The Master Chief’s sales performance was masterful last month as players flocked to stores to purchase Halo 5: Guardians, making it the best-selling game in October 2015.
The fifth entry in Microsoft’s long-running shooter series wasn’t the only new release to rule the charts last month. Players also pushed their gaming dollars towards the newly available Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (#3), WWE 2K16 (#5), Yoshi’s Woolly World (#8), and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (#9). And the battle of the (plastic instrument) bands ended with Harmonix’s Rock Band 4 taking the #10 spot and Guitar Hero Live failing to chart. This month is also notable for another no-show as Minecraft was knocked out of the top ten for the first time in a long time. But it’ll surely climb the ranks again as the holiday season approaches.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, The NPD Group’s Liam Callahan confirmed that the game industry saw a year-over-year sales increase thanks to Halo 5 and the debut of Microsoft’s Xbox One Elite Controller: “Overall sales across physical software, hardware, and accessories experienced a modest 2% growth in October 2015 compared to October 2014. This was driven entirely by accessory sales, which grew by 18%, or just under $30 million.”
Halo 5 also helped sales of Microsoft’s Xbox One triumph over Sony’s PS4 on the monthly sales charts for the first time all year. Even more impressive, this happened after Sony officially dropped the price on the PS4.
The NPD Group’s complete top ten for October 2015 can be found after the break.
Bestselling Games in October 2015
1. Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One)
2. NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3)
3. Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (PS4, Xbox One)
4. Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3)
5. WWE 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3)
6. FIFA 16 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3)
7. Destiny: The Taken King (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3)
8. Yoshi’s Woolly World (Wii U)
9. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4)
10. Rock Band 4 (Xbox One, PS4)
