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PS4 Outsells Xbox One And Switch In US April Sales; Best-Selling Games Revealed

The full report for April 2018 has come in.

71 Comments

The PlayStation 4 was yet again the top-selling console in the United States during the month of April, the NPD Group announced today. The PS4 took the top spot in April and remains the best-selling system for the entire year so far.

The NPD Group added in its report that the PS4 in April 2018 had the highest April sales of any console since the Nintendo Wii in April 2009. The PS4 also drove the highest April dollar sales for a console since the Wii in April 2008.

In terms of dollar sales alone, the PS4 Pro 1 TB God of War limited edition model topped the charts in April in terms of hardware dollar sales. But in terms of units sold, the Nintendo Switch 32 GB neon red/blue Joy Con model did the best. The NPD Group did not provide any data about how the Xbox One platform performed in April 2018.

Overall, hardware spending in April 2018 in the US jumped by 15 percent to $225 million. On a year-to-date basis, hardware spending surged 14 percent to $1.2 billion. Drivers of growth included spending increases on Xbox One, PS4, and the SNES Classic.

As for software sales, dollar sales for PC, portable, and console games jumped 13 percent to $359 million. Year to date, spending rose 9 percent to $1.9 billion. As you would expect, God of War was April's best-selling game in the US, and NPD noted that the exclusive earned the "highest ever launch month dollar sales" for a PlayStation exclusive.

Additionally, PS4 game sales on a dollar basis in April 2018 set a new record for April for any platform since NPD started tracking data in 1995. Previously, the Xbox 360 held the record, which was achieved in April 2008.

Thanks to the success of God of War, Sony was April 2018's biggest publisher in terms of revenue, but Ubisoft remains the top publisher of 2018. Far Cry 5 was the No. 2 title of April in the US in terms of dollar sales, and it continues to be 2018's best-selling game overall. Another note about April 2018 game sales is that MLB The Show 18 placed No. 3 for revenue; it is now Sony's second biggest exclusive of 2018, only behind God of War.

Additionally, Nintendo Labo launched in April, with the Variety Kit entering the charts at No. 4 in terms of dollar sales. The Robot Kit landed in the No. 21 position.

Overall, video game spending in April 2018 in the US--across games, hardware, accessories, and game cards, jumped 18 percent to $823 million. On a year to date basis, spending rose 15 percent to $4.2 billion.

April 2018 Top 20 Best Selling Games:

*No digital sales

  1. God of War
  2. Far Cry 5
  3. MLB The Show 18
  4. Nintendo Labo Variety Kit
  5. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze*
  6. Mario Kart 8*
  7. Grand Theft Auto V
  8. Call of Duty: WWII
  9. Super Mario Odyssey*
  10. NBA 2K18
  11. PUBG*
  12. Ghost Recon: Wildlands
  13. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
  14. Monster Hunter World
  15. Rainbow Six Siege
  16. A Way Out*
  17. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life*
  18. Sea of Thieves
  19. Kirby Star Allies*
  20. FIFA 18*

April 2018 Top 10 Xbox One Games

  1. Far Cry 5
  2. PUBG
  3. Sea of Thieves
  4. Call of Duty: WWII
  5. Grand Theft Auto V
  6. Ghost Recon: Wildlands
  7. NBA 2K18
  8. A Way Out
  9. Monster Hunter: World
  10. Rainbow Six Siege

April 2018 Top 10 PS4 Games

  1. God of War
  2. Far Cry 5
  3. MLB The Show 18
  4. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life*
  5. Grand Theft Auto V
  6. Call of Duty: WWII
  7. Monster Hunter: World
  8. NBA 2K18
  9. A Way Out
  10. FIFA 18

April 2018 Top 10 Nintendo Switch

  1. Nintendo Labo Toy-Con Variety Kit*
  2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze*
  3. Mario Kart 8*
  4. Super Mario Odyssey*
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
  6. Kirby Star Allies*
  7. Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 02 Robot Kit*
  8. Splatoon 2*
  9. Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle*
  10. Pokken Tournament DX*

