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Madden NFL 19 beat out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to become the best-selling game of August 2018
As new entries in the series always do, EA Sports’s Madden NFL 19 broke away from the pack and sprinted for the end zone as the best-selling game of August 2018. But it’s one of the games it beat out that might be the most interesting story from The NPD Group’s latest report.
According to the market research company (via GamesIndustry.biz), the #8 spot in last month’s list of best-selling games was occupied by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a title that was originally launched in 2009. So why the sudden sales surge? The most likely explanation is because Microsoft recently added the Xbox 360 edition of the game to the Xbox One’s Backwards Compatibility Library.
Adding new sales to perennially best-selling games was absolutely a trend in August, as 2015’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (#3), 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V (#4), and 2014’s Mario Kart 8 (#5) all cracked the top five. But if you’re looking for newer titles, Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World continued its improbable run at the top of the charts by landing at the #2 spot thanks to the PC edition’s August launch.
Overall, the game industry grew 26% year-over-year with total sales of $796 million, including $214 million in hardware (a 28% increase), $330 million for software (a 16% increase), and $251 million for accessories (a whopping 39% increase).
A list of last month’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, God of War 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Madden NFL 19, Mario Kart 8, Monster Hunter: World, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, NPD, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler was the best-selling game in July 2018
It would have been amusing if Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler took the #8 spot in The NPD Group’s monthly report of best-selling games (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz). But instead, the retro-styled RPG smashed expectations and landed in the top spot for the preceding four-week period. That means the publisher is likely less amused and more amazed.
Nintendo Switch exclusives dominated the list of best-selling games last month, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#3), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), Super Mario Odyssey (#7), and Mario Tennis Aces (#10) all cracking the top ten. The recent Switch launch of Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy (#9) also likely accounted for its rise in the rankings (the game is also available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One).
The Switch was also the best-selling console in July, the first time that’s happened since December 2017.
You can find out how the rest of the top ten shook out, with a quick rundown of the remainder of July 2018’s best-selling games, after the break. (more…)
Nintendo scored both the best-selling game (Mario Tennis Aces) and console (NES Classic) of June 2018
Nintendo can lay claim to the top-selling console in June 2018… but it wasn’t the Nintendo Switch. Instead, it looks like the relaunched NES Classic was the month’s best-selling console.
However, that’s not to say that the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch (as well as the Super NES Classic and 3DS) were slouching. According to the NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz), the three major consoles, both of Nintendo’s retro microconsoles, and the 3DS created a 52% increase in overall hardware sales versus June 2017.
All told, the game industry tallied $1.1 billion in sales in June, which was good for a 25% year-over-year increase.
June is typically a slow month for new releases, and that was reflected in the NPD’s companion report on best-selling games. Mario Tennis Aces was the top-selling game during the month, with The Crew 2 (#4), and Lego The Incredibles (#7) also breaking into the top ten. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy‘s debut on the PC, Switch, and Xbox One also helped it re-enter the list at #9.
A quick rundown of the remainder of June 2018’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Retro, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Crash Bandicoot, Detroit: Become Human, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, Grand Theft Auto V, Lego The Incredibles, Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis Aces, NPD, The Crew 2
Blizzard will team up with Titan Comics to release Diablo comic miniseries later this year
We missed this one during Comic-Con last week, but it looks like Blizzard and Titan Comics will team up to produce a brand new miniseries based on the Diablo franchise. Set to launch this Fall, the four-part comic saga will be written by Marv Wolfman (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and illustrated by Piotr Kowalski (Wolfenstein):
The [Diablo] comics will follow a group of zealous scholars and crusaders as they discover the true origins of humanity. Will their faith survive these shocking revelations?
For those keeping score at home, Titan’s untitled Diablo series will actually be the third comic adaptation of Blizzard’s battle between the angelic Nephalem and the hordes of Hell. The developer worked with Dark Horse to publish Diablo: Tales of Sanctuary in 2001, and partnered with DC Comics ten years later to produce Diablo: Sword of Justice in 2011.
More information about the Diablo miniseries (and presumably, a collected edition) will be announced soon. But for now, you can take a gander at a pair of teaser images from Kowalski after the break. (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Comic-Con 2018, Diablo III
State of Decay 2 rises as the best-selling game of May 2018
I think we can all agree that the Xbox’s two biggest franchises are Halo and Gears of War. But it looks like Microsoft can add the State of Decay series to the list, as The NPD Group (via Game Informer) has confirmed that State of Decay 2 was the best-selling game of May 2018.
