Tag: Usa
Record dating back to 2009 has been broken
Hogwarts Legacy has ended a 14-year streak that saw either a Call of Duty game or a title from Rockstar Games named the best-selling game of the year in the USA. The Harry Potter simulator has been named the best-selling game of 2023 in new data from Circana, beating Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It's not...
News PS Portal Was the USA's Fourth Best-Selling System in November
And it was a sell out
We reported previously how Sony had requested sales data group Circana to log PS Portal as its own platform, and now we have the results for its debut month. According to analyst Mat Piscatella, the Remote Play streaming unit was the fourth best-selling syste
News November 2023 Circana: PS5 Is Still in First, Call of Duty Sells Best
Just like clockwork
It should come as little surprise, but the disappointing launch state of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 didn't stop it from being the best-selling game of November in the USA. New data from Circana confirms the FPS topped the charts last month and instantly become the second best-selling title of 2023, just behind Hogwarts...
News We Predict a Riot! PS5 Down to $350 in Black Friday Doorbuster
Form an orderly queue
<products id="25654"> An original model, disc-based PS5 console will cost you just $349.99 from Target today – while stocks last, of course. Presumably in a last-ditch effort to clear out any remaining stock, the US-based retailer will flog Sony’s new-gen format at a dramatically decreased price this Black Friday –...
News PS Portal Will Be Tracked As a Console by USA Data Firm Circana
Not an accessory
According to a deleted tweet published by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, the PS Portal will be tracked as a console in the firm’s next video game sales report. This, allegedly, is due to a request by Sony. Many had expected the Remote Play handheld to be listed as an accessory like the DualSense – especially as it needs to be...
News PS5 Is Now Above PS4 in USA, While Its New-Gen Rival Flounders
Xbox Series X|S is struggling
After the severe disruption of the post-pandemic semi-conductor shortage, enormous credit must be levelled at Sony for rebounding in such an impressive way. According to lifetime Circana sales data shared by analyst Mat Piscatella, the PS5 is now nine per cent above the PS4 launch aligned, accurate as of 28th October,...
News October 2023 Circana: Spider-Man 2, PS5 Both Chart-Toppers as the Sony Streak Continues
Fourth best-selling game of 2023 already
Sony certainly won't mind, but its continued dominance over the USA's gaming sales data makes us sound like a broken record: the PS5 was the best-selling console in the country across both units purchased and dollar sales for yet another month. With the release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 boosting it, the system...
News PS5, PS4's Most Played Games Probably Won't Surprise You
Interesting, nonetheless
Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t have a most played PlayStation games list like Xbox and Steam, which means we’re often left in the dark over what people are actually playing on PS5 and PS4. Still, it doesn’t take a genius to guess the contents of the top ten, and this Circana chart at least gives us a glimpse into the most...
News September 2023 Circana: PS5 Still on Top Despite Chart-Topping Starfield
Spider-Man 2 PS5 controller the best-selling accessory
The PS5 console was the best-selling platform in terms of both units purchased and dollar sales in the USA last month despite the release of Starfield on rival hardware. The Sony system topped the hardware chart on both fronts, with the Xbox Series X|S taking second and then the hybrid Nintendo...
News US Retail Giant Best Buy Will Bin Physical Media, But Not Video Games
Update: Titan clarifies its stance
Update: Best Buy has confirmed it will stop selling Blu-rays and DVDs, but it’s not ditching physical media entirely: the gigantic US retailer will continue to flog boxed video games moving forwards, and has no intention to stop just yet. This news will no doubt be welcomed by those who continue to purchase PS5...
News PS5 Slim's Digital Edition Gets a Stealth Price Increase in USA
Play more, pay more
Sony is using the opportunity of the PS5’s smaller, slimmer relaunch to stealthily bump the price of the Digital Edition in the United States. While we already know you’ll need to pay extra for a standalone vertical stand, the organisation has also made the decision to hike the overall cost of the non-Blu-ray unit by $50...
News PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Spending Has Completely Plateaued in USA
Future imperfect
Discussion at the start of the generation was dominated by Sony’s reluctance to release its flagship first-party software into subscriptions like PS Plus, and how this decision was going to bring an end to its market leading position. That hasn’t panned out, however, and data from Circana (formerly NPD) shows that consumer...
News PS5 Is Now Trending Ahead of PS4 Life-to-Date Sales in US, Despite All the Stock Setbacks
And far, far ahead of PS3
When the PS5 first launched in 2020, it had a lot of obstacles to overcome. The covid-19 pandemic obviously had a massive effect on just about everything, and Sony's early generation plans were clearly scuppered amidst the chaos. Component shortages meant that the PS5 was initially stuck in production limbo, and the limited...
