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July 2014 NPD: Sony Leads With PS4 And The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is a great game, and the PlayStation 4 has been selling very well, so it's not a surprise that Sony looks like the champion when it comes to breaking down July NPD sales numbers.
According to the monthly NPD report, Sony may have the best-selling console and game, but things are looking pretty good for other companies, too. Mario Kart continues to do well for Nintendo, becoming the second Wii U game to surpass the 1 million mark in sales (the first was New Super Mario Bros. U). Even though no Microsoft exclusives cracked the top 10, you can bet that the 360 and Xbox One contributed greatly to the sales of games like Minecraft, Watch Dogs, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Grand Theft Auto.
The summer months have not been traditionally strong in software sales, and with the lack of a new NCAA Football entry in July (which usually leads sales), overall software sales saw a 15 percent drop compared to July 2013 – from $210.1 million to $178.2 million. However, hardware sales doubled, thanks to the new consoles from Microsoft and Sony, going from $99.4. million to $198.8 million.
As for the top 10 games, it's not surprising to see so many old warhorses, considering how lean July was in terms of compelling new releases. Even so, it's nice to see Sniper Elite III up there with some familiar faces. Also of note: Last of Us Remastered came out on July 29, so this only counts two days of sales (plus however many PS3 version sold in July).
1. The Last of Us (PS4, PS3)
2. Minecraft (360, PS3)
3. FIFA 14 (360, PS4, XBO, PS3, PSV)
4. Watch Dogs (PS4, 360, PS3, XBO, PC)
5. Mario Kart 8 (NWU)
6. Call of Duty: Ghosts (XBO, 360, PS4, PS3, NWU, PC)
7. Grand Theft Auto V (360, PS3)
8. Sniper Elite III (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
9. NBA 2K14 (360, PS3, PS4, XBO, PC)
10. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (360, PS3, 3DS, NDS, PS4, NWU, XBO, PSV, PC)
NPD data only covers retail sales in the United States, so downloadable sales aren't included in the ranking.
Our Take
Not to diminish a good performance from Sony, but coming out on top in July isn't a huge victory. After all, it's such a slow month for new releases that the best-selling game was a prettier version of a year-old game, and the second-place finisher was Minecraft. This calm-before-the-storm period could just be a drop in the bucket as we ramp up into the fall months and the holidays. That's going to be the real battleground.
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