Call of Duty was the top game title for February, but it will face some stiff competition in March from the just released Titanfall to retain its position.
Sony and Microsoft each held the title as top console game platform in February, depending upon which yardstick was used to measure their success, and Call of Duty was the best selling game, according to the latest report from NPD.
According to The NPD Group's latest report Sony PlayStation 4 held the top spot by shipping more units during the month than Microsoft. However, because the Xbox costs $100 more than a PS4 the Microsoft product was in first place in overall revenue.
"PS4 led hardware sales in February 2014, but by a narrow margin with Xbox One selling over 90% of what the PS4 sold in terms of unit sales. However, with Xbox One's higher price point it led hardware sales on a dollar basis.The majority of hardware platforms experienced double-to-triple digit increases compared to January 2014," said Liam Callahan, NPD Group analyst.
Overall the gaming market performed quite well last month. Gamers spent a total of $887 million, up 9 percent from February of 2013. Hardware sales accounted for $347 million, up 42 percent, while software sales dipped 9 percent to $318 million. This tail off can be attributed to consumers shelling out big bucks for the new Microsoft and Sony consoles. Video game accessories accounted for another $221 million.
The top selling games in February will likely get a huge shake up in March when Titanfall's figures will be included. Call of Duty has been perched atop NPD's list for several months, but Titanfall's release on March 11 is only available for the Xbox One and PCs, but it had racked up about 200,000 pre-orders by late February.
Neither Microsoft nor Electronic Arts has released any sell-through numbers as of March 14.
The top titles for the month from NPD were:
1. Call of Duty: Ghosts (Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Wii U, PC)
2. The Lego Movie Videogame (Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, Nintendo Wii U, Xbox One, PS4, Vita)
3. NBA 2K14 (Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, PC)
4. Thief (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
5. Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360, PS3)
6. Battlefield 4 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
7. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii U, PC)
8. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360)
9. Minecraft (Xbox 360)
10. Bravely Default (Nintendo 3DS)
"PS4 and Xbox One software sales are off to a great start through February 2014. When compared to the combined first four month sales for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, software sales for the Xbox One and PS4 thorough month 4 are up 80 percent," Callahan said.
He added that February 2014 saw positive software sales for Nintendo's 3DS and the Wii U, lifted by new software launches of Bravely Default and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
