Sony slumped to a shock defeat in April 2015's unexpected NPD sales report, but this year all three major console manufacturers have declined to comment on hardware numbers. Whatever the reason for that, the manufacturer can take heart from some pretty outstanding software performers – including Ratchet & Clank, which recaptured its PlayStation 2 glory days, and shot straight into second place in the United States software charts for last month.
The game was joined by first-party sports sim MLB 16 The Show in third, while Dark Souls III – which heavily outpaced its predecessor Dark Souls II – topped the best sellers list, and sold best on Sony's system. Despite these strong performers, though, software sales actually declined 21 per cent year-over-year, while hardware sales dipped by 23 per cent. The industry as a whole amassed $509.5 million, down 15 per cent from $598.1 million in 2015. Some argue that the lower selling prices of the PS4 and Xbox One are to blame, which may explain why PS4K is being readied for release.
Still, it's always great to see PlayStation exclusive releases faring well, and while Sony hasn't commented on this month's report at the time of typing, we're sure that it will be stoked to see Insomniac's well-loved Lombax back where he deserves. Next month's report will, of course, include Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and from what we're hearing on the grapevine, it's going to be an absolutely colossal success. Will it be enough to shake the American industry from its slump, though? We'll have to wait and see.
Update: Sony has confirmed that the PS4 was the best selling console in the US throughout April 2016.
Top Ten Physical Retail Releases: April 2016
- Dark Souls III (PS4, Xbox One)
- Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
- MLB 16 The Show (PS4, PS3)
- Tom Clancy's The Division (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
- Minecraft (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3)
- Quantum Break (Xbox One)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
- NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Star Fox: Zero (Wii U)
[source venturebeat.com, via neogaf.com]
Comments 36
Just a quick update that's not worth adding to the article yet: all three manufacturers declined comment on hardware numbers. Not sure what we can infer from that, other than the fact that they're all down year-over-year.
I'll see if I can find out any more. Bit weird.
Yay. Congrats, Insomniac. Fantastic game.
Also great to see how successful Dark Souls III is. Nice to see Quantum Break and Star Fox Zero chart.
Really weird that all three console manufacturers declined to comment on hardware sales.
Hmm... I really hate the culture of boasting over every little weekly success, then the moment someone didnt win the weekly battle they have nothing to say. It's a generation of microwaves and tweets, and weekly sales wars. Wish they'd all just shut up. At the end of the generation, take a bow and disclose your success.
Anyways, nice numbers for R&C and Dark Souls 3, and surprised to see StarFox break the top 10 tbh. Ratchet was a good game, about like how Star Fox was a good game. But Dark Souls 3- now THAT is a timeless classic. That game deserves all kinds of success.
Just hope Monster Hunter Generations can do the same when it drops July 15th. Dark Souls and Monster Hunter... that's how I roll.
@get2sammyb Ps4 won
@DominicanGlory That's what I'm hearing as well, but if no one officially comments on it, it's hard to report. I guess I should edit the opening sentences, though.
Meanwhile, GTA V continues to chart. It and Minecraft are the redwoods among evergreen titles.
PS4k is announced.....
PS4 sales go down.
@JaxonH
I'd like to know the software numbers, wouldn't mind at all if they kept it shut about hardware though. When you hit a milestone, 15 mil, 30 mil, 50 mil, etc, then go ahead and report. I'm just happy it seems Ratchet & Clank did well.
I'm not being funny but there's 6 franchise games in the same list as this time last year and a token wii u game. Seriously go and see the April 2015 list.
@Grawlog
That would be interesting too. But even if we just get periodic reports of hardware figures then you can kind of guess based on that. At least we get the spending estimates, I know a lot of people don't care about that stuff, but I think it's interesting. Lets you know how healthy or terminal the industry is. Reading that year over year spending is down is not good but it's a trend I expect to continue as gaming gets more and more samey.
@themcnoisy To be fair, though, two of them are the exact same games. Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V are absolute beasts.
5 PS3 games, 4 Xbox 360 games, 1 Wii U game.
Where are these "weekly pat yourself on the back" reports? I haven't seen any.
