July NPD: NCAA Football and Minecraft lead software, 3DS still on top
The NPD Group has released its report on sales in the physical retail channel of the games industry during the month of July, with both predictable and surprising results. On the predictable side of things, all three segments (Hardware, Software and Accessories) continued their downward year-over-year decline, with total Hardware sales suffering a 34-percent decrease: $99.4 million this year as compared with $150.9 million over the same period in 2012.
Despite this industry-wide decline, Nintendo's 3DS saw a 14 percent year-over-year increase in sales as it held its spot as the best-selling piece of hardware for a third month in a row. This is the first time a handheld has topped the market for such a lengthy period since the Nintendo DS' three month streak in the fall/winter of 2010, according to NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan. Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 remained the best-selling home console for the thirty-first month in a row.
As per usual, the Accessories segment suffered the least amount of market fluctuation, experiencing only a three percent year-over-year loss and bringing in $133.4 million in sales. Also maintaining the status quo, this segment's stability continues to be attributed to steady sales of digital currency and subscription giftcards.
On the Software side of things, $210.1 million was spent on physical games in July, which was 19 percent less than the $260.8 million spent during the same period in 2012. Again, Nintendo's 3DS saw growth in this segment despite the decline, selling 45 percent more games last month than in July of 2012. To date, Animal Crossing: New Leaf has sold over 660,000 units both digital and retail, while Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon inches closer to the one million mark with 820,000 combined digital/retail sales.
NCAA Football 14 was not only the best-selling game for July, but is also the only game released in July to even make the list. The rest of this period's best-selling games, which can be found after the break, is a collection of powerhouse leftovers such as Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and The Last of Us.
NCAA Football 14 (360, PS3)
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (360)
The Last of Us (PS3)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)
Far Cry 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Injustice: Gods Among Us (360, PS3, Wii U)
NBA 2k13 (360, PS3, Wii, NWU, PSP, PC)
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (360, Wii, NDS, PS3, 3DS, NWU, PSV, PC)