News July 2023 Circana: PS5 Continues to Crush It in US as June's Heavy Hitters Remain in Top 10
Diablo, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter still selling
The PS5 was once again the best-selling console of the month in the US, both in terms of units sold and dollar sales. As per the latest data from Circana (previously NPD), Sony's current-gen console carried its record-breaking momentum into July 2023, with June's trio of heavy hitters — Diablo 4,...
News After PlayStation's Biggest June in 15 Years, PS5's Price Drops in USA This Weekend
Target flyer reveals savings
As is the case across much of Europe right now, Sony is beginning to roll out PS5 price promotions in the United States as well. The ever on-the-ball Wario64 spotted a Target flyer, promoting a $449.99 price point for the new-gen system starting this Sunday. That’s a $50 saving on the console’s usual $499.99 MSRP...
News June 2023 Circana: PS5 Posts Best PlayStation Results in 15 Years
Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, and Street Fighter 6 rule supreme
Another month, another record broken for the PS5, which is really beginning to steamroll now. According to Circana (previously NPD) data, Sony’s new-gen system was the best-selling console in the United States across both units and dollar sales metrics in June 2023. In fact, consumer...
News The FTC Officially Files an Appeal Against Microsoft-Activision Court Victory
Not over 'til it's over
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) isn't giving up without a fight, it seems. After losing its courtroom battle for a preliminary injunction against Microsoft's intended purchase of Activision Blizzard, the government body has officially filed an appeal. The court's decision in favour of the Redmond corporation's acquisition...
News Microsoft Beats US Regulator FTC in Activision Blizzard Buyout Battle
Update: Xbox maker agrees to "stay of litigation" with UK regulator
Update: In a rapidly developing update in this snowballing story, Microsoft president Brad Smith has revealed that his company have agreed to a “stay of litigation” with UK regulator, the CMA. An appeal hearing with the CAT had been scheduled to get underway on 28th July, but it...
News April 2023 Circana: PS5 Locked in Fierce Battle with Nintendo Switch
Star Wars Jedi, Dead Island 2 rule supreme
The more expensive PS5 generated more dollar sales than the Nintendo Switch in the United States in April 2023, but the hybrid hardware – now into its seventh year on the market – sold more units. That’s likely due to anticipation for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, alongside continued...
News Consumer Spending Growth on Subscriptions Like PS Plus Is Slowing
Maybe not the future after all
A chunk of the discourse this generation has revolved around subscriptions, and Sony’s reluctance to offer its first-party releases day one with PS Plus. Many felt that the PS5 would begin to fall behind its rivals due to a perceived lack of value compared to competing services like Xbox Game Pass, but in reality the...
News March 2023 Circana: PS5 Now Trending Ahead of PS4, Best March Ever for a PlayStation
Super Saiyan
Update: Not only is the PS5 trending ahead of the PS4 in the USA, but it also set a new PlayStation units record for March – after achieving the same feat for February last month as well. Estimates peg the sales at over 620k for March 2023, which is what the PSP sold at launch back in 2005. Basically, the new-gen console is sellin
News American Senators Continue to Target Sony Over PS5, PS4 Timed Exclusives
PlayStation alleged of engaging in "anticompetitive conduct"
More and more American senators are calling out Sony over its timed exclusivity deals, as the fallout from Xbox’s unfathomable $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues to rumble. North Dakota’s Kevin Cramer is the latest to throw his hat into the ring, sending a letter...
News February 2023 Circana: PS5 Set New Unit Record for PlayStation, Towered Over Rivals
A huge month for new releases
Update: Circana’s Mat Piscatella has confirmed that the PS5 set a new February unit record for an individual PlayStation hardware platform in the United States last month. While that’s a lot of qualifiers, it effectively means the console sold a lot. Early estimates peg the platform’s results at over 500k units...
News Sony to Offer Free, Text-Based Mental Health Support for All US Players
Just text CIRCLE
PlayStation has announced it’s partnering with Crisis Text Line in the United States to “provide free, 24/7, high-quality text-based mental health support for our players, their friends, or anyone close to them”. According to a webpage setup by Sony, the service – available in English or Spanish language – aims to “help...
News January 2023 NPD: PS5 Dominates as HBO Powers The Last of Us Up the Charts
Many more endure and survive
Sony is likely to have a stranglehold on the games industry this year, although Nintendo looks set to remain a close competitor, of course. On the back of an enormous relaunching exercise, the PS5 topped the NPD sales charts in the United States for January 2023, beating out its closest competitor the Nintendo Switch in...
