PS4 NPD September 2014

Michael Pachter appears to enjoy pushing gamers’ buttons, so we doubt that he’ll care too much about the egg on his face right now; either way, his prediction that the PlayStation 4’s winning streak would end in September was, well, wrong. Sony actually managed a ninth month atop the NPD sales charts, with Destiny prompting sales of its next-gen super machine to almost triple over the previous month.

There are still no concrete numbers for the console, but speculation suggests that it was around the 500,000 units mark, which would be a sensational number if accurate – and would potentially indicate why the PlayStation Network has been so shaky for the past few weeks. Regardless, it was an impressive month for the Japanese giant overall, with PlayStation Plus subscriptions doubling, and PlayStation Store sales increasing by 90 per cent year-over-year.

“September 2014 was a record-breaking month for PlayStation’s digital business, thanks in large part to the success of Destiny,” said a chuffed Eric Lempel, vice president of Sony Network Entertainment. In fact, Bungie’s next big thing got off to a sensational start, securing the biggest launch of the year so far, while also enjoying the best launch month for a new intellectual property of all time. It’s also selling best on the PS4 on a global basis.

However, surprisingly, the standalone retail version actually performed better on the Xbox One in the United States, which may be due to Halo’s legacy on Microsoft’s family of systems. This figure doesn’t, however, include bundles or digital sales, which may paint a different picture entirely. Sony’s system still led the month for overall next-gen software, with EA Sports’ portfolio all performing best on the PS4.

Despite all of this, total software spend was down 36 per cent year-over-year, from $754 million in September 2013 to just $481 million this year. Of course, the big differentiator here is Grand Theft Auto V, which launched in September last year. Fortunately, overall industry income was up 2 per cent overall, thanks to the continued success of Sony and Microsoft’s brand new systems. Sales reached $1.1 billion for the five week period, up from $1.08 billion the year prior.

We’ve included the full list of best selling titles in the space below. Which software seized control of your wallet in September? When do you think that the PS4’s winning streak will come to an end? Which release will take October’s crown? Let us know in the comments section below.

Top Ten Physical Retail Releases: September 2014

1. Destiny (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3)
2. Madden NFL 15 (360, PS4, PS3, Xbox One)
3. FIFA 15 (PS4, 360, PS3, Xbox One, Wii, Vita, 3DS)
4. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS (3DS)
5. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
6. NHL 15 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
7. Minecraft (360, PS3)
8. The Sims 4 (PC)
9. Disney Infinity 2.0 (360, PS3, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One)
10. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PS4, 360, PS3, Xbox One, PC)

[source venturebeat.com, via neogaf.com]