Master Chief delivered.
Microsoft hasn’t had many wins this year when going head-to-head with Sony, but its biggest franchise still has the power to help it finish the fight. Xbox One outsold the PlayStation 4 in October according to NPD data that Microsoft shared with GamesBeat.
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“The strength of the greatest games lineup in Xbox history drove record Xbox Live usage for October and made Xbox One the best-selling console in the U.S. with 81 percent growth compared to October 2014. We saw amazing fan excitement, commercial success and critical acclaim in October for ‘Halo 5: Guardians,’ which was the best-selling game in the U.S., and other Xbox One titles launching earlier this fall, including ‘Forza Motorsport 6,’ ‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition,’ Harmonix’s ‘Rock Band 4’ and Ubisoft’s ‘Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.’ We also saw incredible reception for the new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller in October, which is now sold out at most retailers and we are working quickly to replenish stock. And October was just the start. Earlier this week ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ and ‘Fallout 4’ launched, today the New Xbox One Experience including backward compatibility launched and many are looking forward to ‘Star Wars Battlefront’ on November 17 – available today exclusively on Xbox One to EA Access members. It’s going to be an amazing holiday for Xbox fans!”
Halo 5: Guardians was the top-selling game of October in the United States. That’s not surprising, but the game obviously also sold Xbox One hardware. And considering the NPD software sales chart where this data comes from doesn’t include bundled games, that means people who owned Xbox One previously stepped up to pick up the game as well.
This means that Xbox One has now outsold PlayStation 4 in the U.S. for two out of the 10 months on record so far this year. The company previously won the month of April.
Looking forward, Microsoft is hoping to keep its momentum going. In 2014, Xbox One outsold PlayStation 4 in November and December, but both Sony and Microsoft are fighting for every console sale they can get. That means both are offering huge deals to prove that their hardware is the best value.
That competition is creating an environment where gamers are getting more for their dollar than possibly ever before, which is going to make for an excellent holiday.