Payday 2 is the sequel to the digital only original for PC and PS3, which makes it somewhat surprising that the Xbox 360 version accounts for 70 per cent of all Payday 2 retail sales.
Black Ops 2 saw a 60 per cent rise in sales, which is enough to climb four places to No.3, followed by FIFA 13 at No.4 and Animal Crossing: New Leaf at No.5.
Last week's new entry, Namco Bandai's Tales of Xillia, shows just how front-loaded sales of niche titles can be, falling from No.4 all the way down to No.29.
UKIE Games Charts, compiled by GfK Chart-Track, (All Prices)...
Splinter Cell: Blacklist snuck into my mailbox today but the crew from Fourth Echelon will have to be patient as I continue carefully watering my Animal Crossing: New Leaf garden. I realize some folks like to deck out their house in everything amazing, or focus on building new public works projects for their citizens, but when it comes to my town, Clara, you better bring your allergy medication.
GIZORAMA - With the exceptionally over-hyped release of 2013's most lovable collection of fuzzy, furry, and (sometimes) flirty villagers, the world has embraced Animal Crossing: New Leaf with open arms. Our 3DS gameplay has shot up, players are continuing to plug in and play, and there seems to be no end to development in the game. Just look at the percentage of players who time travel (in an otherwise Sims-like progression in-game, which mirrors real time via the Time/Date stamp on your 3DS)-- when will we ever stop to take a breather?
Regardless, the appeal of the Animal Crossing series isn't new to planet Earth. 2004 was the year of Animal Crossing, with their first release on Nintendo GameCube. Players instantly became friends with their villagers in a town where they suddenly became mayor-- often, with no warning of the decision. As the story unfolds, rather your daily play consumes your time, villagers grow fond of their mayor. You are asked to do favors, bring items, devel...
EA Sports' college football game the month's best-seller in US, followed by Minecraft and The Last of Us; overall industry sales slide 19 percent to $443 million.
was July's top-selling title in the United States during a month that saw overall sales decline 19 percent, according to the NPD Group's report released today.
Rounding out the top five best-sellers for July were .
Total sales for the period fell 19 percent to $443 million, down from $549.1 million in July 2012. According to NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan, however, these sales only make up half of the true consumer spend for the period.
"When taking into account our preliminary estimate for other physical format sales in July such as used and rentals at $134 million, and our estimate for digital format sales including full game and add-on content downloads including micro-transactions, subscriptions, mobile apps and the consumer spend on social network games at $593 million, the total consumer spend in July is just under $1.2 billion," Callahan said in a statement.
Hardware suffered the worst in July, falling 34 percent to $99.4 million. The 3DS was the , beating out the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita for the third straight month. It was also the only hardware platform to show growth over July 2012.
The Xbox 360 sold 107,000 units in July, down from . Sony has not disclosed sales for the PS3 or PS Vita.
In terms of software, this category fell 20 percent to $222.3 million. While NCAA Football 14 was the top-selling game in the month, its sales were down "slightly" from last year's game, according to the NPD. It was also the only game released in July to make the chart.
Callahan also noted that if the top software list was ranked on a SKU basis, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition would have landed in the top ten. He explained that this result is "clearly" an indication that gamers who missed out on GTAIV are trying to catch up before the release of Grand Theft Auto V next month.
The accessories sector posted the least precipitous drop in July, falling just 3 percent to $133.4 million. According to the NPD, July 2013 represents the best July on record for point and subscription card sales.
"This is partly driven by fewer games at retail throughout 2013, with gamers seeking content digitally," he said. "This becomes especially true during the summer where launch slates are lighter.#148;
JULY US GAME SALES (July 7-August 3, 2013) OVERALL DOLLAR SALES
Total retail sales: $443 million (-19%)
Non-PC hardware: $99.4 million (-34%)
Non-PC software: $210.1 million (-19%)
Accessories: $133.4 million (-3%)
Total software: $222.3 million (-20%)
TOP 10 GAMES FOR JULY 2013 Title (Platforms) - Publisher
1. NCAA Football 2014 - (X360, PS3), Electronic Arts
2. Minecraft (X360) - Microsoft
3. The Last of Us (PS3) - Sony
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (X360, PS3, Wii U, PC) - Activision Blizzard
5. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS) - Nintendo
6. Far Cry 3 (X360, PS3, PC) - Ubisoft
7. Battlefield 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - Electronic Arts
8. Injustice: Gods Among Us (X360, PS3, Wii U) - Warner Bros. Interactive
9. NBA 2K13 (X360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC) - Take-Two Interactive
10. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (X360, Wii, DS, PS3, 3DS, Wii U, PS Vita, PC) - Warner Bros. Interactive
For third straight month, Nintendo's portable outperforms Xbox 360 and PS3 in the US; Animal Crossing: New Leaf sales hit 660,000, while Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon rises to 820,000.
Citing NPD data, Nintendo announced today that the 3DS was July's best-selling game system in the United States, outperforming consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The 3DS has now been the top-seller for three straight months in the United States.
Nintendo did not provide specific sales data, but said 3DS hardware sales rose 14 percent year-over-year, while software sales jumped 45 percent compared to July 2012.
, rose to 820,000 units during July, Nintendo said.
Wii U title has now sold over 830,000 copies across physical and digital versions, Nintendo said.
Lastly, Nintendo touted the July 18 Virtual Console release of as a strong point for the month. The company did not provide sales data for the game, but said only two eShop titles--New Super Luigi U and Pikmin 3--generated more consumer spend in the same time period since launch.
The NPD Group will release its full report for July in the next hour. Check back later for more.
