July was a rather stagnant month in the gaming industry in terms of new releases. Due to this general lack of competition, many assumed the top selling game of June, Batman: Arkham Knight, would once again take the top spot in July.
However, according to the latest results from the NPD, Batman: Arkham Knight was merely the second best selling game of July, beaten out by LEGO Jurassic World. That said, the NPD did share that if console bundles counted, then Batman would've retained its spot, thanks to the awesome Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 bundle.
In the meantime, check out the rest of the top selling games of July 2015:
1. LEGO Jurassic World (3DS, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
2. Batman: Arkham Knight (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
3. Minecraft (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
4. Grand Theft Auto 5 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
5. Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (PS4, Xbox One)
6. The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
7. Destiny (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
8. Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
9. FIFA 15 (3DS, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
10. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, according to the NPD results, is actually enjoying a better debut than the last EA golf game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14. In fact, the game is selling 70% more units than Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 when comparing their first months on sale. This is somewhat surprising considering the game's lukewarm critical reception.
On the hardware front, the PlayStation 4 continues its sales dominance, perhaps in no small part due to the aforementioned Batman PS4 bundles. That being said, the Xbox One is also performing well, outpacing the Xbox 360 during the same time in its lifespan, even though it has yet to reach the same heights as its competition.
That being said, it's very possible that the Xbox One could outsell the PS4 during the coming holiday months. Even though the last time the Xbox One outsold the PS4 was in April, it has major exclusives releasing over the next few months, in the form of games like Halo 5: Guardians and Rise of the Tomb Raider, whereas the PS4 is severely lacking on that front.
It will be interesting to see what August's sales results show, especially considering Microsoft has two major console exclusives out this month with Rare Replay and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Granted, PS4 has the interesting new horror game Until Dawn that's releasing at the end of the month, but the pure nostalgia powering Rare Replay and Gears of War may just propel Xbox to the top of the list in August.
Did you expect Batman: Arkham Knight to snag the top spot for a second month in a row? Are you surprised that we're still seeing games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Minecraft top the charts month after month?