PS4 December NPD

There was no major upset in the December NPD report, as the PlayStation 4 slumped to its second defeat of the calendar year. Sony's system was on top for the first ten months of 2014, but lost out to Microsoft's major Xbox One price promotions in November - and that continued through December, too. Despite this, its console still did enough to top the hardware sales for the year as a whole.

Moreover, in a statement to Venture Beat, it noted that its next-gen appliance is the fastest selling PlayStation ever with 18.5 million units, and it doesn't see its momentum slowing moving forward. "We are looking forward to another momentous year in 2015, and bringing an epic lineup of titles to PlayStation fans around the world," a spokesperson said. To be fair, the lineup does look good.

Overall, it was a relatively solid year for the American video game industry, with increased hardware sales making up for a drop in software purchases. Hardware was up a staggering 20 per cent on the back of the new platforms, pulling in $5.07 billion in total. Software dipped 13 per cent to $5.3 billion, while accessories climbed by five per cent to $2.73 billion.

Sales in December dropped by one per cent year-over-year, with hardware and software down four per cent and two per cent respectively. It's important to remember that both the PS4 and Xbox One were still new in the last month of 2013, so it's no surprise to see some decline in comparison. Regardless, the industry still managed to pull in $3.25 billion for the month, which is not to be sniffed at.

The biggest disappointment for Sony will be that of the top ten best-sellers, only Far Cry 4 performed best on its box last month - a shock considering its larger install base. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was the best seller in December, followed by Grand Theft Auto V and Madden NFL 15. Meanwhile, NBA 2K15, Minecraft, Destiny, and FIFA 15 rounded out the top ten.

Sledgehammer Games' first-person shooter was also the best selling game of 2014 in total, with Watch Dogs also joining that particular party in eighth. PS4 software performed much better in the yearly totals, with many of the titles posting their strongest numbers on the Japanese giant's next-gen machine. We've included all of the charts below.

Top Ten Physical Retail Releases: December 2014

  1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, PC)
  2. Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3)
  3. Madden NFL 15 (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3)
  4. Super Smash Bros. (Wii U, 3DS)
  5. NBA 2K15 (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, PC)
  6. Minecraft (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
  7. Far Cry 4 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
  8. Just Dance 2015 (Wii, Xbox 360, Wii U, Xbox One, PS4, PS3)
  9. Destiny (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3)
  10. FIFA 15 (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Wii, 3DS, Vita)

Top Ten Physical Retail Releases: 2014 in Total

  1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, PC)
  2. Madden NFL 15 (Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PS3)
  3. Destiny (Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3)
  4. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3)
  5. Minecraft (Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
  6. Super Smash Bros.(3DS, Wii U)
  7. NBA 2K15 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
  8. Watch Dogs (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U)
  9. FIFA 15 (Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Wii, 3DS, Vita)
  10. Call Of Duty: Ghosts (Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, Wii U, PC)

[source gamesindustry.biz, via venturebeat.com, neogaf.com]