July 2014 NPD: The Last Of Us And PlayStation 4 Top The Charts

Another month, another victory for Sony, as the PlayStation 4 was once again the top selling console in the U.S. last month. The good news didn’t stop there, however, as The Last Of Us also returned to the top of the software sales chart, thanks to its recent re-release.

Much like the past few months, however, hardware sales have continued to rise, while software sales continue to decline. With strong sales for both the PS4 and Xbox One, as well as the Nintendo Wii U, it’s not hard to see why hardware sales continue to improve. Less explainable, however, is the plummeting software sales numbers. NPD Analyst Liam Callahan offered his thoughts on the numbers in the latest NPD report.

“Hardware sales doubled in July 2014 (vs. July 2013), stemming from growth in eighth generation console sales which offset declines in seventh generation console and portable hardware. July is typically a quiet month for software sales, representing about 5 percent of annual sales. Typically, NCAA Football launches in July and often ranks as the top game. As that title is no longer being produced, new launch sales declined steeply by close to 70 percent in July 2014.”

While I agree that the lack of a new NCAA Football title severely impacted this month’s sales charts, that still doesn’t explain why year-to-year numbers are down so much. The low sales numbers of July 2014 probably explain why The Last Of Us was the best selling title of the month, despite being a year old on the PS3 and only being available since July 29 on the PS4.

The full top 10 list can be seen below.

1. The Last Of Us (PS3, PS4)
2. Minecraft (Xbox 360, PS3)
3. FIFA 14 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PS Vita)
4. Watch Dogs (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
5. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
6. Call of Duty: Ghosts (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, Wii U, PC)
7. Grand Theft Auto 5 (Xbox 360, PS3)
8. Sniper Elite III (Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3)
9. NBA 2K14 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC)
10. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC, 3DS, PS Vita, DS, Wii U)

As you can see, the software sales chart is mostly made up with the hits of 2013, once again. There is some positive information to be had from last month’s numbers, though, as Mario Kart 8 has officially passed one million sales in the U.S. Nintendo’s popular racer is only the second Wii U title to move more than one million units, as New Super Mario Bros. Wii U accomplished the feat previously.

Next month promises to be a much bigger month in software sales, as heavy hitters such as Madden NFL 15 and Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition are poised to face off for the top spot on the charts. Smaller releases such as Metro Redux, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare for the PS4 and Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright could also potentially crack the top 10 as well.