npd
Latest
'Halo 5' pushed Xbox One sales past the PS4 in October
No matter how you feel about the single-player experience for Halo 5: Guardians, its place as the Xbox family's standard-bearer is secure. NPD data reveals that its release last month not only topped software sales charts in the US, but also drove Xbox One to a victory over the rival PlayStation 4. There aren't any exact numbers attached, but in a statement Microsoft said Xbox One sales were up 81 percent over the same month last year. In case you didn't already know, the expensive but oh-so-good Elite Controller sold through its supply at most retailers, also providing a lift. The only question now is if the victory will turn into a streak, as Xbox features the new Tomb Raider this week to go with an early launch of Star Wars: Battlefront on EA Access. In other NPD news, the Yoshi's Wooly World on Wii U came in at number 8 in game sales for the month, beating out Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero Live.
Kids prefer to play games on mobile devices over consoles
You may have fond memories of playing games on the family TV as a kid, but the next generation might not feel the same way. The NPD Group has published a report showing that more 2- to 17-year-olds in the US are playing games on phones and tablets (63 percent) than on consoles (60 percent). That may not sound like a big gap, but it was only two years ago that consoles captured 67 percent of young eyeballs. They're playing more often on those mobile devices, too, at an average 6 hours per week. And sorry, PC gamers, your platform of choice isn't as popular as it once was. Computer gaming has fallen from a heady 67 percent adoption back in 2013 to 45 percent today.
Xbox One pulls off an unlikely sales victory over the PS4
Well, this is kind of surprising: the Xbox One lead console sales last month. I say it's surprising because there wasn't an exclusive game that launched for the system, nor was there a new bundle deal going at the time, either. Regardless, it's good news and something that Redmond hasn't seen in an awfully long time. The company says that domestic sales of the console increased some 63 percent compared to last April while active Xbox Live users on a global scale grew by 24 percent in the same window. Of course, we still don't have hard numbers in terms of sales about the Xbox One, and until the console breaks 20 million sold you can bet that we almost assuredly won't.
Joystiq Weekly: New 3DS XL, The Talos Principle review, no more review scores and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. This was a busy week, but our decision to drop numerical review scores is probably what will have the longest-lasting effect on Joystiq. While not everyone has expressed support of the decision, we immensely appreciate the effort and thought many have put into discussing the topic with us. We hope our transition into using "In Other Words" text summaries and the new Joystiq Excellence Award will be more effective at conveying our stances and better at helping you find games that you'd actually enjoy. Even if you're indifferent about the discussion of reviews though, plenty happened this week beyond our shift in examining games. The New 3DS XL will reach us next month, Xbox One consoles slipped back to their $350 holiday price, The Talos Principle surprised us with its depth, and 3D After Burner 2 transcended the fabled "arcade-perfect" status of arcade ports. All those stories and more are waiting for you after the break!
Console sales up dramatically in 2014 as Xbox One finishes strongly
Console fanboys, get ready to gloat -- or mope. Actually, (nearly) everybody can be cheered by the latest data from NPD, which showed console sales up a cool 20 percent from last year to to over $5 billion. Leading the final charge was Microsoft's Xbox One, which topped the charts in December for the second straight month. Its recent success can likely be chalked up to attractive holiday pricing, since Sony's PS4 was consistently eating its lunch prior to that. Either way, it came at a good time for Microsoft, since the last two months of the year are far and away the strongest for consoles.
December NPD: Xbox One leads consoles in December, hardware sales surge in 2014
Video game hardware sales saw a significant uptick last year in comparison to 2013, but software sales at retail continue to chart a decline, the NPD Group's latest report states. Hardware sales saw a slight drop to $1.31 billion in December compared to the $1.37 billion earned during the same period last year. Annual hardware sales for 2014 peaked at $5.07 billion, however, representing a 20 percent increase over the $4.24 billion reported in 2013. Software sales at retail channels totaled $5.30 billion in 2014, dropping 13 percent compared to 2013's reported $6.11 billion. Though console-specific sales numbers are not available, Microsoft notes that the Xbox One emerged as 2014's "best-selling console in the U.S. in November and December."
Chinese game market rivals US
A report from the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association pegs the country's gaming revenues this year at about $18.5 billion, a 38 percent increase year-over-year, reports Xinhua. Mobile and social games saw the most dramatic increases to $4.4 billion (+145%) and $11.7 billion (+52.5%), respectively. The NPD reported the US games market hit a total of $15.39 billion last year, with the report covering 2014 expected early next year. The US market saw a one percent increase between 2012 and 2013. China is the great emerging market for the video game industry. The current Chinese sales really only cover PC and mobile, as the country only lifted its 14-year-ban on foreign consoles earlier this year. Microsoft has sold over 100,000 units of the Xbox One into the Chinese market, with Sony starting PlayStation 4 and Vita sales in the new year. Nintendo is also expected to enter China with devices targeted for the market. [Image: Shutterstock]
Nintendo: Amiibo sales on par with Smash in the US
Nintendo's amiibo toys are selling 1 for 1 in the US with Super Smash Bros. Wii U, according to the publisher. In November, the console fighter sold "nearly 710,000" units going by NPD data, and Nintendo of America said amiibo sales are "approximately equal" to those of the game. This week's seen Nintendo tiptoe around the subject of some amiibo not returning to market, but the company's kept firm on the most popular toys staying available. Nintendo of America reported the best-sellers to date are, in order, Link, Mario and Pikachu. Sorry, Wii Fit Trainer.
November NPD: Xbox One leads consoles, Call of Duty tops software
Overall retail sales for new hardware, software and accessories saw an 11 percent drop in November 2014, versus the same reported period last year. For most of 2014, software sale declines have offset year-over-year hardware spending, however, this November, "hardware declines totaled $294 million while software declined $17 million or 2 percent," NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan said.
Microsoft finally sold more Xbox Ones than Sony did PlayStation 4s
Building on its success from last month, Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One was the number one selling console for November -- ending the PlayStation 4's almost year-long top spot. As Redmond tells it, by way of NPD Group data, its latest console was the best selling in the United States and the United Kingdom for last month. That price cut and killer lineup of exclusive software undoubtedly factored in pretty heavily there. Console sales overall are up in a few different ways as well. NPD says that hardware unit-sales have increased by three percent over last November when the PS4 and Xbox One launched, and that compared to sales from the first 13 months of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, they're up by 80 percent.
September NPD: Destiny leads as software sales decline
The gaming industry continues to grow with each passing month, though the rate of said growth in North America seems to be slowing, according to the NPD's latest report. Though sales of video game hardware jumped an impressive 136 percent year over year - which makes sense given that the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 had yet to launch in September 2013 - total industry sales only grew by two percent. This is due to a 36 percent decline in year over year sales of new, physical console and portable games, that, while countered by a 33 percent increase in accessory sales, is complemented by a 35 percent decline in total software sales, which includes the aforementioned console games as well as their PC counterparts. However, the NPD notes that a direct comparison is difficult as September 2013 saw the launch of Grand Theft Auto 5, a game that holds the record as the most successful launch in history. Despite the dip in software sales, Sony claims September 2014 was a "record-breaking month" for the PlayStation Network Store. "Last month's PlayStation Store revenue increased nearly 90 percent compared with Sept. 2013," stated Sony Network Entertainment International vice president Eric Lempel. "Working closely with Activision and Bungie, we wanted to make the launch of Destiny a special experience for PlayStation fans. We're thrilled to see this high engagement from PS4 and PS3 owners." The top ten best-selling games saw a shakeup in September, with Destiny pushing Madden 15 out of the top spot and both Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor joining the list, at spots four and five, respectively. That success, Nintendo claims, is largely responsible for the sale of 140,000 3DS units during September. Likewise, Nintendo believes the Wii U's double-digit increase in sales can be attributed to Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors. Beyond the break, you'll find a full rundown of the top ten best-selling games for September 2014.