The zombie survival sim beat out other several other May releases including Detroit: Become Human (#3), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (#5), Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (#7), and Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection (#17).
While it might have seemed like a slow month for new releases, The NPD Group confirmed that increased hardware sales gave the game industry a 13% bump over May 2017’s retail figures.
The complete Top 20 for May 2018 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed Origins, Call of Duty: WWII, Detroit: Become Human, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, God of War 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Hyrule Warriors, Mario Kart 8, MLB The Show 18, Monster Hunter: World, NBA 2K18, NPD, Overwatch, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, State of Decay 2, Street Fighter II, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
God of War slays all comers and emerges as the best-selling game of April 2018
You might say that Kratos returned with a vengeance last month, and that’s because Sony’s God of War reboot climbed to the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games for April 2018. According to the NPD (via GamesIndustry.biz), God of War was also the “best ever launch for a PlayStation exclusive.”
Sony and Kratos weren’t done setting records, and the former “Ghost of Sparta” helped sell a lot of PS4 consoles too. Thanks to a push from the newly-available PS4 Pro 1TB + God of War Limited Edition Bundle, Sony’s console was propelled to the top of the NPD’s Hardware Chart for both “units sold” and “dollar sales.” The PS4 also set a new record for console sales during the month of April, besting the previous mark set in April 2008 by Nintendo’s Wii.
While Nintendo lost out on one record, they almost stole Sony’s thunder by placing six games in the NPD’s Top 20 last month, including the Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit (#4), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (#5), Mario Kart 8 (#6), Super Mario Odyssey (#9), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#13), and Kirby Star Allies (#19).
You can find the full list of The NPD Group’s best-selling titles for April 2018 after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged A Way Out, Call of Duty: WWII, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, God of War 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8, MLB The Show 18, Monster Hunter: World, NBA 2K18, Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit, NPD, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Sea of Thieves, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Far Cry 5 and Sea of Thieves sail to the top of March 2018’s list of best-selling games
The number of high-profile new releases has slowed to a trickle in April, and that’s probably because game publishers threw open the tap in March. Not surprisingly, gamer scooped up these new titles by the armful, with Ubisoft’s Far Cry 5, Microsoft’s Sea of Thieves, Sony’s MLB The Show 18, and Nintendo’s Kirby Star Allies taking the top four spots in The NPD Group’s monthly tally of best-selling games.
The venerable Grand Theft Auto V remains in the top five, but other new releases, including Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (#8) and A Way Out (#15), managed to break into the NPD’s top twenty.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, overall sales for the industry were down by 11% in March, however, “first quarter 2018 spending across the four categories [software, hardware, game cards, and accessories] was up by 15% year-on-year to $3.4 billion with growth in all areas.”
You can find the full list of The NPD Group’s best-selling titles for March 2018 after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged A Way Out, Assassin's Creed Origins, Call of Duty: WWII, Dragon Ball FighterZ, EA Sports UFC 3, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, Grand Theft Auto V, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8, MLB The Show 18, Monster Hunter: World, NBA 2K18, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, NPD, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Sea of Thieves, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Lindsay Lohan loses appeal in her lawsuit against GTA5 and Rockstar Games
The beancounters at Rockstar Games can rest easy, the Court of Appeals in New York has firmly shot down Lindsay Lohan’s lawsuit against the publisher.
If you recall, the actress originally sued Rockstar in 2014 over her belief that a character from Grand Theft Auto V named Lacey Jonas was based on her “portrait and voice.” The character was regularly depicted in the game’s advertising as a blonde woman in a red bikini, and she also appeared in an optional in-game mission. After lengthy legal proceedings, Lohan’s lawsuit was dismissed in 2016, but she vowed to appeal.
Yesterday, that appeal came up short as New York’s Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling in the earlier case. Judge Fahey wrote that even if Lacey Jonas had been inspired by Lohan’s “portrait,” Rockstar cannot be held liable because she’s a fictional character that’s never identified as Lohan in the game:
We conclude that the amended complaint was properly dismissed because the artistic renderings are indistinct, satirical representations of the style, look, and persona of a modern, beach-going young woman that are not reasonably identifiable as plaintiff.
In addition to shooting down her lawsuit, the Court of Appeals also ordered Lohan to pay Rockstar’s court costs.