was $887 million, up 9% year-on-year from $810 million in February 2013, and significantly better than January’s $664 million.

Hardware was the major driving factor for the growth, of course, with spend of $347 million, up 42% year-on-year from $244 million. That’s also a jump on January’s $241 million.

Software was down 9% year-on-year, unfortunately, to $318 million, but that’s a significant improvement on January’s $232 million. The drop is attributed to lower sales of PS3 and Xbox 360 games, which is expected. Software sales will almost certainly pick back up as PS4 and Xbox One reach greater market penetration.

Accessories also saw a decent spike, up 33% year-on-year to $221 million.

Sony boasted of this of course, but as for Microsoft, it said Xbox One is selling at a rate 2.29 times faster than Xbox 360 did. According to Microsoft, Xbox also sold the most games, but to be able to put said PR out there, it had to lump Xbox 360 and Xbox One sales together, claiming victory in software as the Xbox brand accounted for 47 percent of software sales in the U.S.

This just in: PS4 the #1 selling game console in the US in January, still #1 worldwide. Thanks, guys! pic.twitter.com/1vOFmtUukX

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) February 13, 2014

January 2014 top 10 games (new physical retail, all platforms including PC)

1. Call of Duty: Ghosts (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
2. NBA 2K14 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
3. Battlefield 4 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
4. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
5. Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS3, Xbox 360)
6. Madden NFL 25 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
7. Minecraft (Xbox 360)
8. FIFA 14 (PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
9. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
10. Tomb Raider (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

“We’re grateful for the excitement and support of our fans – many purchasing their next Xbox console and many joining the Xbox family for the first time,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of marketing, strategy and business for Xbox. “Our journey is just starting, with more innovation, games and entertainment coming in 2014 and far beyond.”

In terms of sales, however, the 3DS dominated all, and Nintendo Wii U saw one of its best months since launch, selling about half a million units, not great results but certainly not dismal.

As for PS4, it remained the bestselling console of 2013 in the U.S., and was only topped by Xbox One, analysts say, because of availability and Sony’s focus on a worldwide release as compared to solely focusing on the U.S. market. Even now it’s hard to find a PS4 in the U.S. — or anywhere for that matter, so Sony has to do a better job at supplying units to keep up with demand. But that’s the best problem to have. In fact, it has been made known that PS4 sold only about 45,000 less units than Xbox One in the U.S. in December.

“According to the latest NPD report, PlayStation 4 remains the cumulative leader for next gen console sales in the US since the launch on November 15,” said Sony’s senior director of corporate communications, Dan Race.

“We sold every PS4 available at retail in the US and were out of stock in December due to overwhelming consumer demand. With more than 4.2 million PS4 systems sold worldwide, it’s clear that the PS4′s gaming and entertainment features are resonating with large audiences and we’re doing our best to provide additional inventory in all of the 53 countries where it’s available,” added Race.

On the software front, Call of Duty: Ghosts was the bestselling game followed by Battlefield 4, Just Dance 2014, Madden NFL 25 and others. For the year, however, Grand Theft Auto V was the bestselling title, followed by Call of Duty: Ghosts, Madden NFL 25, Battlefield 4, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, NBA 2k14 and others. Below is a screengrab of the top ten selling titles for December, and the top ten for the year 2013.

December’s results were pretty much expected, with anecdotal evidence pointing towards a par for the course month, but the interesting results will be January’s, when a lot of the hardcore who wanted a next-gen console would have already purchased one, leaving the field to mostly casuals looking for an upgrade. It’ll be interesting to see how the new consoles fare then.

Overall retail sales were up by 7% year over year. Hardware sales were up by 58% year over year and software was down by 24% year over year. It was also the best November ever for hardware in the U.S. due to the PS4/XB1 simultaneous launches and a 3DS’s uptake.

Here are the top 10 selling titles in the US at retail:

1. Call of Duty: Ghosts (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U)
2. Battlefield 4 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
3. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U)
4. Madden NFL 25 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
5. Grand Theft Auto 5 (Xbox 360, PS3)
6. NBA 2K14 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
7. Skylanders: SWAP Force (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS)
8. Just Dance 2014 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Wii)
9. Disney Infinity (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Wii, 3DS)
10. FIFA 14 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Vita)

PS4 sold more next-gen software than any other platform, and more hardware, too. In fact, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and 2K14 all sold better on PS4 than Xbox One, with Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag actually performing better on PS4 than it did on PS3. PlayStation 4′s attach rate is also higher than PS3 and PS2.

Microsoft, after announcing yesterday that Xbox One has sold 2 million units worldwide since launch, said that 909, 132 consoles were sold in the U.S. in the console’s first 9 days on sale, proclaiming it to be the fastest selling console in the U.S. But PS4 sold 1 million units in 24 hrs in the U.S., so isn’t it the fastest selling console in the U.S.? Someone fill me in please if my math is bad.

Said Jack Tretton, Sony U.S. CEO:

PlayStation 4 sales in North America and worldwide have been incredibly strong since launch, culminating in PS4 being recognized as the largest console launch in history. In North America alone, more than one million PS4 units were sold in only 24 hours and we’re pleased NPD has reported that PS4 was the top selling next gen platform for both hardware and software in November.

We are humbled by the passion and excitement demonstrated by gamers for PS4. Demand continues to overwhelm supply, but we’re working hard to get PS4 units into the hands of customers throughout the holiday season.

Nintendo Hardware Sales Increase by 100 Percent, Nintendo 3DS Surpasses 10 Million

Two games that are among the best reviewed of 2013 launched on Nov. 22: Super Mario 3D World for Wii U and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for Nintendo 3DS. The strong response to these games helped sales of Nintendo hardware systems in November increase by 100 percent over the month prior. This includes nearly 770,000 units of the Nintendo 3DS family, which drove the lifetime total past 10 million to nearly 10.5 million units. Other sales milestones achieved for the month include:

Nintendo 3DS Family of Systems

Pokémon X and Pokémon Y each sold more than 225,000 combined digital and physical units in their second month on the market. This brought the combined life-to-date total to more than 2.35 million units. On Dec. 4, Nintendo revealed special edition Pokémon X and Pokémon Y Nintendo 2DS bundles that should keep the games’ momentum going through the holidays and into 2014.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, the sixth Nintendo 3DS title to have a Metacritic score of 90 or higher, sold more than 280,000 combined digital and physical units. That figure jumps to more than 405,000 total units when including the special edition Zelda-themed Nintendo 3DS XL system, which comes with a code to download the game.

A handful of first-party Nintendo 3DS titles saw triple-digit sales percentage increases in November over sales in October. This includes standout 2013 titles such as Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (seventh month on market; 140 percent increase) and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (ninth month; 105 percent increase), and legacy titles such as Paper Mario: Sticker Star (13th month; 280 percent increase), Mario Kart 7 (23rd month; 130 percent increase) and Super Mario 3D Land (24th month; 235 percent increase).
Wii U

Sales of Wii U hardware increased by more than 340 percent over sales in October.

Super Mario 3D World for Wii U, currently the highest-rated next-generation title with a Metacritic score of 94, sold more than 215,000 combined digital and physical units in its first eight days on the market.

“This holiday season, Nintendo is offering an unparalleled combination of value and variety,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “In looking at these results, two things are indisputable: Our hardware is gaining momentum at the exact right time and our software catalog is stronger than ever.”

Data regarding physical sales of games in November are from the NPD Group. Data regarding digital downloads of games and combined physical/digital life-to-date numbers are from Nintendo’s internal sales figures. All numbers, unless otherwise stated, are specific to the United States only.