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."
Hardcore PC gamers spend twice as much as others on their obsession
Take a gander through the comment section of any gaming-related article here on Engadget, and you're all but guaranteed to find at least one person espousing how much better playing games on a PC is compared to doing so on, say, a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. But just who are those people? Joystiq has spotted a new report from The NPD Group that should shed some light on the situation. Understanding PC Gaming: 2014 calls them "heavy core" gamers. They spend five or more hours each week playing the likes of shooters and strategy titles, and have dropped about twice as much cash on games in the past three months compared to casual gamers. They, perhaps surprisingly, make up the smallest group surveyed: 20 percent compared to casual players' 56 percent, while light core (the same demographic as heavy core, but spends less time gaming on a weekly basis) sits at 24 percent of those 6,225 people questioned.
NPD breaks down Heavy Core, Light Core, Casual PC players
Of the US population age 9 and older, 37 percent of people play games on the PC, the NPD reports in its new study, Understanding PC Gaming: 2014. PC players game for an average of 6.4 hours per week. NPD breaks PC players into three groups, Heavy Core, Light Core and Casual. Heavy Core players play "core" games – action / adventure, fighting, flight, MMO, racing, RTS, RPG, shooter, or sport games – for more than five hours per week. Light Core players play those games, but for fewer than five hours per week, while Casual players enjoy non-core games. Heavy Core players make up 20 percent of the entire group, Light Core players are 24 percent, and Casual players compose 56 percent. Heavy Core is the smallest segment, though players spend "a significantly higher number of hours gaming in an average week," NPD says. Over the past three months, Heavy Core players spent roughly twice as much money as Casual players on physical and digital PC games. PC players are split fairly evenly along gender lines, with 51 percent men and 49 percent women. However, the Casual segment is "overwhelmingly female," while Heavy Core and Light Core players tend to be men, NPD says. [Image: EA]
The gaming industry is booming and Sony's lead is growing
Earlier this week Sony announced that it'd sold over 10 million PlayStation 4s to date, but that isn't the half of it: the company's latest gaming console is once again dominating the sales charts overall. As Sony tells it, July marks the seventh consecutive month that the PS4 outsold Microsoft's Xbox One. Hardware isn't the only area Sony is trumping its rival either, as The Last of Us: Remastered led software sales last month by a "considerable" margin ahead of number-two-seller Minecraft on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The gaming sector as a whole is incredibly healthy, too. The NPD Group reports that even though software sales are down overall for July (something it attributes directly to the lack of an NCAA Football release this year), hardware is picking up the slack. Comparing life-to-date numbers of the PS4 and Xbox One to their predecessors, the new consoles are outselling the PS3 and Xbox 360 by almost a whopping 80 percent. That puts this July ahead of last by 13 percent in terms of total money spent in the area, according to NPD.
July NPD: PS4 leads hardware, Last of Us returns to top software
July 2014 continues the trend of rising hardware sales and declining software sales, according to the NPD, though the software sales charts have seen a shakeup thanks to Sony's Last of Us re-release. "Hardware sales doubled in July 2014 (vs. July 2013), stemming from growth in eighth generation console sales which offset declines in seventh generation console and portable hardware," states analyst Liam Callahan in the latest NPD report. Callahan adds that combined sales of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 after nine months of availability are now nearly 80 percent higher than prior generation consoles. The PlayStation 4 continues to be the top-selling new-generation console for the seventh month in a row. [Image: Sony]
Joystiq Weekly: Doom reboot, Microsoft's layoffs, Sunless Sea and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. We're happy to hear that Doom is still brewing in the depths of iD Software, but if we're getting spoiled with updates to classics, we wonder if we could get anything else revived if we stir up enough demand. Remember how awesome Bubsy was? What about taking another crack at Altered Beast? What's that, you say? "No and your picks are garbage"? Well then. Lucky for you, this edition of the Joystiq Weekly carries no news of reboots for either series. It does offer a recap of the week's biggest non-fictional stories though, from Microsoft's plans to dismiss 18,000 workers to the latest fighters to take up arms in Super Smash Bros. There are also reviews for the stealth-focused Light and a spooky, exploration-driven journey on a boat called Sunless Sea, plus a WildStar postcard that digs into the MMO's PvP modes. It's all arranged neat and orderly-like for you after the break!
June NPD: Hardware sales up, Watch Dogs and Mario Kart top games
June was a big month for the gaming industry, according to the NPD, as hardware sales shot up by more than 100 percent, and collective sales of hardware, software and accessories grew by 24 percent. "The 106 percent increase in hardware sales was lifted entirely by console hardware sales, which were up by over 200 percent," notes NPD analyst Liam Callahan. Sony claims the PlayStation 4 was yet again the highest-selling console (for the sixth consecutive month), and Microsoft says that the Kinect-less Xbox One doubled its sales in June. Nintendo's Wii U has experienced a 48 percent growth in hardware sales for the first half of 2014, a feat the company attributes primarily to the success of Mario Kart 8. Despite a decline in overall portable console sales, the 3DS saw a 55 percent increase in sales over May, according to Nintendo. Though Mario Kart 8 has been very successful, it did not take the top software sales spot for June.
May NPD: PS4 leads hardware sales, month five
For the fifth consecutive month, Sony's PlayStation 4 led sales in the US, beating out Microsoft's Xbox One, NPD Group reported in its May breakdown. Overall hardware sales were up 95 percent from May 2013 to $187 million, and while most of that growth is attributed to PS4 and Xbox One sales, Wii U and Vita sales also grew year-over-year. "Two examples of hardware bundles that helped to drive hardware sales in May 2014 include Mario Kart 8 bundle for the Wii U, and the Borderlands 2 bundle for the PS Vita," NPD analyst Liam Callahan said. Software sales jumped up 57 percent year-over-year to $274 million, breaking six months of declines. Callahan called out new launches Watch Dogs, Mario Kart 8, Wolfenstein: The New Order, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Kirby: Triple Deluxe as the reasons for the increase. The No. 1 game in May was Watch Dogs, followed by Mario Kart 8, MLB 14: The Show, Wolfenstein and Minecraft. See the complete list below. Sony SVP of Brand Marketing Guy Longworth provided an internal analysis of the NPD numbers: "PlayStation continues to be the best place to play for innovative IP, as PS4 was the preferred platform for May's biggest releases, including Watch Dogs and Wolfenstein: The New Order, and held four of the top five spots for next gen software sales. PS4 is the leading next-gen platform for sports, highlighted in May by the best-selling sports game, MLB 14: The Show."
Joystiq Weekly: Xbox One's Kinect, Mario Kart 8 review, Godzilla's past and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. If machinery works the way The Brave Little Toaster suggests, you gotta feel for the Kinect - the solid experiences it supplements are often drowned in complaints about its underwhelming games, as well as its general inaccuracies as a listening, motion-tracking controller. We imagine Microsoft reassured the device about its playground reputation by including it with every Xbox One out there, but then ... well, this week happened. Kinect might be destined to just stay at home now, waiting for a band of appliance-shaped adventures to accept his flaws so it can tag along with for their straight-to-Blu Ray sequel. Hey, on the upside, at least that terrifying air conditioner died off before Kinect was ever able to meet him. Can you imagine being left alone in a house with that thing as a kid? Talk about new legitimate fears. Anyway, now that we're done painting a bleak picture of Kinect's secret social life, there's a lot more to this week than technological popularity contests. It's financial season, with Ubisoft, Take-Two and the NPD Group throwing numbers everywhere, we've got reviews for Mario Kart 8 and Super Time Force, and there's also a dip into Godzilla's past of ruining virtual metropolises. It's all stacked neat and orderly for you after the break!