April 2018 Top 10 3DS Games

  1. Pokemon Ultra Sun
  2. Pokemon Ultra Moon
  3. Mario Kart 7
  4. Mario Party: The Top 100
  5. Minecraft
  6. Super Mario Maker
  7. Super Smash Bros.
  8. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
  9. New Super Mario Bros. 2
  10. Kirby: Battle Royale

Top 10 Best Selling Games For 2018 Year To Date

  1. Pokemon: Ultra Sun*
  2. Pokemon Ultra Moon*
  3. Detective Pikachu*
  4. Super Smash Bros.*
  5. Mario Kart 7*
  6. Super Mario 3D Land*
  7. Minecraft*
  8. Super Mario Maker*
  9. Mario Party: The Top 100*
  10. Kirby: Battle Royale*

Top 10 Best Selling Games For 12 Month Period Ended April 2018

  1. Call of Duty: WWII
  2. NBA 2K18
  3. Destiny 2*
  4. Madden NFL 18
  5. Super Mario Odyssey*
  6. Star Wars: Battlefront II*
  7. Grand Theft Auto V
  8. Far Cry 5
  9. Assassin's Creed: Origins
  10. Mario Kart 8*

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deactivated-5bfc8187829ef

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At least two sp games are on top Gow and fc5 and both are great games.

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Getshwifty94

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God of War might be the greatest 3rd person game I've ever played. Really glad WW2 made it on the list of top selling games in a 12 month period. The children hated it but real fans of the series liked it a lot

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Flyin3lvl

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@sweetponytears read this mr know it all

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dragonsama

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Not a lot of surprises here. Well Other than Labo but we'll see how long it lasts.

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asnakeneverdies

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@dragonsama: There's no superlative yet devised, within either the Romantic or Germanic tongues, fit to address Nintendo Labo appropriately. Your intent is dismissed.

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attirex

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Mine is better than yours.

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asnakeneverdies

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Edited By asnakeneverdies

@attirex: Prove it.

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attirex

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@asnakeneverdies:

....is to. Neener.

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asnakeneverdies

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@attirex: I messed up. ?

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chakan2

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Microsoft needs to get it together fast...I haven't touched my XBox in months while my PC and PS4 are getting heavy use. Does MS even have an exclusive on the radar that's not a remake right now?

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IAmMcGruber

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@chakan2: crackdown 3 and I'm sure the inevitable Forza. But 100% agree, they are doing awful right now in terms of delivering quality games. They are so out of sync with what gamers want it's hard to believe those execs are making 6 figure salaries to tank a brand (xbox)

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harlemsfinest27

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@iammcgruber: Forza?? Comeon, people are tired of that.

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IAmMcGruber

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@harlemsfinest27: I didn't say people weren't tired of it, just that those are likely the next xbox exclusives in the pipeline

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KhanWasHere

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Edited By KhanWasHere

Now that the X has been out for a while, I've spent way more time enjoying insanely good graphics on the X on all multiplatform games compared to the Pro. It's almost as if no one wants to support the Pro when those games typically look like ass now in comparison on a 4K TV. God of War however is remarkable in all aspects as is Horizon Zero Dawn and Detroit. That demo was shockingly good. It seems the Sony exclusives are able to tap into the Pro in ways multiplats can't and this is why true gamers with 4K TV's and nice gaming systems really need to have both. It's too bad braindead drones pick sides now that there are strong arguments for both of the latest console platforms. I haven't gamed on PC once since getting the X and have no desire to. That wasn't the case prior to it's release with a Pro sitting on my shelf waiting for it's exclsuives.

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Getshwifty94

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@khanwashere: the x is powerful no question but the ability to play old games and new games doesn't do much for me. I'd much rather have a real library of first party content. So far the only good exclusive is Gears of war 4, otherwise you have a shallow halo 5 that lasts about 4 hours, a couple forza games nobody cares about and a halo collection that was so much of an after thought that they didn't bother to fix any bugs until this year

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deactivated-5bfc8187829ef

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@khanwashere: differences between pro and one graphics are not earth shattering some tiny changes nothing ground breaking but pro exclusives ??that is another story. No game on xbox x can come near god of war on pro visually.

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harlemsfinest27

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@khanwashere: You can enjoy "insanely good graphics" for multiplats on PC!! There' absolutely NO REASON to spend $500 on an XBox X

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csward

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It's just gross that GTA 5 is still the #5 selling game in April. When will sales for this game die off?

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Flyin3lvl

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@csward: gta online im like level 383 .... iv seen players range from 20- 55 so yeah many new people coming in and rockstar must have seen the spike and acknowledge this as they been doing so many double money events this last month or so ......

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Bronson

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Edited By Bronson

So, hear me out people - I want to buy a PS4 and I am torn between the pro and the slim, since there's a big difference in price, is the PRO worth it if I don't have a 4k TV?

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deactivated-5bfc8187829ef

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@bronson: buy pro the defferenc in price is worth it .you will get a 4k eventually.god of war runs near 60fps on pro.

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Xristophoros

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@bronson: if you don't have a 4k tv, base ps4 is fine. the differences between base and pro on 1080p tv is minimal. ps5 is not too far off so save your bucks until then -- ps5 will also upscale your ps4 games, so buying a ps4 pro is redundant.

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deactivated-5bfc8187829ef

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@Xristophoros: first of all ps5 is not here. 3 years untill we see it. Second ps4 pro using supersampling at 1080p games like GOW and many others. God of war runs great close to 50 fps on performance mod and visually with supersamling or 4k is huge upgrade. So no it is not redundant . Games run much better on pro and look better dont give false info .

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Xristophoros

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Edited By Xristophoros

@rezagtx2017: the op does not have a 4k tv... that advantage is mute for him. also, it is redundant in the sense ps5 will be here pretty soon, so why buy a pro now if ps5 will do what a pro does and more?

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harlemsfinest27

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@bronson: If you don't already have a PS4, the Pro is absolutely the BEST one to get

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JoshRMeyer

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Edited By JoshRMeyer

@bronson: I think it is... I got mine on sale with a game for $349 last year. I put a 500gb SSD in it ($130) and have my 1TB HDD plugged into the USB port. I'm also playing on a 1080p tv and always use performance mode for games. I tried playing GoW at 30fps but it was too blurry when I moved around. Performance mode definitely helps in that game for sure.

Oh and to add: Compare the price of the 1TB slim model with the Pro, since you'll probably need that much space.

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deactivated-65d35eb4921a1

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@bronson: Yes, it is. I'm currently on a 1080p TV set. I've traded my original PS4 for the Pro and I haven't regretted. Some games will offer the option to run at higher frame rate at 1080p like God of War or Shadow of the Colossus. Other games will be more stable at 30 fps. Some may offer improved visuals via supersampling or by rendering extra graphical features. There's nothing to loose really, apart from the price gap of course.

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csward

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@bronson: Yes as the performance is better across the board. Also, if you install your own hybrid hard drive, it gets really good. Kinda depends how deep your pockets are though.

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DaVillain

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DaVillain  Moderator

I'm just happy for both PS4 & Switch sold well and this goes to show you exclusive games still matters in the end!

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Moonco

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Moonco  Moderator

Sony wins again! Welcome back NPD monthly sales articles

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lostn

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The Switch will be back to #1 for May. The new hack tears the Switch wide open for homebrew and eventually piracy. Everyone who doesn't own a Switch but intends to hack their Switch will need to buy one ASAP before Nintendo fixes it with a hardware revision. I expect all existing hackable switches to go up in value, as well as used Switches.

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csward

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@lostn: I disagree. The Switch has no major releases in May. Sony has Detroit: Become Human at least and Dark Holes Remastered.

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JimClirad

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HAHA! Nintendo fanboys won't admit it, but it's clear the Switch fad is OVER! The only thing that can even remotely gain it some traction now is to move Pokemon and other 3DS franchises over to the dropping Switch. Remember when they said that Switch would top PS4 for April? They were WRONG!! HORRIBLY WRONG!! HAHAHAHAAAA!!

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sakaiXx

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@jimclirad: nintendo sells on its 1st party games tho. Pokemon and smash will make for an interesting year but I doubt it can outsold ps4 yearly.

