Xbox One Tops PS4 In April NPD, ‘Mortal Kombat X’ Bullies Its Way To Top Of Software Sales
The Xbox One achieved a rare win over Sony’s PlayStation 4 in the newly released April 2015 NPD sales report. Microsoft’s console came out on top in console sales for the month while Mortal Kombat X took the top spot for software sales.
Industry revenue from hardware sales was down four percent overall from to $183.9 million for April 2015 compared to the same month in 2014 ($191. 9 million). The decline is attributable to the market for the PS3 and Xbox 360 bottoming out plus the cheaper price of the Xbox One. However, Microsoft told VentureBeat that sales of its Xbox One console grew from a year over year basis.
“As the best-selling console in the U.S. in April, fans set record April sales and engagement for Xbox One last month,” Xbox marketing boss Mike Nichols said in a statement provided to GamesBeat. “Xbox One console sales in the U.S. increased 63 percent in April 2015 compared to April 2014.”
Another big thanks to our fans for making us the #1 selling console in April according to #NPD.
— Aaron Greenberg (@aarongreenberg) May 14, 2015
The Xbox One was mired in a post-launch lull during April 2014 thanks in part to the $500 price point and Kinect only option at the time. Microsoft had stuffed retail channels with the console in the prior months, contributing to poor sales numbers for the console.
The decision to drop the Kinect and the starting price of the Xbox One to $350 has paid off, but it has not been able to match the sales of the PlayStation 4 in the United States, much less the entire world. The Xbox One’s last win over the PS4 in NPD sales was during November 2014. However, Sony’s console holds a healthy overall lead in sales for the United States and internationally.
On the software front, physical sales of new games were up 13 percent from $227.6 million in April 2014 to $227.6 million in April 2015.
Here’s the sales result for software in the month of April 2015. Remember, the NPD does not track digital sales.
- Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, PC, 360, PS3)
- Battlefield: Hardline (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
- MLB 15: The Show (PS4, PS3)
- Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
- NBA 2K15 (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
- Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Super Smash Bros. (3DS, Wii U)
- Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (PS4, Xbox One)
Mortal Kombat X’s strong performance shouldn’t come as a surprise.The PC release of Grand Theft Auto V combined with still fresh PS4 and Xbox One release kept the game around the top of the charts. Meanwhile, the console editions of Minecraft continue to show incredible staying power as it is still in the NPD top ten software sales long after 99 percent of games would have dropped out.
[Image via Xbox]
