NPD Spider-Man PS4 PlayStation 4 1

Marvel’s Spider-Man smashed records during its launch month in the United States, with the NPD Group reporting that the exclusive secured the highest launch month dollar sales for a PlayStation exclusive of all time. The title also enjoyed seventh largest debut of any PlayStation release ever, and is the third best-selling title of the year so far. And yes, that includes multiformat games.

In fact, the NPD’s Mat Piscatella shared the following staggering statistic: “Marvel’s Spider-Man achieved launch month sales 37 per cent higher than the combined launch month sales of all other Spider-Man games released since the NPD Group began tracking in 1995.” That’s an absolutely phenomenal achievement, so hats off to Insomniac Games and everyone involved.

Elsewhere in the software charts, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – which technically launched on 5th October but just sneaked into the September tracking period – managed to debut in third position, with double-digit growth over last year’s Assassin’s Creed Origins. Basketball simulation NBA 2K19 also secured the biggest launch in franchise history.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider, meanwhile, managed a larger launch than Rise of the Tomb Raider – although it’s worth remembering that the 2015 instalment debuted as an Xbox exclusive, which surely had an impact on its performance. All in all, software for the month increased five per cent year-over-year, with the industry enjoying another strong September.

As for hardware, the ageing PS4 continues to perform outrageously well, wrestling the console crown back from the Nintendo Switch and becoming the best-selling system for the sixth time this year. It’s still the top performing platform of 2018 so far, and that’s despite Sony not really budging on price. It’ll be interesting to see what it does during Black Friday.

We’ve included all of the relevant data from a record-breaking month below, so feel free to pore over it and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. The takeaway, as far as we can tell, is that all three major consoles have been performing very well in the US this year, which can only be good for the games industry as a whole.

NPD Software Top 20: September 2018

  1. Marvel’s Spider-Man
  2. NBA 2K19
  3. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
  4. FIFA 19**
  5. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
  6. Madden NFL 19**
  7. Forza Horizon 4
  8. Destiny 2**
  9. Super Mario Party*
  10. NHL 19
  11. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
  12. WWE 2K19
  13. Grand Theft Auto V
  14. Mario Kart 8
  15. Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker
  16. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
  17. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
  18. Super Mario Odyssey*
  19. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
  20. Minecraft**

NPD PS4 Software Top 10: September 2018

  1. Marvel’s Spider-Man
  2. NBA 2K19
  3. FIFA 19
  4. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
  5. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
  6. Madden NFL 19
  7. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
  8. Destiny 2
  9. NHL 19
  10. WWE 2K19

NPD Best Selling Games of 2018 So Far

  1. Far Cry 5
  2. God of War
  3. Marvel’s Spider-Man
  4. Monster Hunter: World
  5. NBA 2K19
  6. Madden NFL 19**
  7. Grand Theft Auto V
  8. Call of Duty: WWII**
  9. Dragon Ball: FighterZ
  10. Mario Kart 8*

* No digital sales included
** No PC digital sales included

[source venturebeat.com]