NPD Group: PlayStation 5 Takes 1st In Fastest-Selling System In U.S. History For Dollar Sales
The PlayStation 5 despite limited quantities in the market currently is at an all-time high and looks to continue this momentum well into 2021. In that, the system is already flagged to have sold roughly 4.5 million units as of December. Sony in its earnings call back in January noted that sales in PlayStation 5 already broke the halfway mark of four million and indicated that Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales trails behind at 4.1 million sold. Prior to the corporate indication, NPD Group in a separate report disclosed that the PlayStation 5 faced the most successful launch in U.S. history. The release in November is said to even exceed that of the PlayStation 4 in dollar sales which took place back in 2013. Now, a similar tune is being played for the PlayStation 5 this past week. In a new report from NPD Group, video game industry analyst Mat Piscatella tells that the PlayStation 5 remains the fastest-selling in history. However, the system is ranks second to the Nintendo Switch which Piscatella nods to be finally overtake the Nintendo DS in dollar sales. “February 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content and accessories reached a February record $4.6B, 35 percent higher when compared to a year ago”, Piscatella writes in the report. “Year-to-date spending totaled $9.3B, 39 percent higher than the same period in 2020.” While the PlayStation 5 is ranked second for February 2021, video game hardware sales is said to bear over one hundred percent growth compared to 2020. “Monthly sales of video game hardware increased 121% when compared to February 2020, to $406M. This is the highest total for a February month since the $468M reached in February 2011. YTD HW spending totaled $725M, an increase of 130% compared to a year ago.” Upon reflecting to its predecessors, number of units sold for PlayStation 5 and even Xbox Series X|S is on par. While dollar sales are higher, the same amount of systems are said to be parallel to the previous PlayStation 4 & Xbox One, Ampere Analyst reports. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you one of the lucky PlayStation 5 owners?
Nintendo Switch Now Recorded 2nd Best Selling Hardware For The Company After Toppling Lifetime Sales For Nintendo DS
For the Nintendo Switch, the console proves to be a powerhouse seller in the market. Unlike its competitors, the handheld hybrid console proves that its less-reliant hardware still can push through with namely IPs and maintain its momentum years down the road. Already, the Nintendo Switch already exceeded sales that for Xbox One last December. And looking ahead, it is suspected that the system could overtake the PlayStation 4 before the end of its lifecycle. Even more, the latest numbers recorded for Nintendo Switch also proven to exceed those of one of its predecessors – the Nintendo 3DS. Currently, the Nintendo Switch sits on 79.87 million units purchased. While the previous handheld now remains at 75.94 million units. Looking ahead, there are still some other Nintendo hardware to overtake: Nintendo Wii, Gameboy, Gameboy Advanced, and Nintendo DS. As for lifetime sales, the Nintendo Switch is currently ranked second behind the Nintendo Wii at second place. While the Nintendo Switch this month breaks the record of increased selling compared to the Nintendo Wii in February 2009 to February 2021 for Nintendo Switch, it is now reported to outsell the Nintendo DS as per NPD Group. Noted, Nintendo Switch is said to be ranked seventh place in lifetime dollar sales in the United States. But, that is compared to the PlayStation 5; which as of this past December was recorded to being first in fastest-selling systems at launch. The report nods to also issue that the latest system also overtakes the record previously held by the PlayStation 4. Looking ahead at possible drivers to further increase dollar sales for the Nintendo Switch, reports suggest that a new model including an OLED screen is coming later in 2021. The report from Bloomberg tells the display will be 720p handheld, but docked at a targeted 4K resolution output. You can read the full report y heading here. How do you think the Nintendo Switch is performing so far?
