NPD: BioShock Infinite March US sales hit 878,000

BioShock Infinite--the top-selling title of March in the United States--sold 878,000 units during the month, according to NPD data from Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz.

In a note to investors, the industry watcher said this figure is "a few hundred thousand" units above what the company had expected it to sell.

Creutz said BioShock Infinite has continued to sell at a healthy clip in April--thanks to strong reviews--and is likely to sell 4.5 million units (including retail and PC copies) in its first year.

The analyst also noted that Activision's The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct saw "surprisingly strong" sales in March, where it was the ninth best-selling title overall. Specific sales figures were divulged.

Total software sales in the US for March were up 2 percent, representing the first month of positive growth since November 2011. Creutz noted that Gears of War: Judgment and God of War: Ascension sold a few hundred thousand more units than modeled (though they both still underperformed compared to previous franchise installments), but that non-AAA titles helped boost overall software sales in the month.

Creutz said fourteen March new releases sold over 100,000 units during the month, a feat that had not been equaled since November 2011 or beat since October 2009.