It’s no secret that the PlayStation 4 is dominating the sales market. And according to the latest NPD data, the console continued its tour de force in March.
With the hardware’s unparalleled success since launch, this type of announcement has almost become expected. Despite this, Sony released the following statement:
“We are truly honored PlayStation 4 is the top-selling console and No. 1 in software sales again according to NPD sales data for March 2015. PS4 remains the cumulative sales leader both globally and in the United States and we want to thank gamers worldwide for their ongoing support.”
This news comes as little surprise. A little more than a month ago, Sony revealed that the PS4 had recently passed 20.2 million units sold worldwide as of March 1st. To put this in context, since the hardware’s release in late 2013, the PS4 has sold one-fifth as many units as the Wii has in its lifetime.
The Wii was released in 2006.
PS4 shows no sign of slowing down either. In a statement last month, Sony also reaffirmed the strong software library coming to the console in the near future that will help boost hardware sales:
“The PS4 system’s games portfolio will continue to expand with highly anticipated titles such as Batman: Arkham Knight, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Bloodborne, Until Dawn, Tearaway Unfolded, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.”
Xbox One also finished strong and commented that their hardware is outpacing its predecessor, Xbox 360. Even Nintendo saw a positive growth this month when comparing their year-over-year sales. The corporate giant released the following statement:
“The New Nintendo 3DS XL system continues to inject growth into Nintendo’s hand-held business, and the momentum created for Wii U in 2014 has carried over into 2015. Take these two elements, add in fun, exclusive titles starring some of the biggest names in gaming, and overall sales of Nintendo hardware systems so far in 2015 have increased by nearly 60 percent over sales during the same time frame in 2014.”
Software sales held more of a mixed bag of results. While Battlefield: Hardline secured the top spot, when it came to exclusivity, PlayStation’s smash hit Bloodborne dominated the charts. The Big N also charted an impressive fourth place with 290,000 copies sold of Mario Party 10. The software results for March can be seen below:
- Battlefield: Hardline (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, 360, PS3, PC)
- Bloodborne (PS4)
- Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3)
- Mario Party 10 (Wii U)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
- MLB 15: The Show (PS4, PS3)
- Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
- NBA 2K15 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
- Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (PS4, Xbox One)
- Final Fantasy: Type 0 HD (PS4, Xbox One)
My Opinion:
NPD’s reports are always tough to swallow. On the one hand, the information is useful if you’re a stockholder and have an invested interest; however, for gamers, I don’t really see the point. If anything, this data only produces fodder for people who are fighting the everlasting console war.
In all honesty, month to month sales are ephemeral…fleeting, if you will. As long as the market stays healthy, companies will continue to push each other and produce quality software. And as long as that happens, I don’t care which sells the most.
Mark Powell is an Associate Writer for MONG and wouldn’t do anything for a Klondike Bar. They’re just not that good. You can follow him on Twitter and on his IGN blog.
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