News PS5, PS4 Exclusives Feature in USA's Best-Selling Games of 2022
Ragnarok, Forbidden West included
NPD sales data has declared Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 the best-selling game of 2022 across the USA, with Elden Ring taking second place and Madden NFL 23 claiming third. PS5, PS4 exclusive God of War Ragnarok was the fourth best-selling title in the USA, and Horizon Forbidden West also made it into the to
News November 2022 NPD: Improved PS5 Stock Pushes Sony to Crucial Holiday Win
Top of the lot
PS5’s stock resurgence continues unabated, as Sony dominated the USA hardware sales charts for the fourth successive month – this time in the crucial November shopping period. PlayStation’s new-gen system outsold its competition in both units and dollars, making it a comfortable frontrunner overall. This success contributed to a...
News October 2022 NPD: PS5 Stock Improvements Take Sony to the Top
Stay winning
PS5 is really rolling now! Sony has topped the US hardware charts for a third successive month, outselling the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch in both dollars and units. The company has managed to massively improve PS5 stock of late, and while the system can still take a little effort to find, it’s clear that it’s much more...
News September 2022 NPD: Replenished PS5 Stock Sends Sony's System Soaring
The Last of Us' PS5 remake starts strong
PS5 stock is finally on the rise, and Sony is reaping the rewards big time. The new-gen system topped the US hardware charts for the second successive month in September 2022, dominating in both overall unit sales and revenue. In fact, the console enjoyed double-digit growth year-over-year, propelled by...
News August 2022 NPD: PS5 Finally Outsells Switch Following Stock Improvements
Madden, Saints Row, Spider-Man top the charts
If it wasn't for the well-documented PS5 stock situation, it's fair to assume that Sony's current-gen console would be absolutely flying right now. But as it stands, the stock-strangled system is only just starting to dominate the gaming market, close to two years after its initial launch. Stock...
News July 2022 NPD: Free-to-Play MultiVersus Tops Charts, PS5 Out in Front
MLB The Show 22 still hitting dingers
This is an incredible result for free-to-play platform fighter MultiVersus: it topped the July 2022 NPD software charts for the United States, beating games like Elden Ring and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The release’s success was driven by Founder’s Packs, which included additional content and provided fans...
News June 2022 NPD: PS5 Sees Double Digit Growth, Biggest Dollar Sales of Year So Far
Back in business
Sony has once again proven that when it’s able to put PS5 stock on shelves, it’s able to generate dizzying sales statistics. For the month of June 2022, the new-gen system delivered double digit dollar sales growth year-over-year in the United States – and has driven the most revenue across all hardware platforms in the first...
News May 2022 NPD: PS5 Stock Issues Put Sony Back in Last
As industry takes a tumble
Sony managed to improve PS5 supply in the USA in April 2022, but stock issues pegged it right back in May 2022, unfortunately. The new-gen console was outsold by both the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X|S, although an overall 19 per cent dip in industry spend year-over-year suggests the hardware production problems are...
News Nintendo Switch Has Now Outsold PS4 in USA
Records exist to be broken
Whisper it, but when all’s said and done, we reckon there’s a distinct chance the Nintendo Switch will have outsold even the PS2 – it’s certainly on track to do so. For now, the hybrid hardware’s latest achievement is outselling the PS4 in the United States, as confirmed in the latest NPD report, which is...
News April 2022 NPD: PS5 Back on Top After Supply Issues Thwart Sales
LEGO Star Wars the best-selling game
After just one month on the market, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is already among the six best-selling LEGO titles of all time in the US after selling more copies than any other game in the country for the month of April 2022. It also achieved the "highest launch month dollar sales for any LEGO title in...
News March 2022 NPD: PS5 Stock Problems Put Sony in Last Place
But software is connecting with consumers
PlayStation 5’s stock woes appear to be getting worse, not better, with Sony’s new-gen system landing dead last in the latest NPD report. While main competitor Microsoft was able to break a March record, and Nintendo Switch continued to perform as consistently as ever, the PS5 finds itself floundering in...
News February 2022 NPD: Elden Ring Is the Best-Selling Game of the Year So Far
Horizon Forbidden West also in the running
With the game dominating the conversation everywhere you look, it's not a huge surprise to learn that Elden Ring is now the best-selling game of 2022 so far in the USA. Apparently, it's second only to Call of Duty: Vanguard in terms of launch month sales for games released in the last 12 months. It's doing...
News January 2022 NPD: PS5 Comes Top in Hardware Charts Across the US
Call of Duty: Vanguard the second best selling game
The PlayStation 5 has topped NPD hardware charts in the US for the month of January 2022. While exact sales stats aren't shared, Sony's latest system was the best selling platform in both units sold and dollars earned. It beat out the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch simply based on the fact...
