The video game industry is currently performing very well, with the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One all booking strong sales for January 2018.
It remains to be seen if the consoles will be able to sustain their momentum heading into the middle parts of the year. However, the figures show that the dominance of the PlayStation 4 might be over.
Video Game Industry Starts 2018 Strong
The video game industry had a strong start to 2018, according to industry intelligence form The NPD Group.
According to the NPD report, the Nintendo Switch once again sold more units than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which has been a regular monthly achievement for the hybrid console since it was launched in March last year.
However, customers spent more on the PlayStation 4 compared to the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox One in January, likely driven by the emergence of the PlayStation VR system and the PlayStation 4 Pro.
Meanwhile, the Xbox One, often relegated to the third spot among consoles since the Nintendo Switch was released, had its best January ever. The Xbox One X surely played a role in the console's strong sales last month.
It should be noted, however, that the difference between the top-selling console and the third-place console in January in terms of revenues was just 3 percent. This means that the top is getting crowded, which is good news for gamers worldwide.
The parity between the three consoles shows that the dominance of the PlayStation 4 is no longer a given. The PlayStation 4 reigned supreme over the Xbox One in most months from 2013 to 2016, but things changed when the Nintendo Switch was released in March 2017. Since then, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have taken turns in claiming the lead for most number of units sold or most earned in terms of spending.
For example, in December 2017, the Nintendo Switch was back on top after losing the crown to the PlayStation 4 in November. In fact, the Xbox One even outsold the PlayStation 4 that month, pulling Sony's console to an unfamiliar third place.
Top Games Of January 2017
According to NPD, Call of Duty: WWII was the best-selling video game for consoles in 2017. For the first month of 2018, it was Monster Hunter: World that topped the charts, followed by Dragon Ball FighterZ and Call of Duty: WWII. The massively popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds was in fourth place, as NPD only counted the game's Xbox One sales.
This marks the second January in a row that a Capcom game was the best-selling title. Last year, it was Resident Evil 7, which brought the franchise back to its survival horror roots.
