Madden NFL 15 was August’s top-selling game; sells best on PS4

EA Sports Madden NFL 15 was the top-selling video game in the United States for the month of August 2014, according to NPD Group's latest report.

"Madden NFL 15 was the number one game this month with consumers adopting eighth generation software over seventh generation,  leading to growth over last August’s Madden NFL 25 –  a trend which will hopefully become widespread and lead to software growth as we move towards the holidays," said NPD Group's Liam Callahan.

As a game based on of America's most-beloved sports, it's not too surprising to see it atop the charts, but there was certainly some stiff competition with the release of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition on consoles and Metro: Redux.

What's perhaps more interesting is that the Madden NFL 15 sold best on PlayStation 4, followed by Xbox One, Xbox 360 and then PS3. I know the PS4 is trouncing Xbox One in sales, but it's been a long time since I've seen a PlayStation version of Madden sell the best.

Similarly, Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition also had its strongest sales on PS4. Meanwhile, the top-selling first-party title for the PS4 in August was, of course, The Last of Us: Remastered.

Overall, though, new launches in August 2014 declined 41 percent compared to new launch performance in August 2013. NPD Group attributes this to "poor comparisons" as August 2013 saw the release of games like Saints Row 4, Disney Infinity, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. "Eight out of the top ten games in August were new launches compared to only three in August 2014.," Callahan pointed out.

"Deep declines in seventh generation software of 57 percent were not offset by growth in eighth generation software, leading to a net decrease of console software sales of $47 million," he added.

Video game software sales for August 2014 totaled $231.6 million, a 21 percent decrease year-over-year. Below are the top 10 game sales across all platforms.

1. Madden NFL 15 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
2. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)
3. Minecraft (360, PS3) The Last of Us (PS4, PS3)
4. Call Of Duty: Ghosts (360, XBO, PS4, PS3, PC, NWU)
5. Lego Marvel Super Heroes (360, PS3, NWU, PS4, 3DS, NDS, XBO, PSV, PC)
6. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare (360, PS3, PS4, XBO)
7. Watch Dogs (PS4, 360, PS3, XBO, PC)
8. Battlefield 4 (360, PS3, PS4, XBO, PC)
9. The LEGO Movie Videogame (360, 3DS, PS3, NWU, PS4, XBO, PSV)

Yesterday, EA Sports released the week two roster update for Madden NFL 15. While we're still awaiting the official list of changes, one thing we can confirm is the removal of disgraced Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice.