For eight consecutive months, Sony's PlayStation 4 has been the best-selling gaming hardware in North America. This news comes from the latest NPD report, which tracks game sales in the region on a monthly basis. But while PS4 remains a strong force, Xbox One has been picking up the slack, nearly doubling in sales compared to July. Unfortunately, neither Sony nor Microsoft has been willing to disclose actual sales figures just yet.
So what was the big mover last month? Madden 15, of course! Combined sales of the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 versions of the annual football title outperformed every other game. In fact, when you break sales down on a console-by-console basis, the PS4 version was the best-selling game in August, period! This is despite Madden 15 only just releasing towards the end of the month, as well as despite the Xbox One getting a special Madden bundle.
Other top sellers for the month include Diablo III, Minecraft, and The Last of Us. Surprisingly enough, even last year's Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4 continue to hang on in the top 10! It's important to keep in mind that the NPD doesn't track digital sales, but this data should at least give you an idea about what's hot in your local retailer.
Here's the full top 10 for your reading pleasure. How the platforms are listed indicates the distribution of software sales from most popular to least.
1. Madden NFL 15 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
2. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
3. Minecraft (360, PS3)
4. The Last of Us (PS4, PS3)
5. Call of Duty: Ghosts (360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, PC, Wii U)
6. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (360, PS3, Wii U, PS4, 3DS, DS, Xbox One, Vita, PC)
7. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One)
8. Watch Dogs (PS4, 360, PS3, Xbox One, PC)
9. Battlefield 4 (360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
10. The Lego Movie Videogame (360, 3DS, PS3, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, Vita)
