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February 2015 NPD – Majora's Mask Leads A Robust Month For Industry
February NPD numbers are in and everyone has a reason to be happy this month. The NPD group reports that hardware, software, and accessories all saw gains in February, and all three console makers are touting their own successes.
Total hardware sales are up 10 percent over last year, at $378.2 million compared to last February's $345.2 million. Software sales are also up, bringing in $338.9 million, a 7-percent increase over last February's $317.6 million. Video game accessories brought in $238.5 million, up 8 percent from February 2014's $221.1 million.
As reported earlier, the PlayStation 4 was the top selling console in February, and also sold the most software.
Nintendo, however, claimed the number-one spot on the NPD's top ten with Majora's Mask 3D, and 3DS hardware sales for January and February have increased 90 percent year-over-year, thanks in large part to the New 3DS XL. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, which snagged the number-ten spot, is now the all-time fastest-selling Monster Hunter title in the U.S.
Finally, Microsoft is also celebrating, as the Xbox One sold 84-percent more consoles in February than it did in January. Microsoft also says that gaming on Xbox Live for Xbox One and Xbox 360 saw a 400-percent year-over-year increase for the month of February.
As for the rest of the top ten: Evolve makes a second-place debut, while Dying Light, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Grand Theft Auto V all dropped two spots from last month, staying in the same respective order. Destiny has finally disappeared from the list, making room for the debut of The Order: 1886, which only saw one week of sales thanks to its February 20 release date. Here's the full list, with platforms listed in order of sales:
1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS)
2. Evolve (XBO, PS4, PC)
3. Dying Light (PS4, XBO, PC)
4. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
5. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
6. NBA 2K15 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)
7. Dragon Ball: Xenoverse (PS4, XBO, PS3, 360)
8. Minecraft (360, PS3, XBO, PS4)
9. The Order: 1886 (PS4)
10. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)
Our Take
The fact that
hardware, software, and accessory sales all increased is good news for the
industry as a whole, and I'm glad Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all have their
own successes to celebrate. It will be interesting to see where sales of Evolve
and The Order: 1886 end up next month, as both games have been criticized by
some players for their length and replayability.
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