Diablo 3 tops US sales chart in May, whilst Xbox continues to dominate

Blizzard’s Diablo III was the best-selling video game in the US for the month of May, according to the NPD Group.

Whilst no sales figures are given, a Tweet from Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter has given some indication of the sales for No.2 game, Max Payne 3.

“Without divulging too much NPD goodness, I can tell you that Max Payne 3 sales were less than 50% of L.A. Noire’s,” read his Tweet.

LA Noire was reported to have shifted 900,000 in its first month, meaning Max Payne 3 managed less than 450,0000 units.

“Diablo III is the top selling title for May, the first time since July 2010 that a PC-only game accomplished this feat,” said NPD. “Since the game launched day and date through digital distribution as well, full sales of the title are some multiple of what is reflected in the retail sales. Starcraft II was the title that topped the best-seller list in July 2010, a testament to the power of the Blizzard brand in PC gaming.”

Elsewhere, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is at No.3, Prototype 2 takes fourth and NBA 2K12 is at No.5.

Sniper Elite V2 is at No.7 and Capcom’s new IP, Dragon’s Dogma, sneaks into the Top 10 at No.9.

Console sales paint a bleak picture, with NPD stating that “all hardware platforms, save the 3DS, saw a decline in unit sales versus last year”.

The 3DS saw a 17 per cent rise, meaning sales of approximately 113,500 units. Nintendo hardware as a whole sold 285,000 units.

Microsoft also continues to crow about its console dominance, with 160,000 units enough to come out ahead of PS3 once again.

“Xbox 360 sold more units in May in the US than any other console or handheld game device, maintaining its position as the best-selling console in the U.S. for the past 17 months,” said Microsoft.