NPD posted video games sales information for June yesterday and Sony took the sales crown with the PS4 Batman: Arkham Knight bundle. It was a stellar month for Playstation sales and the industry itself saw healthy growth as console sales increased 8% year-on-year. While the PS4 continues to enjoy a healthy worldwide sales lead this generation, a closer look at the data suggests that the Xbox One will see some respectable sales numbers as well.
When NPD makes their sales public every month, representatives from each of the three mainstream console makers issue a statement to the press and this month was no exception. According to Microsoft, Xbox One sales increased 51% year-on-year. However, all video game console sales in June 2015 only saw an 8% year-on-year increase. Whether the increase is from gamers who had not yet purchased an eighth generation console or those who had already purchased a PS4 or a Wii U and are merely adding an Xbox One is unclear but it is obvious that the Xbox One is gaining significant consumer interest.
It is safe to say that Microsoft’s showing at E3 this year is behind much of the increased interest. Microsoft’s senior marketing director Aaron Greenberg noted on Twitter that Xbox One sales increased 79% over the previous week during E3. It is debatable whether such a large increase was due to the games lineup or the announcement of backwards compatibility but in all likelihood it is a mixture of both.
In all fairness the dramatic rise in Xbox One sales also shows that the system’s sales were low in June of last year. Put simply, the Xbox One sales had more room for improvement. It is also true that one month of sales data in the US is not a snapshot of how well the system will sell over its lifetime. However, comparing lifetime sales of both the PS4 and Xbox One to their predecessors shows something interesting. NeoGAF user ZhugeEX plotted the US sales of these four systems on a graph to illustrate their sales potential.
As you can see, while the PS4 remains the dominant seller, the Xbox One is still outpacing sales of the Xbox 360 in the United States. Microsoft still faces challenges in other regions. Phil Spencer commented that the Xbox One has work to do in Europe and the system’s sales in Japan are woefully low. However, in the world’s largest video games market, the Xbox One remains very competitive and gamers will reap the benefits no matter which consoles they choose.
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