The release of “Titanfall” on the Xbox One was regarded by many as a big move for Microsoft; the launch of this title was going to either make or break the Xbox One, at least in the short term. Though it was debatable whether or not a bad showing for “Titanfall” would actually do that much damage to the system as a whole, the end result was quite clear: “Titanfall” did land-office business, and the Xbox One's March numbers will get a likewise boost to match.
The good news—and good it is indeed for Microsoft—is that so far, “Titanfall” is 2014's best selling game in the U.K., which is no small achievement, beating out the previous record-holder FIFA 14 by a factor of two to one. That's good news by any measure, but it gets better; the hardware got a boost as well. Hardware sales nearly doubled in the week to week comparisons—up 96 percent on the week—and thanks to the earlier-noted “Titanfall” bundle represented fully 70 percent of all Xbox One hardware sold for that week.
Interestingly, “Titanfall” represents the first time a non-FIFA game has held the top sales slot since March of 2013, at last report, when “Crysis 3” took the crown. That gives Microsoft and “Titanfall” maker EA plenty to be happy about. What's more, while the PS4 outsold the Xbox One in the United States, it was by a comparatively slim margin. Of course, for the most part, neither console could touch the sales numbers generated in November and December, but that could really only go so far. But with “Infamous: Second Son” set to hit this Friday for the PS4, it will be interesting to see how far the balance swings back toward Sony hardware.
The issue is likely much the same as it was back in January and beyond: one of games. There are likely some fairly substantial numbers of gamers out there holding out for further releases who will chime in on one side or the other once the numbers support such a plan. The less than vibrant economy may be having an impact as well, but games—or rather the lack of them so far—seem to be playing a key role here as well. While there were plenty of gamers eager to land the systems when they first arrived—not to mention those looking for a gift for said gamers—the low-hanging fruit, so to speak, is largely lost to both sides now, and games will prove just who's out to get what system, and what system will ultimately win out in the end.
The next few months will really tell who has the best chance to win this round of the console wars, and just who will have the edge going into the next generation. But in this case, it's likely that the games will ultimately win out, just as the Wii U showed so clearly.
