Whatever your opinion of Tom Brady and Deflategate (for the record, I agree with Tony Kornheiser, the suspension was “completely unjust”), it looks like nobody can take the air out of EA’s Madden NFL franchise. And don’t just take my word for it. The latest entry in the series, Madden NFL 16, topped the NPD Group’s newest monthly report and was declared the best-selling game of August 2015.
Madden NFL 16’s ascendance to the top of the list was a foregone conclusion, but August was an unusually quiet month for new releases. Just look at the three remakes/re-releases that broke into the top ten. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition chainsawed its way into the #3 spot, while the 30 games in the Rare Replay compilation collectively landed at #6. Finally, a Combo Pack containing Call of Duty: Black Ops + Call of Duty: Black Ops II claimed the #8 position (two spots ahead of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare at #10, I might add). The only other new release to crack the top ten was Sony’s Until Dawn at #7.
But the real story of the month might be that Minecraft continues to sell. Even though its been available on the PS4 and Xbox One since last year (and another year on the PS3 and Xbox 360), the game continues to sell month after month. Only Madden NFL 16 was able to outpace Mojang’s creation in August as Minecraft is sitting at #2 on the best-sellers list.
A complete look at August 2015’s top ten is available after the break.
Bestselling Games in August 2015
1. Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3)
2. Minecraft (Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
3. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One)
4. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
5. Lego Jurassic World (Xbox 360, 3DS, Wii U, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, Vita)
6. Rare Replay (Xbox One)
7. Until Dawn (PS4)
8. Combo Pack – Call of Duty: Black Ops + Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Xbox 360, PS3)
9. Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, Xbox One)
10. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
[Source: GamesIndustry.biz]
