Here’s the Rundown of 2018’s First-Quarter Console Sales
New data reveals a year-on-year sales increase for the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. According to the numbers, both Microsoft and Nintendo’s consoles witnessed a 30% increase over this time last year. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 4 saw a year-on-year decrease of 2.6%.
The data comes directly from VGChartz, who presented the numbers from 2015 and every consecutive year to the present. Each round of sales, if I’m not mistaken, only takes into account the period from January to March. This time last year Sony shifted over 4 million consoles, but they fell just shy of that number in 2018 with 3,949,191 units sold. Microsoft, though they witnessed an improvement, only sold 1,514,262 million consoles. The Nintendo Switch doubled those numbers with 3,052,179 units sold, taking 2nd place.
There may be a simple and sound explanation for the performance of each individual console this quarter compared to last year. Unlike last year, Sony lacked a 2018-exclusive like Horizon: Zero Dawn or a console-exclusive title like NieR: Automata. Meanwhile, Microsoft provided an enticing offer with its Game Pass subscription update and the launch of their exclusive Sea of Thieves. As for why the Nintendo Switch shifted more units; quite simply, there were many more units available when compared to its debut.
The year has only just begun, and there is much more software on the way. If 2017 is any indication, the top platforms shall be those with a consistent release of platform-exclusive titles. We still have God of War, Detroit: Become Human, and Spider-Man on the way for PlayStation 4. At the same time, we’re waiting for news of Crackdown 3 for the Xbox One and the new Pokemon RPG for Switch. Stay tuned for updates.
Happy gaming.