Update: Microsoft has responded to the news with the following statement:
The release of January NPD Group data today provides a chance to reflect on the success of Xbox One. We are incredibly humbled and proud to see Xbox One continue to be the best launch of an Xbox in our history. Comparatively, Xbox One consoles have sold at a rate of 2.29 times faster than Xbox 360 in the U.S. in the same timeframe for the first three months on the market. From our blazing start out of the gate, we have continued to see Xbox One delight fans in 13 markets around the world, with many more markets to come this year.
More importantly, it is gratifying for our team to see Xbox continue to prove it’s the best place to play games. January NPD Group figures released today revealed Xbox* sold the most games across all console platforms in January with 2.27 million units sold, making up 47 percent of software market share. Fans continue to show their excitement for new generation Xbox One games, with U.S. consumers purchasing an average of 2.7 games per console since launch. This amazing success is due in large part to our unrivaled games lineup, first class Xbox Live multiplayer games service and a platform for game developers that offers unique capabilities such as Kinect and Xbox SmartGlass.
Original Story: January was a huge success story for the PS4 that may just set the tone for 2014.
According to Senior Vice President of PlayStation Brand Marketing Guy Longworth the PS4 outsold the Xbox One by nearly double during January. What’s more, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition sold twice as many copies on PS4 than Xbox One.
Longworth made the announcement to journalist Geoff Keighley who tweeted the news, as seen below:
per @LuckyLongworth: PS4 was #1 in sales for next gen consoles in January, nearly doubling the nearest next gen competitor.
Also, I’m told by Sony that @tombraider on PS4 outsold the Xbox One version 2:1
The next-gen battle is just getting started, but Sony is already off to a sizeable lead after a year of throwing all the right punches. Will Titanfall be able to slow down its momentum?
So far what’s for certain is that good PR and some well thought out hardware goes a long way in the console industry. It seems like Sony has had a much easier job selling the PS4 as a solution for gamers, while Microsoft has had to retort on a regular basis. Hideo Kojima’s PS4 endorsement is just one example of how careful investment is paying off in a big way early in the console’s lifecycle.
