It looks like Microsoft’s efforts to attract a larger audience to the Xbox One are finally paying off. GamesBeat reports that in a recent note to investors, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter estimated that the Microsoft moved 325,000 Xbox One units in the U.S. last month while Sony ended the month with 250,000 PlayStation 4 sales.
“We expect Xbox One sales to exceed those of the PS4 for only the second month since launch,” Pachter said.
This would be especially surprising in September considering how heavily Sony and Activision marketed Destiny as a PlayStation 4 title even though it launched on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One simultaneously. The sales figures for Destiny could be just as telling as the actual console sales themselves when the NPD Group releases its data for September later this week.
We won’t know how the consoles fared until Thursday, but if the Xbox One did indeed outsell the PlayStation 4, one week in particular might have made all the difference:
“From Sept. 7 through [Sept.] 13, Microsoft offered a free game with the purchase of a new Xbox One at participating retailers,” said Pachter.
Not only did Destiny launch two days after the offer became available, but Microsoft also released a Madden 15 Xbox One bundle for $400 two weeks earlier, which meant savvy consumers could get two games for the price of none when purchasing a new Xbox One. Microsoft might not be thrilled with the performance of the Xbox One for its first 10 months on the market, but taking the lead right as the holiday season begins could cause an enormous shift in momentum.
