Sony December 2017 NPD PlayStation 4 PS4 1

Those people who wrote articles about the death of the console industry prior to the release of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One should hang their heads in shame, as Call of Duty: WWII just dominated a $3.29 billion month for the United States games industry. That’s up 10 per cent over year-over-year, accelerated of course by the Nintendo Switch, which topped the hardware sales charts.

After enjoying its best ever month on the back of some staggering Black Friday deals, Sony’s decision to eschew further price promotions in December 2017 mean that the PS4 was actually the "worst" selling of the big three current-gen consoles – although it still shifted a hearty helping of hardware, as we already know that it moved almost six million units globally in just over a month during the tail end of last year.

Moreover, despite strong competition from a record-breaking Switch, the PS4 managed to hold onto its crown as the best-selling console of 2017. It’s unlikely, now moving into its fifth year, that it will replicate that success in 2018, but Sony still has the $199.99 card up its sleeve, so you simply never know.

As mentioned, Call of Duty: WWII was the best-selling game of the month – and the year as a whole. Star Wars Battlefront II did well despite the backlash over its loot boxes, and software actually increased 2 per cent year-over-year. We’ve included all of the relevant data below, courtesy of NPD.

NPD Software Top 20: December 2017

  1. Call of Duty: WWII
  2. Star Wars Battlefront II*
  3. Super Mario Odyssey**
  4. NBA 2K18
  5. Mario Kart 8**
  6. Madden NFL 18
  7. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds*
  8. Assassin’s Creed: Origins
  9. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild**
  10. Grand Theft Auto V
  11. FIFA 18*
  12. Destiny 2*
  13. Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2
  14. Splatoon 2**
  15. Need for Speed: Payback*
  16. Xenoblade Chronicles 2**
  17. Just Dance 2018
  18. The Sims 4*
  19. Pokemon: Ultra Sun**
  20. Pokemon: Ultra Moon**

NPD PS4 Software Top 10: December 2017

  1. Call of Duty: WWII
  2. Star Wars Battlefront II
  3. NBA 2K18
  4. Madden NFL 18
  5. Assassin’s Creed: Origins
  6. Grand Theft Auto V
  7. FIFA 18
  8. Need for Speed: Payback
  9. Destiny 2
  10. Horizon: Zero Dawn

NPD Best Selling Games of 2017

  1. Call of Duty: WWII
  2. NBA 2K18
  3. Destiny 2*
  4. Madden NFL 18
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild**
  6. Grand Theft Auto V
  7. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
  8. Star Wars Battlefront II*
  9. Super Mario Odyssey**
  10. Mario Kart 8**

* No PC digital sales
** No digital sales

[source venturebeat.com]