I’m sure this is a surprise to no one, but people really love the Dark Souls franchise. And according to The NPD Group (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz), Dark Souls III was the best-selling retail game in April 2016.
The finale to From Software’s brutally difficult trilogy beat out some stiff competition in April including the Ratchet & Clank reboot (#2), Quantum Break (#7), and Star Fox Zero (#10). MLB The Show 16 also got a boost from the opening of this year’s baseball season (#3), but it wasn’t enough to unseat the Babe Ruth of gothic action RPGs.
But even with a handful of big new releases, the retail sector as a whole suffered a huge decline from the year before, when Mortal Kombat X obliterated all expectations. “In April 2016, overall trends (hardware, new physical software, and accessories) were down 15% (or $88.5 million) compared to April 2015 due to a $41.6 million decline in hardware and a $52.8 million decline in software, with the $5.9 million growth in accessories unable to offset these losses,” said The NPD Group’s Liam Callahan.
However, Callahan added, “Despite these declines, keep in mind that Xbox One and PS4 are trending over 40% higher in cumulative sales after 30 months in the market compared to their predecessors.”
A complete look at last month’s best-selling retail games can be found after the break.
Best-Selling Retail Games in April 2016
1. Dark Souls III (PS4, Xbox One)
2. Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
3. MLB The Show 16 (PS4, PS3)
4. Tom Clancy’s The Division (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
5. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
6. Minecraft (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3)
7. Quantum Break (Xbox One)
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
9. NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3)
10. Star Fox Zero (Wii U)
