January 2015 NPD – Dying Light And PS4 Lead Retail Sales

The NPD group has released its report for January, and while hardware sales are down from last year, gamers are buying more software.

The biggest news of the month comes to us via Sony, which is once again at the top of the hardware sales chart. The PS4 was the top-selling console in January and remains the cumulative leader in current-gen sales with 18.5 million systems sold to consumers.

Despite that, hardware sales for January were down 23 percent overall compared to the same month last year, with last-gen consoles declining at a higher rate (35 percent) compared to current-gen systems (22 percent). However, the PS4 and Xbox One are still outselling their predecessors, with a 60 percent higher install base than the Xbox 360 and PS3 had at the same point after their respective releases (15 months).

Software sales also ushered in more good news. Software sales were up 5 percent from last year, with a 74-percent increase for current-gen systems, while last-gen software decreased by 36 percent.

As for the top ten, Techland's open-world zombie hit claimed the number-one spot, followed by continued strong sales for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and GTA V (number one and two from last month). Other notable holdovers include Minecraft, Super Smash Bros., and Destiny.

Here's the full list. As usual, the platforms are listed in order of sales:

1. Dying Light (PS4, XBO, PC)
2. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
3. Grand Theft Auto V (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3)        
4. Minecraft (360, PS3, XBO, PS4)
5. NBA 2K15 (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
6. Super Smash Bros. (NWU, 3DS)
7. Far Cry 4 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)        
8. Madden NFL 15 (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3)
9. Destiny (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3)
10. FIFA 15 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, Wii, PSV, 3DS)

Our Take
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that hardware sales are down after the holiday rush and two weeks of the Xbox One being temporarily priced back at $399 (and given Sony's PS4 sales in January, Microsoft's decision to permanently drop the price is a good one). The software sales are undoubtedly a sign that there are a ton of great games on the market and that gamers want to play them. The fact that Dying Light beat out so many multi-gen titles also suggests gamers are ready to adopt the new generation of hardware.