August-NPD
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August NPD: Madden 15, PS4 score top honors
Madden NFL 15 was the software leader in August, surprising a record-breaking no one. According to the NPD results, Madden's sophomore effort on the latest batch of consoles faired better on the PS4 versus all other platforms. The latest console release of Diablo 3 landed second on the new physical retail sales list, with Minecraft for Xbox 360 and PS3 rounding out the third spot. Compared to the same reported period last year, however, software sales of new games for the month were on the decline due to fewer big ticket launches. In August 2013, a handful of anticipated titles arrived in stores and online, including Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Saints Row IV and Disney Infinity. Overall, new physical retail sales of hardware, software and accessories "increased by 8 percent in August 2014 over August 2013 and followed a similar pattern of prior months with explosive hardware growth driven by eighth generation consoles offsetting declines in software," NPD analyst Liam Callahan said. "Deep declines in seventh generation software [X360, PS3, Wii] of 57 percent were not offset by growth in eighth generation software, leading to a net decrease of console software sales of $47 million," he added. Hardware sales grew over the same reported period last year "by an over 200 percent increase in console hardware sales" thanks to the Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U. According to a statement from Sony, "PlayStation 4 was [number one] in hardware sales for the eighth consecutive month and remains the cumulative leader for next generation game consoles."
August NPD: Madden 25, Saints Row 4, Disney Infinity lead the charge
The NPD Group has released its monthly report on sales in the physical retail sector of the video game industry for August, and due to dramatic figures on both sides of the scale, the industry as a whole remained essentially flat as far as its overall year-over-year income comparisons are concerned. Overall hardware sales were down 40 percent as compared with August of 2012, with the entire segment bringing in just $90.8 million. Nintendo's 3DS appreciated its fourth month in a row as the best-selling piece of hardware in the US, while Microsoft's Xbox 360 enjoyed yet another podium finish as the best-selling home console, selling 96,000 units. Meanwhile, year-over-year software sales were up by 23 percent: $293.4 million this August as compared to $237.9 million last year. Eight out of August's top 10 best-selling games were launched during the month, with the entire list achieving "more than double the sales" of the top 10 games of August 2012, according to NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan. The list, available in full after the break, is topped by Madden 25, Saints Row 4 and Disney Infinity, the last of which also played a major role in the Accessories segment's $136.7 million of income – a seven-percent increase over last year. "Combined with sales of Skylanders accessories, one in every three accessory sold this month was an Interactive Gaming Toy," says Callahan.
August NPD: Software sales stabilize somewhat, Darksiders 2 takes first place [Update: Nintendo chimes in]
Despite the fact that hardware and software sales in the physical channel are still down when compared to August in 2011, market stabilization in the software sector (along with promising signs from the first week of 3DS XL sales) helps to reassure that 2012's ever-downward spiral may not be eternal.Hardware sales for August 2012 were down 39 percent, bringing in $150.6 million versus the $248.8 million accrued during the same period in 2011. The Xbox 360 sold 190,000 units and was again the top selling platform of the month, according to Major Nelson, though the 3DS and PS3 both showed increases over July 2011, despite the month being down as a whole. Only one week of 3DS XL sales were recorded, but in that week enough units were sold to account for 44 percent of all 3DS sales in August.The accessories segment continued its trend of having the smallest percentage amount of year-over-year loss at $127.3 million for the period, which is down seven percent from August 2011's $137 million. Points cards and other physical means of buying online currency continue to drive this segment, according to NPD Group industry analyst Anita Frazier.As far as software is concerned, August 2012's performance was down nine percent – $237.7 million as compared to $261.8 million during the same period last year. When only looking at software for "high definition platforms," however, the year-over-year difference is only one percent. This signifies market stabilization, says Frazier, but August's sales were worse than they could have been had the months prior not been so devoid of new releases.Darksiders 2 was the best-selling game during the period, followed by New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. As always, August's complete list of the top 10 games can be found after the break.Nintendo Update: 3DS hardware sales were up 36 percent over July, while 3DS software sales were up 68 percent, Nintendo has said. New Super Mario Bros. 2 sold more than 240,000 copies, making it the best-selling individual SKU for the month of August. Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts 3D sold over 180,000 copies.
