Could the tides of battle be about to turn? As we promptly approach the onset of a new generation, Sony has finally put an end to the Xbox 360’s sales streak. According to the latest NPD report for September, the PlayStation 3 actually outsold Microsoft’s machine in North America last month, breaking the latter’s 32 month spell at the top of the console charts.
The analytics firm suggests that the Japanese giant’s deal with Rockstar Games may have been the deciding factor, with its exclusive Grand Theft Auto V bundle pushing the system into the lead. However, even with the aforementioned sandbox smash, the Nintendo 3DS still managed to edge out the overall hardware charts, though firm numbers weren’t provided for any of the machines.
Nevertheless, for the first time in nine months, the North American game industry actually improved year-over-year, with the above said open world adventure contributing heavily to a 27 per cent increase in physical retail spend. The sector pulled in a total $1.07 billion compared to $848 million the year prior.
New boxed software sales accounted for $754 million of that tally, an enormous 52 per cent increase over September 2012’s $497 million. Grand Theft Auto V naturally topped the best sellers list, followed by Madden NFL 25, NBA 2K14, and Diablo III. Impressively, PS3 exclusive compilation Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX charted in sixth, above Disney Infinity and NHL 14.
A good month all around, then, but the exciting weeks are still to come. Sony has been behind in North America for so long that this victory doesn’t really mean much – but if it can stay in front through October, then we may be on the cusp of seismic shift. We know that PS4 pre-orders are tracking extremely well, so could things be about to swing in the Japanese giant’s favour? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
1. Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS3, Xbox 360)
2. Madden 25 (PS3, Xbox 360)
3. NBA 2K14 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
4. Diablo 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
5. FIFA 14 (PS3, Vita Xbox 360)
6. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX (PS3)
7. Disney Infinity (3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360)
8. NHL 14 (PS3, Xbox 360)
9. Minecraft (Xbox 360)
10. Saints Row 4 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
[source joystiq.com, via vg247.com]
Comments 5
Wii U hardware sales are said to have increased 200% as well and there's some heavy hitters lined up for the holiday season. MS has a fight on its hands but I still think the strength of X1's launch and year libraries and the popularity of Xbox Live pull it through in NA. Though I would prefer to see Sony take back the No. 1 spot right from the get go as I felt gaming was at its best when Sony was on top.
@Gamer83 I think Sony has the advantage coming into the next gen. Their studios have put out some of the best games this gen and with 3 of their best studios - Santa Monica, Naughty Dog, Media Molecule - all hard at work on next gen titles, Sony doesn't have much to worry about anytime soon.
And Xbox Live wasn't so much popular as it was mandatory for online multiplayer, Netflix, etc. With Plus now being mandatory for online play, coupled with the IGC and other features, I expect to see the popularity of XBL decline even if only slightly.
@Lelouch
I think PSN is the better service at this point thanks to Plus. However, XBL is far more established. And it's going to be an uphill battle for Sony trying to overcome that, at least in North America. At least its trying though, more than I can say for Nintendo but to be fair, Nintendo chases a totally different demographic.
@Gamer83 Yeah, but for a service that's only 2 years old, Plus has done extremely well. It's actually done so well that I don't think there's much Sony can do to make it better or more appealing - they could always have it adopt some Steam features, I guess.
To be honest, I think Nintendo should start pursuing more hardcore gamers. Because they seem to refuse to do that, the Wii U missed out on most of the years biggest games and won't be getting the Arkham Origins multiplayer because Splash Damage was focused on the platforms with the largest multiplayer audience.
@Lelouch
I don't know as Nintendo has to chase hardcore gamers but it does need to do something because Wii U's year one lineup, even with Super Mario 3D World and Sonic at the end, has been atrocious, one of the worst first years ever, right there with PS3. As weak as I think PS4's year one looks next to X1's lineup, I will say it's at least still much better than what many other consoles have had with games like inFamous, The Order, Killzone and non-gimped versions of NBA 2K14, AC IV, Diablo 3, Thief and Destiny. I'm hoping MLB 14 The Show will be there and that Naughty Dog's Uncharted team has something in the works for Nov. 2014 whether it's Uncharted 4 or a brand new IP, no matter what that studio does I have full confidence it will deliver a great game. Still, I'm not convinced that's strong enough to overcome Halo, Forza 5, Titanfall, Dead Rising 3, Quantum Break and Sunset Overdrive (among the big third party multiplats) in North America, but maybe it could make the PS4 much more competitive with X1 than PS3 was with 360. Then its a matter of trying to win the worldwide battle. The PS4 has the better hardware and I want to see it outpace the competition so developers have to seriously consider making PS4 the lead platform for upcoming games.
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