PS4 Edges Xbox One In June Sales, Thanks To 'Batman: Arkham Knight'

Batman: Arkham Knight pushed Sony's PlayStation 4 (PS4) on top of Microsoft's Xbox One again in terms of sales.

New data from market research firm NPD Group shows that the PS4 outsold the Xbox One in June in the U.S., and not only in terms of console sales. Sony also came out on top in terms of software sales, with Batman: Arkham Knight leading the charge.

According to the new data, total sales for new hardware and physical games at U.S. retailers increased 18 percent in June 2015 compared to the same month last year, Venture Beat reports.

In the five weeks from May 31 until July 4, a total of $869.4 million in spending resulted from hardware, software and accessories. Moreover, all three of these sectors saw growth, helping the already lucrative console gaming industry, which is valued at more than $35 billion.

This past month proved to be especially lucrative for software, which drove $345.5 million in revenues. This marks a 21 percent increase year-over-year and game sales seem to be increasingly gaining momentum.

"This is the fourth month of year-over-year increases so far in 2015 for software," explains Liam Callahan, an analyst for NPD, as cited by VB. "With a strong lineup of games for the remainder of the year, there is the potential for a positive growth in the second half of the year as well."

NPD also released a software sales chart, showing the most popular titles that contributed to this performance.

Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, Xbox One, PC) was on top, followed by The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (PS4, Xbox One, PC) on second place and Lego: Jurassic World (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PS Vita). Rounding up the top five are The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4, Xbox One, PC) and Splatoon (Wii U), which ranked #4 and #5, respectively. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC) ranked last in the top 10 software sales for June 2015.

It's also worth pointing out, however, that NPD's report doesn't include digital, foreign, or used game sales. Nevertheless, Batman: Arkham Knight proved an instant hit from the very beginning and it's already among the best-selling releases of 2015, trailing only Mortal Kombat X.

"Sales of Arkham Knight slightly exceeded October 2011 sales of Batman: Arkham City, which is remarkable considering the difference in hardware install bases," Callahan further notes.

Batman: Arkham Knight apparently sold better on the PS4 than the Xbox One, and it's not due to special offers from Sony. NPD doesn't include special bundles in this chart, which makes the result all the more impressive. The Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 bundles Sony offers are likely quite successful as well.

"If sales were included from hardware bundles, Arkham Knight is the best-selling game of 2015 so far," the analyst points out.

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg, meanwhile, highlights that NPD fails to mention a few Xbox One achievements in its report. Greenberg took to his personal Twitter account to add a couple of things: