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NPD October 2014: One Year Out, PS4 Still On Top

By Daniel George

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Each month industry experts are given a report that details all of the consoles and software numbers sold from physical retail brick-and-mortar stores within the United States, which are then reported on by sites privileged with that sort of information. They are published from the NPD group, with this month’s numbers reporting for NPD October 2014.

Top 10 most sold physical software titles in the US, according to NPD October 2014 numbers (bracket order=most-to-least sold version):

  1. NBA 2K15 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
  2. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS (3DS)
  3. The Evil Within (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360, PC)
  4. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (360, PS3, PC)
  5. Destiny (360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3)
  6. Skylanders: Trap Team (360, Wii, Wii U, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, 3DS, mobile)
  7. FIFA 15 (PS4, 360, PS3, Xbox One, Wii, PS Vita, 3DS)
  8. Madden NFL 15 (360, PS4, PS3, Xbox One)
  9. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4, XBox One, PC)
  10. Minecraft (360, PS3, PS4)

More from 3DS

As has been the case for the past 10 months in a month-to-month basis, the PS4 came out on top with the most consoles sold here in the US, according to the NPD October 2014 figures. Furthermore, Nintendo provided a press release, stating that the success of Super Smash Bros for 3DS resulted in 1.20 million units during the month. It became just the 10th Nintendo 3DS game over the handheld’s near-three-years of existence to reach that number.

While Microsoft opted not to officially comment (not surprising), Sunset Overdrive as an SKU (not as a title, as bundles as excluded) was the 9th-best selling game for the month. It also released very late in the month, so good on Insomniac Games, even if I thought it was just a fair title. Moving those Xbox Ones with a supremely-awesome-looking white version is what matters to Microsoft in the long term.

Sadly enough, which is the case in most Octobers, there are some notable missing names. For one, Bayonetta 2 did not crack the NPD October 2014 Top 10, despite its excellence. Granted, it is not an absolute shock, as Platinum Games’ excellent character action entries have all sold frustratingly poorly. Alien: Isolation didn’t show up either, adding to the list of disappointments for Sega this year.

What is fairly interesting is some of the breakdowns in the console ordering. Seeing how Xbox One offered free games of a new user’s choice when players picked up the console near Destiny’s launch, it makes sense that the Xbox One still outsold the PS4. Those white PS4 Destiny bundles aren’t counted, either. It’s the fact that the Xbox 360 version outsold the others that is quite the puzzler.

Finally, sports! While NBA Live 15’s lack of appearance in the list isn’t a surprise, 3 of the Top 10 games being sports titles in such a packed release schedule of October is. Middle-earth at 9 right above rough-and-tumble list survivor Minecraft is perplexing, especially with the NFL in the second half of the regular season. Perhaps its September 30th release absorbed too many of Day 1 sales numbers, resulting in a lower rank on the list. Who knows?

We’ll be back roughly this time next month to get you the NPD November 2014 numbers, which may prove to be the Xbox One’s first chance at leading US console sales in a long while, beginning its second year of life.

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