@themcnoisy
That's all the sales charts seem to be comprised of any more. Sure, there is the occasional exclusive releases here and there, or a new franchise, but by and large- week in week out- it's all the same mega budget games over and over and over... iteration after iteration. Call of Duty. Minecraft. EA sports game. Assassin's Creed (usually- that may change until holiday 2017). Grand Theft Auto. Yada yada yada.
Despite PS4 being 40 million strong, it just goes to show that gamers- and I mean habitual, hobbyist gamers that seek out new and diverse experiences across a broad range of genres and look beyond the surface layer of mega-budget, mass marketed blockbusters, are truly the minority.
The only difference between the 5 current gen platforms is the number of casual gamers who also bought the console. Across the board, there's probably 5-10 million "hardcore" gamers (I really hate using that word, but for the sake of writing that long description again I think it will serve well enough to summarize). The ones who pay attention to the not-so-widestream games.
And of those, there's even fewer who diversify beyond the realm of their single most preferred console, and actually play games across multiple platforms.
@rjejr
Poor Wii U........the system has pretty much entered Sega Saturn 1998 territory.
@sub12
It isn't that dire. From what I remember around that time, Saturn was totally irrelevant to the discussion. People at least still buy Wii U games.
@Gamer83
Well, the first half of 98 the Saturn still had some solid releases, Panzer Dragoon Saga, House of the Dead, Burning Rangers, one of the Saturn Shining series games......but by the second half of 98, it was cobwebs. In terms of pure sales though, the Wii U is still doing better by a good margin, your right about that.......but if you cancel out indie releases, the Wii U looks almost as bleak in a modern aspect.
@sub12
I was gaming on N64 back around that time and most of my friends had PlayStation so I didn't follow the Saturn as closely. I forgot it actually still got some decent games before the people running Sega just threw their arms up in the air and quit that generation.
@sub12
I think it's more like dreamcast. Wii u is great for second console, I already sold it thought after playing mario 3d world, mario 2d, zelda wind waker, bayonetta 2, splatoon, mario kart 8, yoshi's wolly world and other wii vc games.
It's bloody expensive thought, 1 day owning the console I have to buy the pro controller since the gamepad suck (what the hell nintendo thinking making this the main gamepad for wii u), I have to buy wii remote plus and nunchuck to play wii vc games, I have to buy the batteries for the wii u gamepad because the battery on the damned thing only last 3 hours and splatoon can be only playing by that thing. I heave a sigh of relief after finishing the last wii u game I own, finally my tv cabinets is clean again with only my ps4.
Interesting that MLB The Show charts for two months in a row. Did the same thing last year. It's weird because I honestly never hear anyone talking about it - both in person or online. There doesn't ever really seem to be much hype leading up to the release. Odd case of silent majority here.
@JaxonH This is why it always pleases me when games like Ratchet & Clank or Until Dawn do really well. Well deserved.
@wiiware
lol, I share your same thoughts.....I had a Wii U till early 2015 (bought it at launch).......but the system, and it's multitude of peripherals was borderline obnoxious. That's why I love the PS4, it's doesn't do anything to offend the game player (simple and fast UI, one great controller that does everything, compact hardware design).
As for the Dreamcast, I would argue that it had greater first and third party retail support than the Wii U (in quantity, you can argue quality).
all the talk of new hardware may have tanked sales.
PS4 - 175k
XB1 - 168k
Wii U - 32k
360 - 13k
PS3 - 4k
Ouch. Bad month for everyone on the hardware front.
@IceClimbers
Where did you get the numbers? If they're not bs, I can understand why nobody is talking.
MLB the show is consistently one of Sony's best IP, but it's very underrated as a sports game.
@sub12
Man dreamcast is great, I remember playing soul calibur, crazy taxy, samba de amigo with my friend, I don't understand why the system sold poorly.
I hope the next nintendo system is just $200-$250 portable that have 1080p display and can also play games on tv with normal controller. Playing uncharted in home, playing mario/splatoon/other nintendo vc games on the road, now that's heaven for me haha..
@Gamer83
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=203457531&postcount=946
I kind of just assumed they're accurate.
