NPD: Xbox One is the "fastest-selling" console in November and Call of Duty leads software

Just ahead of the full NPD results, Sony said that PS4 was the “top-selling next-gen platform for both hardware and software in November.” However, Microsoft countered with the claim that for the same month, the Xbox One was “the fastest selling console on the market in the U.S.”

After nine days of availability, the Xbox One sold a total of 909,132 consoles. Sony did not reveal specific sales numbers for the US in November, however the NPD report notes that, “PlayStation 4 sales included an additional week within the November data month compared to Xbox One. When looking at sales on an average per-week basis, Xbox One led PS4. Keep in mind, however, that supply typically becomes constrained in the second week after launch.”

The report continues: “PlayStation 4 led U.S. hardware sales for the month, and marked the highest first month sales of a hardware platform on record… Xbox One was the second highest selling platform for the month, which marked the largest launch for a Microsoft console.”

Although both consoles currently say that they’ve sold over 2 million each, Sony and Microsoft are selling as many units as are made available. Overall sales numbers currently equal the number of consoles produced.

For Nintendo, the 3DS continues to show growth with sales “increasing by 15% year-to-date through November.”

For the industry overall, the monthly sales report supplied by the NPD states that, though software sales were down for November, the overall industry is up 7%. Here’s a full breakdown:

  • Overall retail sales up 7%
  • Software sales are down 24%
  • Hardware sales are up 58% with an 80% growth in console hardware
  • This has been the best November ever for hardware in the US. It’s worth noting that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 also launched in November.

And a few additional notes:

  • The Xbox One outsold the Xbox 360 three to one in November.
  • Xbox One users purchase an average of 2.1 games per console.
  • The attach rate (number of games per console sold) is currently higher for the PS4 than it was during the launch month for PS2 and PS3.

And, as always, there are no specific sales numbers, but here the top 10 best-selling games for November:

  1. Call of Duty: Ghosts (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, X360, XBO)
  2. Battlefield 4 (PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO)
  3. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, X360, XBO)
  4. Madden NFL 25 (PS3, PS4, X360, XBO)
  5. Grand Theft Auto V (PS3, X360)
  6. NBA 2K14 (PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XBO)
  7. Skylanders Swap Force (3DS, PS3, PS3, Wii, Wii U, X360, XBO)
  8. Just Dance 2014 (PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, X360, XBO)
  9. Disney Infinity (3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, X360)
  10. FIFA 14 (PS3, PS4, Vita, X360, XBO)

The NPD reports, “Driven by continued success of Grand Theft Auto V as well as strong sales of NBA 2K14, year-to-date through November 2013, Take 2 Interactive led software sales as the top publisher.”

Noticeably missing from the list of top games are the late-October and early November titles Super Mario 3D World, Batman: Arkham Origins, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

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