It’s a common cynical stance: The demise of video game consoles.
But given the recent sales numbers produced by Sony and Microsoft for their respective next-generation systems, we have ample evidence to the contrary.
Microsoft announced that over 3 million Xbox Ones had been sold in 2013 and a day later, Sony reveals that a whopping 4.2 million PS4 units had been sold as of December 28, 2013. This has caused Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon to take to Twitter:
3 Million Xbox Ones + 4.2 Million PS4s = 7.2 Million next-gen consoles = Reports of consoles death have been greatly exaggerated! 🙂
— Ed Boon (@noobde) January 7, 2014
It’s true that the video game industry suffered through a bad year in 2013. Before the new consoles arrived, every month experienced a double-digit decline in year-over-year sales (as shown in the NPD results). This led to plenty of theories that dedicated game consoles were “dead,” and that digital/streaming was the wave of the future. Of course, these machines can do much more than just play games; this ain’t the 16-bit era anymore, after all.
Will the industry enjoy a healthy 2014?
The PS4 and Xbox One are off to good starts but, as always, we need the software to go along with them. 2014 should see the release of top-tier AAA titles, which should indeed prove beneficial. After an abysmal 2013, gaming really needs an explosive year, one that indicates financial stability, and that future growth is inevitable.