@IceClimbers
Thanks
"Despite these strong performers, though, software sales actually declined 21 per cent year-over-year, while hardware sales dipped by 23 per cent. The industry as a whole amassed $509.5 million, down 15 per cent from $598.1 million in 2015"
We are seeing these drops in y-o-y sales every month, yet every gaming website keeps on regurgitating the same old mantra that console gaming has "never been in a better shape". This is not true and we need to learn to accept this and also open our minds for new ideas like PS4K, VR and whatever Nintendo's cooking up: whether you'll use one of these things one day doesn't matter, what matters is that it enlarges the target audience of consoles.
Sure, the PS4 is the fastest selling Sony console to date and the One and PS4 combined sold more than the 360 and PS3 did when both generations were 2.5 years old, but if you look at these figures more closely you'll see what I see. First off: the PS3 launched later and was incredibly expensive the first year (and a little less expensive later on), yet we count consoles from the moment the 360 entered the market. Secondly: the last gen went on for so long that when the new consoles finally arrived, for a really decent price, people jumped on board quicker than ever before. But the most important thing is the Wii, nobody is taking the Wii into account! You know why? Cause if we do we see that both software and hardware sales are not on the level they were back then.
Sony is betting on VR and frequent console upgrades for a reason: because after the first 60 million units sold, they'll hit the ceiling of what they can sell at the rate they have been! Sony needs to look for other ways to get people in, cause console gaming ISN'T doing better than ever before! And why I mentioned Nintendo earlier? Nintendo is the only company that I believe that is able to get kids away from their phones and iPad and into console gaming. Both Sony and MS do an appalling job of reeling in the former Wii users that are now going for the comfort of mobile gaming instead of gaming on a big screen.
We need VR so tech savvy dads have a reason to buy a PS4; they might not be core gamers, but VR software sold is software sold nontheless. We need a 3 year console cycle with forward- and backward compatibility because that way salesnumbers can keep on growing artificially by selling the same person 2 consoles in a 6 year time span instead of just 1. And we need the Nintendo NX to be a succes: the 2017 Nintendo NX owner (because their parents bought it), will be 2022's PS5 gamer.
Maybe all the 'talk' of the next consoles (PS4 Neo, NeXtBox and NX) are affecting sales - people holding off until these get announced/released and the inevitable drop in price of current hardware. I know if I didn't own a XB1/PS4, I would be waiting to hear official news about the next console - why spend £2-300 on something that in 6-8months could have a more powerful option available?
I know its just 'resolution' and of course the frame-rates are affected but maybe people are fed up with 'under-performing' console games. It seems all 'frostbite' games on PS4 are 900/60 (that's likely to include BF1) and 720/60 on XB1. Even Uncharted 4 has a few 'stutters' at 1080/30 and 900/60 in MP - a game that was originally targeting 1080/60 but the hardware isn't up to it. I doubt that is affecting sales.
From my perspective, the only game I have bought this year is Uncharted 4. I have thought about R&C but its not been a priority. My game purchasing has slowed down - mainly because of lack of releases that I want.
Doesn't everyone already own a PS4? The way it's sold, it wouldn't be surprising if that statement was true, but since it's coming into the summer months, I can see the sales drift...plus, not a lot of games have released over the past few months for any. Uncharted 4 will sell greatly and become another big hit for sony...there's no doubt about that! Wii U will soon drop out of view...they only have that cross-over Fire Emblem game and Paper Mario (exclusive titles) coming out and with all of the talk and buzz over the NX, it's going to be harder for nintendo to sell any Wii U's.
Updated now we have official confirmation that PS4 was the best selling console.
@Boerewors Yeah, great comment, I couldn't agree more. People need to open their minds a bit more. It's okay to remain sceptical, but we need to at least accept that all of the manufacturers need to experiment and try new things.
@JoeBlogs Couldn't agree more.
Great to see Star Fox Zero did well after all the negative reviews, and good to see DS3 and Ratchet selling well as well.
We may see a new Ratchet.
@PlaytendoGuy
It still seems like a new Ratchet & Clank isn't a certainty, but at least after the remake there's a much better chance for more games than there were before. If it keeps selling, I think Sony will have to ask Insomniac to make another one.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...