October 16th, 2014 
Mark The NPD Group today released its monthly sales report for September, and the top sellers were no real surprise: Destiny came out on top in terms of new, physical software sales, with PlayStation 4 again leading the way in hardware.
Before the NPD sent out its report, Sony issued a statement saying PS4 was once again the top-selling console, and that it’s been the most popular platform for playing Destiny. There was some belief that Xbox One might come out on top (following a prediction from analyst Michael Pachter), thanks to the free game promotion Microsoft offered, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.
Nintendo also offered a statement on the month’s sales primarily focusing on the success of the 3DS and the new Super Smash Bros. As for Wii U itself, sales saw an increase of almost 50 percent over August.
Hardware sales were up 136 percent to $432.7 million from $183.4 million during September 2013. Looking at consoles sales specifically, there was a jump up 200 percent year-over-year. That’s thanks in large part to the Xbox One and PS4; the two combined to represent 85 percent of overall hardware sales during the month, which the NPD Group says is the highest portion of sales they’ve accounted for since last November.
Comparing software sales with September 2013 was expected to be difficult due to the launch of Grand Theft Auto V (2013’s top seller), and NPD made sure to note this. New, physical software sales were down 36 percent year-over-year to $481.2 million, compared with $754 million last September. However, if you look exclusive at the #2-9 games, sales are actually up.
“The launch of Activision-published and Bungie-developed Destiny in September 2014 proved successful in a number of ways: year-to-date through September data it is the top-selling video game on a unit basis, making it the most successful launch of the year so far as well,” wrote NPD analyst Liam Callahan. “But an even more prestigious feat was the fact that Destiny had the best launch month of all-time for any new IP in video game software.”
The list of top-selling games below only accounts for new, physical copies. You’ll notice it shows Destiny sold better on Xbox One than it did on PS4, but there are two factors to keep in mind regarding something Sony said today. One is that any copies sold as part of the PS4 Destiny bundle are not counted (bundled software is never tracked by the NPD), and Sony’s statement about PS4 being the top console for Destiny notes that it’s true worldwide.
The NPD list also combines sales of all platforms that a game is available on; if it did not, Hyrule Warriors (190,000 copies sold) would have made the top ten. Mario Kart 8 sold 60,000 copies during the month, bringing its total to more than 1.2 million.
- Destiny (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3)
- Madden NFL 15 (360, PS4, PS3, XBO)
- FIFA 15 (PS4, 360, PS3, XBO, Wii, PSV, 3DS)
- Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (3DS)
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4, XBO, PC)
- NHL 15 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
- Minecraft (360, PS3)
- The Sims 4 (PC)
- Disney Infinity 2.0 (360, PS3, NWU, PS4, XBO)
- Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PS4, 360, PS3, XBO, PC)
UPDATE: In a follow-up statement, Microsoft offered the following quote regarding September NPDs:
“We believe this will be one of our biggest holiday seasons ever. We’re offering great Xbox One bundles aligned with the most anticipated game launches of the year, including Assassin’s Creed Unity, Sunset Overdrive, and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and incredible deals for fans. Combined with blockbusters like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Grand Theft Auto 5, Destiny, and Forza Horizon 2, we are committed to making Xbox One a great place to play this holiday.”
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