September 2016 NPD Report: PS4 Slim, New Sports Games

Even with the launch of the slimmer PlayStation 4 and the latest round of sports titles, September 2016 sales in the United States dropped 23% year-over-year to $838.2 million, the NPD reveals. By category, hardware was down 25% to $234.3 million, console software was down 22% to $453.4 million, PC software was down 3% to $19.8 million, and accessories were down 27% to $130.8 million.

NPD analyst Sam Naji says, “The release of the PS4 Slim and the second month of the Xbox One S was not enough to stimulate total hardware spending.” The Xbox One was the best-selling platform in September, accounting for 37% of all hardware units sold. The 500GB PS4 Slim, meanwhile, was the third best-selling hardware SKU for the month.

“Due to average retail price declines for consoles and a decrease in hardware units sold for the PS4 and the Wii U, total hardware dollar spending declined by 25 percent since September 2015,” Naji adds. The Nintendo 3DS saw an increase in sales year-over-year again though, which it’s done ever since Pokemon Go launched in July.

Looking at software, Naji notes that this year’s new releases weren’t enough to match last year’s offerings. “This month’s new software releases — NBA 2K17, FIFA 17, NHL 17, and Forza Horizon 3 — could not compete with last year’s stronger slate of new games,” he said. “September 2015 included NBA 2K16, FIFA 16, NHL 16, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Destiny: The Taken King, Mad Max, Disney Infinity 3.0, and Super Mario Maker for the Wii U.”

Here’s the top 10 best-selling games of September 2016 in the United States through physical and digital retailers, keeping in mind that PC Battle.net sales for Overwatch weren’t tracked, and neither were digital sales for Forza Horizon 3:

NBA 2K17

Madden NFL 17

FIFA 17

NHL 17

BioShock: The Collection

Destiny: The Collection

Grand Theft Auto V

Overwatch

Forza Horizon 3

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3