September has given way to a new champion in video games sales. We crunched the alternative data on how games, controllers, bundles, consoles, and gift cards, sold on Amazon ($AMZN) and GameStop ($GME).

Nintendo ($TYO:7974) is no longer on the top of the mountain, it's now Sony ($SNE). While Nintendo is still planning on having its hot streak continue, off the back of the Switch Lite, new Pokemon games, and a new Zelda out now, it all wasn't enough to win September. The PlayStation 4 still dominates the current generation of video game console platforms with 100+ million systems sold, and is setting itself up for a monster holiday and a ridiculous 2020.

Death Stranding and the new PS4 bundle comes out in November, and is exactly one year out from the release of the PlayStation 5. In February, The Last of Us Part II is releasing, and people seem to want the most expensive version more than anything else, plopping down $150 for the game. Sony doesn't have to lift a finger and it will collect the best review scores on its exclusive games, the most total sales for its current and future consoles, and the best line-up going into the next generation.

Developer Naughty Dog had a reveal event, where they showed off more gameplay and details on the game, as well as a release date. This clearly inspired lots of people to pre-order what is to be one of the most anticipated titles ever, a Game of the Year contender, and a sequel to one of the greatest narratives in the history of the medium. Sony is doing quite well for itself to show off its big guns so early and get people on board the hype train.

Microsoft ($MSFT) is still selling the Xbox One. If you wanted one, it's available in stores. We see them around, still, in stores. They are there if you want them.

Name

Category Rank (Avg)

Platform

$10 PlayStation Store Gift Card (Digital Code)

1

Sony PS4

$10 Xbox Gift Card (Digital Code)

1.9

Microsoft Xbox One

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

3.6

Nintendo Switch

The Last of Us Part II - Special Edition

5.4

Sony PS4

$60 PlayStation Store Gift Card (Digital Code)

5.6

Sony PS4

$20 PlayStation Store Gift Card (Digital Code)

6

Sony PS4

$25 PlayStation Store Gift Card (Digital Code)

8

 Sony PS4

amFilm Tempered Glass Screen Protector for Nintendo Switch

8.1

 Nintendo Switch

$10 Nintendo eShop Gift Card (Digital Code)

10.2

 Nintendo Switch

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

11.4

 Nintendo Switch

PlayStation 4 Pro 1TB Limited Edition Console - Death Stranding Bundle 

13

 Sony PS4

The Last of Us Part II 

13.2

 Sony PS4

The Last of Us Part II - Collector's Edition

14.2

 Sony PS4

Xbox Wireless Controller - Black

15.3

 Microsoft Xbox One 

Nintendo Switch with Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy-Cons

15.7

 Nintendo Switch

DualShock 4 Wireless Controller for PlayStation 4

17.5

 Sony PS4

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 

17.6

 Nintendo Switch

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

18

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

18.2

Nintendo Switch

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

19.5

Sony PS4

The Amazon best-sellers list we have here is based on sales-rank data reported by Amazon every day throughout the month of September 2019. It includes the top-100 selling items in each Amazon category. In this case, we looked just at the Amazon "Video Games" category, averaged each product's sales rank for the month, and then weighted based on the number of days each product remained a best-seller in the month.

The above list represents only items that ranked every day in the month of September in order to correct for items that may have spiked in sales rank due to a flash sale. The below list is the exact same for GameStop.

Name

Category Rank (Avg)

Platform

The Last of Us Part II - Collector's Edition

1.4

Sony PS4

$50 Nintendo eShop Gift Card

2

Nintendo Switch

$50 PlayStation Store Gift Card

3.6

Sony PS4

PlayStation 4 Pro Death Stranding Limited Edition

4.2

Sony PS4

$20 PlayStation Store Gift Card

7

Sony PS4

The Last of Us Part II Ellie Edition

7.6

Sony PS4

Nintendo Switch Lite Zacian and Zamazenta Edition 

7.8

 Nintendo Switch

$20 Nintendo eShop Gift Card

8.7

 Nintendo Switch

$50 Xbox Gift Card

10.1

 Microsoft Xbox One

$10 PlayStation Store Gift Card

12

 Sony PS4

$100 PlayStation Store Gift Card

13.1

 Sony PS4

$20 Xbox Gift Card

16.8

 Microsoft Xbox One 

Nintendo Switch Lite Turquoise

25.6

 Nintendo Switch

PlayStation 4 Pro 1 TB

26.5

 Sony PS4

$10 Nintendo eShop Gift Card

27.9

 Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch Console with Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy-Cons

29.5

 Nintendo Switch

Borderlands 3 Collectors Edition

30.6

 Sony PS4

Death Stranding Collectors Edition

30.9

Sony PS4

The Last of Us Part II Special Edition

32.6

Sony PS4

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Link Amiibo

39.7

 Nintendo Switch

It seems that, for GameStop, the new titles of Link's Awakening and Borderlands 3 still could not reach the heights that The Last of Us Part II, Death Stranding, and their bundles could. It's amazing to see the PS4 still sell like hotcakes, and we'll see how October changes that trend since the PlayStation 5 was announced officially at the start of this month.

Both the Amazon and Gamestop lists have been slightly edited to remove duplicate listings, a lot of gift cards, toys, and other non-gaming related items.

About the Data:

Thinknum tracks companies using information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

Further Reading: 

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