Fall Guys Season 4 Announced, Arrives Next Week
While Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockdown broke the airwaves back in late summer 2020, the remains to keep its relevance through post-launch updates and other announcements. Most recently, developer Mediatonic announced to be officially welcoming Fall Guys to Xbox One and the newest Xbox Series X|S consoles later this summer. But for now, it is presumed the next influx of content for the game is scheduled to arrive fairly soon. It was just this past December that the developer welcomed ‘Winter Knockout’. So, it is easy to guess the next announcement is to arrive fairly soon. And as you might predict, the reveal finally took place this Monday with a flashy CGI trailer. You can watch the announcement cinematic trailer in the video below: “Astronauts, alien invaders and even mysterious Beans In Black will try to outrun their rivals in a maxed-out season that’s loaded with 7 radiant new Rounds, fluorescent fashion, emotes and loads more as they party like it’s 4041,” the synopsis reads from the announcement post. Mediatonic goes on to mention “Roll On”, “Skyline Stumble”, and “Big Shots” are to be featured in the newest season. Looking elsewhere for Mediatonic is the past month, publisher Epic Games announced to be acquiring the Fall Guys developer. While apparent the purchase is to also grab the aforementioned title, the Fortnite company as yet to disclose its plans once in full ownership of the brand. You can read the full report by heading here. What are you most excited for about Fall Guys Season 4? Season 4 arrives on March 22, 2021; Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockdown is available for PlayStation 4 and PC. Source: Mediatonic
id Software Reveals Tease For Doom Eternal’s The Ancient Gods, Part II DLC
To id Software’s latest release Doom Eternal, rip and tear does not end after the initial release. In that, the developer plans to issue a full-on story expansion for the rebooted sequel. Already, the development team administered the first of two add-ons for the 2020 release – The Ancient Gods, Part One. So presumably, a second part to that is suspected to make its way for the game. And as you might expect, id Software is planning to do so. Even more, the developer just this Monday unveiled a brief teaser for the approaching DLC for Doom Eternal. You can watch the brief footage in the video below: id Software does go on to mention in the video’s description, “the epic conclusion to the DOOM Slayer’s saga is coming soon.” So while fans are anticipating a new, third installment to take form for the Doom franchise that kicked off in 2016, the developer appears to be cutting it appropriately after the coming add-on. Noted, Doom 3 is considered a prequel to the main series despite the game’s titling. On the topic of Doom 3, id Software announced previously that the game is receiving a virtual reality port. But, the game is only arriving uniquely to PlayStation VR as of time of the reveal. While apparent of the developer’s included acquisition in the purchase for Zenimax Media by Microsoft, the game remains a PlayStation VR-only title for now. But more so on the topic regarding Doom Eternal once again, the title faces a permanent addition to Xbox Game Pass. Upon finalizing the deal with Microsoft, the aforementioned game alongside nearly two dozen other games are now available on the monthly service. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you excited to learn more about The Ancient Gods, Part Two? Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods, Part Two is to receive a full reveal on March 17; the full game is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Stadia, and Nintendo Switch. Also playable on Xbox Series X|S & PlayStation 5 via backwards compatibility.
Techland Clarifies Dying Light 2 Is Not In Development Hell, Rather Announced Well In Advance
For many zombie apocalypse video game fans, there is a pattern in which franchises never get an update on the wait for new entries. Looking at Dead Island 2, the developer for the sequel has swapped twice now and publisher Deep Silver continues to insist that the project is still well underway. But more than five years later, still no word on when that will arrive. Then for Left 4 Dead, it was more than a decade until developer Turtle Rock Studios pressed on a sequel. But without Valve at the helm, the game studio went on to work on a successor over at Warner Bros. Interactive. Dubbed “Back 4 Blood”, the new experience is officially arriving later in June as a cross-generation release. Lastly, Dying Light 2: the game since its announcement in mid 2019 has not yet pressed on when the game is officially arriving. Especially since the title was met with an indefinite delay, there is no telling when it will arrive. And while claims insert the project is in development hell, Techland claims it was announced well in advance. The response from the Polish game studio comes from one fan that insists that game is take too long to arrive. Understandably, a title taking this long would easily be tossed into the ‘development hell’ category. But, the team is urgent to denounce the status of the game and further disclose that development is progressing smoothly. As for how the topic spruced, Techland recently announced an update for Dying light 2 is underway later this week. However, one report around the same time notably references mismanagement within the team and claims familial interest within the company is the source for majority of the problems at Techland. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you relieved by Techland’s statement? Dying Light 2 is listed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
