However, NPD analyst Mat Piscatella says that though the PS4 won out in terms of units, the Xbox generated the highest dollar sales. This is undoubtedly thanks to the higher priced Xbox One X, but the Xbox One also sold more units in the month than ever before. Regardless of who came out ahead, things are looking positive forth market as a whole. Total spend on hardware saw a 54% increase year-on-year, while software, hardware, and accessory sales grew by 30%. The sale of games themselves rose by a more modest 19%, though still more than Steam on the PC, which saw an increase of 13%.
Best-Selling Games
The NPD Group also measured the sales of specific games to determine which was the most popular of the month. Unsurprisingly, Call of Duty: WWII came out on top, becoming the best-selling video game of this year, as well as year-over-year. It seems the transition back to its roots was successful, WWII generating more launch month spending than any debut since Black Ops II in 2012. The same can be said for Ubisoft, who took time away from the Assassin’s Creed franchise to craft a more innovative title. “Assassin’s Creed Origins was the third best-selling game of November,” said Piscatella. “Over its first two months, Assassin’s Creed: Origins has generated the highest consumer spend for an Assassin’s Creed franchise release since 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.” However, perhaps more interesting is the genre skew for November. In comparison to a year ago, the sale of racing games tripled, thanks to Mario Kart 8 and Need for Speed: Payback. Shooting games, meanwhile, were up 30%, with the release of giants like Call of Duty, Wolfenstein II, and Destiny 2. Despite the controversy, Battlefront II came second in the rankings, with NBA and Madden NFL taking the fourth and fifth spots.