News December 2021 NPD: Call of Duty: Vanguard Was the Best-Selling PS5, PS4 Game of the Year
Revenue Sony could lose in the future
If you need any more evidence of how important today's news of Microsoft purchasing Activision Blizzard for $70 billion and what that means for Sony, here it is: Call of Duty: Vanguard was the best-selling game of the year on PlayStation 5, PS4 consoles across the US. Despite a
News November 2021 NPD: Minimal PS5 Stock Leads to Disappointing Hardware Sales
Not enough to go around
People want the PlayStation 5, but Sony can’t get enough stock onto store shelves. The platform holder had talked about transitioning players at record pace, but the pandemic has put a stop to all that, as the organisation struggles to manufacture enough inventory to meet demand. Ultimately, this is going to have a profound...
News October 2021 NPD: PS5 Is Still the Best-Selling US System of the Year
But in dollar sales, not units
The PlayStation 5 is still battling with the Nintendo Switch to be the best-selling US console of the year, but stock limitations mean it may eventually lose out over the all-important holiday period. Sony is outselling the Nintendo hybrid when it comes to dollar sales (or revenue), but the House of Mario’s machine...
News September 2021 NPD: PS5 Snaps Nintendo Switch's 33-Month Hardware Win Streak
Overtaken
PlayStation 5 was the United States’ best-selling hardware platform in both units and dollar sales in September 2021, ending a 33-month Nintendo Switch streak. While Sony’s next-gen console has outperformed the hybrid console in dollar sales at times over the past year, this is the first occasion where it’s outdone it in units as...
News August 2021 NPD: Ghost of Tsushima Up 108 Places Into Second Thanks to Director's Cut
Madden NFL 22 takes top spot
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut has caused sales of the open world title from Sucker Punch Productions to absolutely skyrocket, boosting the game from 110th place in July all the way up to second spot following the expanded release's launch on PlayStation 5 and PS4 last month. It was beaten only by new entry Madden NFL...
News July 2021 NPD: MLB The Show 21 Is the Second Best-Selling Game of 2021
Quiet month elsewhere, however
You can tell it's the quiet summer months of the year when trying to find something interesting to talk about in the latest NPD software results is like drawing blood from a stone. The chart has settled to a point where the usual Nintendo titles are on top alongside service games that always do well, meaning the games...
News June 2021 NPD: PS5 Exclusive Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Tops Software Charts
Highest US launch month dollar sales in series history
Wow! Insomniac Games is making bank for Sony this generation so far. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, despite releasing exclusively on the supply constrained PlayStation 5, topped the US software charts in June – rounding out a great month for PlayStation. MLB The Show 21 held strong in fourth...
Deal Returnal, Demon's Souls, Spider-Man in PS5 Weekend Sale
Something for the weekend
Sony’s dropped a surprise PS Store sale for some of the PlayStation 5’s biggest games, including Returnal, Demon’s Souls, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Scheduled to run until 28th June, the promotion sees Housemarque’s roguelite reduced to £52.49/$49.69, which represents a 25 per cent saving...
News May 2021 NPD: Resident Evil Village Is Second Best-Selling Game of 2021
Beaten only by Call of Duty
Resident Evil Village was the best-selling game for the month of May 2021, topping the charts for both the PlayStation and Xbox platforms. Those first month sales see it become the second best-selling title of the year so far, beaten only by Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The only other new release to crack the top 20...
News April 2021 NPD: MLB The Show 21, Returnal Lead Big Month for Sony
Returnal to sender
MLB The Show 21’s inclusion with Game Pass didn’t hinder full-price sales anywhere near as much as expected, as the game topped the April 2021 NPD best-sellers list, setting a new series record in the process. It’s worth noting that this was the first entry in the baseball simulation to also release on Xbox platforms,...
News March 2021 NPD: PS5 Is Still the Fastest-Selling Console in US History
In terms of both unit and dollar sales, during a pandemic
PlayStation 5 is the fastest-selling console in US history, after five months on the market. You may have read this headline before, but there’s an important distinction compared to February 2021’s NPD report: the next-gen format has achieved the feat in both dollar sales and unit sales,...
News Stock Constrained PS5 Unit Sales Lag Behind PS4 by Less Than 1 Per Cent in USA
During a pandemic, no less
How well is the PlayStation 5 selling? Absurdly well in the United States, according to NPD data. We already know that, across its first four months on the market, it’s the fastest selling system of all-time in dollar terms – but what of units? Well, according to analyst Mat Piscatella, it’s lagging behind the PS4...
