March 2017 NPD Results Led By Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Surprising Performance From Nier: Automata

April 20, 2017

NPD Group has published its software results for March 2017.

Software was up 5% year-over-year led by notable established franchises from the industry's top publishers including Ubisoft, EA, and Take-Two. Only two of the 20 game represented were new IPs.

The top 20 is as follows:

1. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands (Ubisoft)

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

3. Mass Effect: Andromeda (Electronic Arts)

4. Horizon: Zero Dawn (Sony)

5. MLB 17: The Show (Sony)

6. Grand Theft Auto V (Take-Two)

7. For Honor (Ubisoft)

8. NBA 2K17 (Take-Two)

9. Nier: Automata (Square Enix)

10. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Activision Blizzard)

11. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 = 4.0 Remix (Square Enix)

12. Battlefield 1 (Electronic Arts)

13. 1-2 Switch (Nintendo) – 19% attach rate to the Switch.

14. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom)

15. Overwatch (Activision Blizzard)

16. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft)

17. Super Bomberman R (Konami)

18. FIFA 17 (Electronic Arts)

19. Lego Worlds (Warner Bros)

20. Madden NFL 17 (Electronic Arts)

Many have been surprised by Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands taking the top spot, which resulted in it becoming the second best-selling Tom Clancy title in history only behind Tom Clancy's The Division. A similar record was achieved by Mass Effect: Andromeda, putting its launch only behind Mass Effect 3.

NieR: Automata's performance is a highlight given its smaller development budget and low visibility.

Also Read: NPD Group: PS4 Outsells Xbox One During March 2017 While Switch Takes Top Spot

Although concrete figures weren't shared, Nintendo confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild totaled at 920,000 units between Switch and Wii U.

In terms of hardware, the Switch delivered massive growth in market sales year over year with its record-breaking numbers for Nintendo, leading to a 91% increase in revenue. PS4 contributed handsomely, with Xbox One falling in a distant third.

This industry growth follows a tumultuous year that featured several studio closures and sales decline.

Although Jonathan Leack began covering the gaming industry in 2009, his earliest roots date back to 2004 when he wrote his first of many reviews to come. Equipped with a B.S. in Computer Information Systems and several information technology certifications, he provides a unique perspective that is technological and business conscious. Having acquired the role of Executive Editor in 2016, his mission is to make GameRevolution a gaming site that thoughtfully considers the consumer perspective, and has a knowledgeable presence of PC gaming, console, hardware, and eSports coverage.