March 2015 NPD

There were no upsets in the March 2015 NPD report, as the PlayStation 4 maintained its position as the best selling system in the United States for the third consecutive month. Sony's console's success was buoyed by Bloodborne, which finished second in the software charts – an extremely impressive result, given the niche status of the Souls series. Battlefield: Hardline, unsurprisingly, cuffed itself to the top spot.

It was a particularly good month for the Japanese giant, with MLB 15 The Show also entering in sixth; however, the cumulative numbers weren't quite as rosy for the industry as a whole. Overall sector spend totalled $963.7 million, down six per cent year-over-year. Hardware revenue dipped the hardest, falling 21 per cent from $393.4 million in 2014 to just $311.1 million this year. It's entirely possible that the Xbox One's price cuts contributed to that tumble, of course.

Nevertheless, software sales also fell, dipping from $405.6 million to $395.4 million. Last year ushered the arrival of inFAMOUS: Second Son and Titanfall, so it would appear that the previous month's roster just couldn't compete. As mentioned, Battlefield: Hardline and Bloodborne topped, with Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare filling out the top five. Meanwhile, new arrivals Borderlands: The Handsome Collection and Final Fantasy Type-0 HD finished in ninth and tenth respectively.

"We are truly honoured that the PS4 is the top-selling console and No. 1 in software sales again according to NPD sales data for March 2015," an upbeat Sony spokesperson told GamesBeat in a statement. "PS4 remains the cumulative sales leader both globally and in the United States, and we want to thank gamers worldwide for their ongoing support." Barf.

Cringeworthy statements aside, we suspect that the PlayStation maker secretly expected this result, as it had a really strong software lineup for the month. Things start to dry up again now ahead of the summer, but it's hard to imagine Sony's grip on the States sliding anytime soon. In fact, if it plays its cards right, we could see the PS4 getting settled at the summit until at least October. Things have really turned around since last generation, eh?

Top Ten Physical Retail Releases: March 2015

  1. Battlefield: Hardline (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, 360, PS3, PC)
  2. Bloodborne (PS4)
  3. Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3)
  4. Mario Party 10 (Wii U)
  5. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
  6. MLB 15: The Show (PS4, PS3)
  7. Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
  8. NBA 2K15 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
  9. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (PS4, Xbox One)
  10. Final Fantasy: Type 0 HD (PS4, Xbox One)

[source venturebeat.com]