February 2023 Circana: PS5 Towers Over Rivals, Drives US Industry to Positive Gains | Push Square

pushsquare.com:

Just a bit of housekeeping to get out of the way before we move forward with the latest US sales charts: NPD is now named Circana, but it’s compiling the same data you’ll already be familiar with, so nothing’s changed there. And unsurprisingly this was an absolutely enormous month for PS5, as it towered over its rivals in terms of both units and dollar sales. No one tell those lobbying congress members from Microsoft’s home state!

Growth in PS5 hardware spending actually reversed the trends of the US industry overall, driving it to a 29 per cent increase in hardware spending year-over-year. Perhaps unsurprisingly, The Last of Us continued to climb on the back of HBO’s critically acclaimed television show, with PS5 remake Part I finishing up in sixth position and PS4’s Part II rising 23 places to 18th place. Sony will surely be thrilled with those results.

It was a really good month for new software releases, too, particularly nicher Japanese franchises. Wild Hearts debuted in eighth position, for example, just in front of Like a Dragon: Ishin and Octopath Traveler 2. While it’s difficult to draw too many conclusions about just how many copies these titles sold, it’s good to see them in the top half of the charts. Unsurprisingly, Hogwarts Legacy topped the list, and is now the best-selling game in 2023 so far.

One other thing to note is that PSVR2’s launch helped offset a decline in controller spending, pushing sales in the sector up 12 per cent year-over-year. All in all, this was a pretty good month for the industry, with overall spend totalling $4.6 billion, up six per cent compared to February 2022.

* Digital sales not included

A true PlayStation veteran, Sammy's covered the world of PS gaming for years, with an