January 2019 NPD PlayStation 4 PS4 1

The first NPD result of the year is in, and the industry slipped to a 19 per cent year-over-year decline in the United States – despite titles like Kingdom Hearts III and Resident Evil 2 putting in a decent performance. The drop can be directly attributed to slipping hardware and software sales, as neither of the aforementioned releases could keep pace with last year’s January juggernaut, Monster Hunter: World.

Of course it’s important to remember that, while the Nintendo Switch is still relatively fresh, both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are getting older now, and it’s natural to see both begin to tail off as we hurtle towards a new generation. As you’d expect, it was the House of Mario’s hardware that topped the console sales charts – a position it’s likely to retain all-year round if we’re all honest with ourselves.

Kingdom Hearts III headed up the software charts, generating more revenue than its direct PlayStation 2 predecessor by 2.5 times. Resident Evil 2, in second position, also enjoyed 2.8 times higher dollar sales than the launch month of its PSone counterpart from 1998. And Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, which placed in seventh position, enjoyed an 80 per cent increase compared to its forebear.

NPD Software Top 20: January 2019

  1. Kingdom Hearts III
  2. Resident Evil 2
  3. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
  4. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII**
  5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
  6. Red Dead Redemption II
  7. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
  8. NBA 2K19
  9. Mario Kart 8*
  10. Grand Theft Auto V
  11. Madden NFL 19**
  12. Tales Of Vesperia
  13. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
  14. Battlefield V
  15. Super Mario Party*
  16. Minecraft***
  17. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
  18. Marvel’s Spider-Man
  19. FIFA 19**
  20. Super Mario Odyssey*

NPD PS4 Software Top 10: January 2019

  1. Kingdom Hearts III
  2. Resident Evil 2
  3. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII**
  4. Red Dead Redemption II
  5. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
  6. NBA 2K19
  7. Marvel’s Spider-Man
  8. Grand Theft Auto V
  9. Madden NFL 19**
  10. Battlefield V

* Digital sales not included
** PC digital not included
*** Digital for Xbox and PlayStation included, but not PC or Nintendo eShop

[source venturebeat.com]