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Vodoo

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GoW players... I figured something out. Originally you couldn't upgrade your weapons to the final upgrade unless you beat the story. During all of the numerous updates, they changed that. Now you can upgrade your weapons to the final upgrade after you beat the Valkyrie in each of the 2 challenge realms. You beat the fire realm one and you can upgrade the one weapon. After you beat the mist one, you can upgrade that weapon now. So you can have fully upgraded weapons to beat the story with, even though the story is easier than those realms, lol.

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JoshRMeyer

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@Vodoo: Lol, yeah those realms are tough. Best gear are those mist gear... Takes a lot of grinding but worth it.

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Edited By Vodoo

I think we all saw that the PS4 would be the highest selling console with GoW coming out and the combo of Gamestop offering a high amount for a regular PS4 trade-in and the GoW Pro bundle coming with the game for free. I already own a PS4 and was going to upgrade to the Pro with this bundle, which a lot of people did. Definitely a good game though. I already beat it twice, platinum on first play and did 100% of everything on first play. Second play was more to experiment with things I didn't use before.

It also doesn't make sense for him to say that The Show is the 2nd highest 2018 exclusive for PS4. There are only 2 exclusives out for 2018 so far, so naturally The Show would be #2.

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Ice-Cube

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@Vodoo: That's basically what I did. Sold my PS4 for $300 on kijiji and got the PS4 Pro GOW Bundle for $500 (really only paid $200). Best time to upgrade honestly.

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blueoasis

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So, if I'm reading the article correctly, Nintendo has 9 out of 10 of the "Top 10 Best Selling Games For 2018 Year To Date" ? Is that correct or did they mean to label that as the top 10 Nintendo games for 2018? I mean, really?

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rtehrani

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@blueoasis: I noticed the exact same thing. But none of those games show up on the 12 month best selling list. Seems like a typo. Just seems odd...

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blueoasis

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@rtehrani: Thanks for confirming.

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lionheartssj1

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God of War almost got me to buy a PS4, but I've watched enough of it on streams now, the urge has abated.

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harlemsfinest27

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@lionheartssj1: You must be a real loser to just sit and stream watch an entire game instead of playing it yourself

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lionheartssj1

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@harlemsfinest27: Such a loser, you have no idea. I mostly watch in the background while I work though.

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silv3rst0rm

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@lionheartssj1: Sooner or later you should get one!

Don't fall for the hype of the "Fake" and underachieving 4k...

Just grab a bargain original PS4 on craigs list or whatever, we can get one for 100$ nowadays!
You sure won't regret it!

Great exclusives are cheap now!
Uncharted 4 can be grabbed for 10$.
Horizon Zero Dawn price dropped.
Infamous Second son is a old, cheap yet great exclusive too.
Killzone if you're into shooters.
Shadow of Colossus if you didn't play it on PS3.
Last guardian if you love the genre.
And of course, God of war but you could wait for it to have a couple of price drops and play the above games in the meantime.

There's more than enough reasons to get a PS4 by now!
Dive in! It's cheap and worth it!

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janejp

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Monster Hunter World , Shadow of the Colossus , Far Cry 5 and God of War make this year's first half Very Great for me.

Waiting Detroit this Friday.

Spider Man , Shadow of Tomb Raider and RDR2 will make year's letter half also very great.

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silv3rst0rm

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...One thing here caught my attention...

Most Nintendo games are doing well and that's NOT counting Digital Purchases. (That's what the * stands for)

Thing is, Switch is a handheld console so MOST poeple must be going digital, no?
I mean, I got a switch and URGED to have a 64Gb µSD card to go digital cause I didn't want to have to carry cartridges around...
I must not be the only one?

So if a big part of Nintendo Sales comes from digital it means if they cared to counted them, most top selling games would be Nintendo titles?

Hmmm...

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JimClirad

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@silv3rst0rm: Nintendo doesn't do as much digital sales as you think they do. Their own financial report last month said their digital sales were below expectations, and they're looking to grow them- why not have more than 32 GB on board storage you morons??

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Xristophoros

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Edited By Xristophoros

@silv3rst0rm: possibly. a smaller number of must-have titles on the switch equates to a concentration of sales between 2 or 3 titles (at present time). that is why mario kart will remain in the top 10 for a very long time. every new switch owner purchases it. simple as that.

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