Though both the PS4 and Xbox One could lay claim to achievements in hardware sales in North America for November, the NPD report for the month indicates that software sales were down despite the presence of next-gen.
Software was down by 24 percent in year-on-year sales at $1.1 billion. The 3DS alone saw a 15 percent year-on-year increase thanks to the release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Total spend saw a 7 percent year-on-year increase to $2.74 billion while hardware sales increased by a whopping increase 57 percent year-on-year at $1.327 billion.
And though both next-gen consoles did extremely well, the top games for the month were third party titles. The PS4 versions sold the most here, with Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Madden NFL 25 occupying the top four spots. Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto V was at fifth place. The remainder of the top 10 consisted of NBA 2K14, Skylanders Swap Force, Just Dance 2014, Disney Infinity and FIFA 14. Though the PS4 was the top selling version, keep in mind that these sales account for all platforms.
The NPD doesn’t keep track of digital sales, micro-transactions, and the like though, so it’s highly possible that actual numbers are higher all-around. Nonetheless, what are your thoughts on the decrease of software sales despite the release of next gen consoles? Let us know below.