The August 2015 NPD retail sales numbers are in, and the best-selling game for the month is Madden NFL 16.
The NPD Group’s Liam Callahan noted in a statement that, “Madden NFL 16…maintains its status as a key video game franchise, ranking as the third best selling franchise to date (since 1995, when NPD began tracking VG sales).”
Overall, new physical software sales are up by 34 percent for Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U. However, previous generation software sales saw a 51 percent decline for the month. Callahan adds, “New launches collectively declined by 16 percent compared to August 2014 launches. While titles that launched in June trended favorably compared to the performance of June 2014 launches, July launches also declined by 42 percent.”
“Call of Duty has two games within the top 10 this month, with Call of Duty: Black Ops Combo Pack performing favorably with increased sales versus prior months. This may be related to the Call of Duty: Black Ops III multiplayer beta that occurred in late August across PS4, Xbox One, and PC.”
August 2015 Top 10 Games (New physical retail only; across all platforms including PC)
- Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
- Lego: Jurassic World (360, 3DS, Wii U, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, Vita)
- Rare Replay (Xbox One)
- Until Dawn (PS4)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Combo Pack (360, PS3)
- Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, Xbox One)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
Last month’s best-selling games were led by Lego: Jurassic World, Batman: Arkham Knight, and Minecraft. The gaming field will likely be much more competitive as the winter release calendar opens up and the returning franchises like Call of Duty, Fallout, Halo, and Star Fox go head to head.
Showing the staying power of the Minecraft franchise, the top-selling games one year ago (August 2014) were Madden 15, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, and Minecraft.
In other NPD news, the PS4 once again came out on top as the best-selling console for the month.