No, Sega Is Not Teasing 2021’s Sonic The Hedgehog In Recent String Of Tweets
As you might tell from avid Sonic the Hedgehog fans, a new game is scheduled to release later this year. Team Sonic lead Takashi Iizuka back at E3 2019 told Game Informer that the next major installment for Sega’s billboard franchise is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2021. However, the meat of details for the project has yet to be issued. More worrying, the developer has been very dormant on information since the cancelling of SXSW last year. So in the midst of patiently waiting for new information, reports surfaced elsewhere which suggests the plans Sega is pursuing for the next game. For one, the Japanese publisher previously remarked to its investors that plans for the series’ 30th anniversary will also be prioritized in 2021. That includes “new games, digital content, events,” etcetera the digital flyer tells. On ploy fans early on suspected to be part of that initiative is a care package that Sega Europe sent to its employees. A bundle from “Sega Skyways” was gathered from the community to be nodding towards an announcement for this Thursday: the departure date reading March 18. What implies details for Sonic the Hedgehog is the flight number, “SH2021” and passenger name “S H Hog”. However, Sega PR verifies the surprise to be for an employee party. “I feel the need to clarify that this is just a mini office party, nothing serious! The team is just amazing and they make things look THIS good even when it’s just for us,” the follow-up tweet reads after the images drew fan speculation. So for now, Sega has still yet spared any leads on its plans to feature the coming Sonic the Hedgehog game. As for what might be expected for the approaching entry, voice actor Roger Craig Smith has handed in the towel for the role after a decade. The announcement was made back in January and can be gathered that Smith likely left the role ahead voicing for the latest title planned for later this year. Take that as you will until Sega verifies the role for the blue blur in the coming release. To feed those looking for some possible answers to this year’s game, Dr. Robotnik voice actor Mike Pollock might have possibly referenced Sonic Adventure 3. In a response tweet, Pollock went on to post Schoolhouse Rock’s “3 is the Magic Number” which fans are agreeing to be a nod towards the long-awaited sequel. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you waiting to learn more about the next Sonic the Hedgehog game?
Microsoft Confirms Game Pass Additions Undertale & Outriders
To Xbox Game Pass already, Microsoft already issued the first issue of new additions to the monthly subscription program at the start of the month. Titles like Madden NFL 21 & NBA 2K21 headlines the offerings for March 2021 right off the bat. Even more, the service plans to welcome aboard NHL 21 to the program as well in April when it becomes available via EA Play. But just this past Friday, another large increment of titles were also welcomed to the roster. In that, Microsoft as part of solidifying its arrangement to acquire Bethesda parent company Zenimax Media, the Xbox firm introduced games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, Prey, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus to the library of games as well. Now this Monday, Microsoft went the extra mile to break news on another major addition(s). Previously, the Xbox Game Pass official Twitter poked at a new game being added very soon as users presumed that to be People Can Fly’s Outriders – and they happened to be correct. The title will be added to Xbox Game Pass for console and Android on launch day, April 1. “Xbox Game Pass for Console and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can jump into this true genre-hybrid from Square Enix, which combines brutal combat with deep RPG systems,” Megan Spurr, Xbox Game Pass Community Lead writes. “Outriders is set in the distant future where players attempt to colonize a planet that they believe to be a new home for humanity. Turns out, the planet doesn’t want them there. “A mysterious storm called the Anomaly burnt out all the tech that’s more advanced than a lightbulb, hyper-evolved the wildlife into ferocious monsters, and colonization efforts broke down into a bitter war of attrition for the last remaining resources available to humanity.” In addition to the AAA release arriving in less than a month, Microsoft also announces Undertale is due for launch starting tomorrow, March 16, for console. Furthermore, Xbox Game Pass owners can expect the game added to the library as well. Undertale Executive Producer John Ricciardi in the post writes, “we know it’s been a long time coming, but we’re extremely excited to finally be bringing Undertale to Xbox players the world over. “Whether it’s your first time exploring the underworld or your 50th, we hope the experience will be unforgettable!” Already, we witnessed Undertale make its way to Xbox Game Pass for PC over year back. You can read the initial report by heading here. What are you more excited coming to Xbox Game Pass? Source: Xbox Wire, (1)
