In its first five months on the market, The PlayStation 5 has become the fastest-selling console in U.S. history in both unit and dollar sales. As revealed by The NPD Group's Mat Piscatella, this news arrives one month after the PS5 became the fastest-selling console in U.S. history in dollar sales. Despite that new record, the Nintendo Switch has continued its reign as the best selling hardware platform in both units and dollars during March 2021. However, the PS5 did rank first in hardware dollar sales in Q1 2021. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] March video game hardware dollar sales as a whole were 47% higher than they were in March 2020, and set a March record of $680 million. Year-to-date hardware spending has totaled $1.4 billion, which is also an increase of 81% year-over-year. As for games, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War returned to the top spot in March 2021, while also securing the best-selling title of both the first quarter and 12-month period ending March 2021. Nintendo Switch-exclusive Monster Hunter Rise claimed the number two spot and has become the second-best selling Monster Hunter game in terms of dollar sales, only trailing Monster Hunter: World. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/23/monster-hunter-rise-review"] Outriders rounded out the top three, and also claimed the number three spot on both Xbox and PlayStation platforms. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came in at number six, and has also become the best-selling racing game in U.S. history. Speaking of Mario, Super Mario 3D All-Stars rose from 16th to 9th place from last month, with sales surely increased due to the infamous "Day Mario Dies." Lastly, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time's Switch release accounted for the game's rise from 65th place in February to 15th in March. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/09/outriders-review-in-progress"] The full list of March 2021's top 20 best-selling games is as follows;

March 2021's Best-Selling Games

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Monster Hunter Rise
3. Outriders
4. Super Mario 3D World
5. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
7. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
9. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
10. Minecraft
11. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
12. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
13. Pokemon Sword & Shield
14. Mortal Kombat 11
15. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
16. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
17. Madden NFL 21
18. NBA 2K21
19. Super Mario Party
20. FIFA 21

March 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories reached a March record of $5.6 billion, 18% higher when compared to March 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/22/is-march-31-the-day-mario-dies-ign-now"] All of these hardware sales records are impressive considering the fact that supply of these next-gen consoles are still lower than demand, in part due to global semiconductor shortages. Furthermore, although there are rumors of a "Switch Pro," the Switch shows no sign of stopping its successful sales streak. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

In its first five months on the market, The PlayStation 5 has become the fastest-selling console in U.S. history in both unit and dollar sales. As revealed by The NPD Group's Mat Piscatella, this news arrives one month after the PS5 became the fastest-selling console in U.S. history in dollar sales. Despite that new record, the Nintendo Switch has continued its reign as the best selling hardware platform in both units and dollars during March 2021. However, the PS5 did rank first in hardware dollar sales in Q1 2021. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] March video game hardware dollar sales as a whole were 47% higher than they were in March 2020, and set a March record of $680 million. Year-to-date hardware spending has totaled $1.4 billion, which is also an increase of 81% year-over-year. As for games, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War returned to the top spot in March 2021, while also securing the best-selling title of both the first quarter and 12-month period ending March 2021. Nintendo Switch-exclusive Monster Hunter Rise claimed the number two spot and has become the second-best selling Monster Hunter game in terms of dollar sales, only trailing Monster Hunter: World. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/23/monster-hunter-rise-review"] Outriders rounded out the top three, and also claimed the number three spot on both Xbox and PlayStation platforms. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came in at number six, and has also become the best-selling racing game in U.S. history. Speaking of Mario, Super Mario 3D All-Stars rose from 16th to 9th place from last month, with sales surely increased due to the infamous "Day Mario Dies." Lastly, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time's Switch release accounted for the game's rise from 65th place in February to 15th in March. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/09/outriders-review-in-progress"] The full list of March 2021's top 20 best-selling games is as follows;

March 2021's Best-Selling Games

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
2. Monster Hunter Rise
3. Outriders
4. Super Mario 3D World
5. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
7. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
9. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
10. Minecraft
11. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
12. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
13. Pokemon Sword & Shield
14. Mortal Kombat 11
15. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
16. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
17. Madden NFL 21
18. NBA 2K21
19. Super Mario Party
20. FIFA 21

March 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories reached a March record of $5.6 billion, 18% higher when compared to March 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/22/is-march-31-the-day-mario-dies-ign-now"] All of these hardware sales records are impressive considering the fact that supply of these next-gen consoles are still lower than demand, in part due to global semiconductor shortages. Furthermore, although there are rumors of a "Switch Pro," the Switch shows no sign of stopping its successful sales streak. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Three Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba television specials are now available to stream on Funimation. The three special episodes, titled Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Sibling's Bond, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mt. Natagumo Arc, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Hashira Meeting Arc, were added to the Funimation library on April 15, and are available to stream in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil and Mexico; and on AnimeLab in Australia and New Zealand. Newly subtitled and dubbed for a global audience, the three TV specials offer fans a recap of all 26 episodes in the show's first season, with a condensed overview of the key characters, storylines, and overarching adventure of Tanjiro and his comrades. Each episode has been edited using existing footage from the show, however, the episode focused on the Hashira features some new footage. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=posters-for-demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-tv-specials&captions=true"] The three specials of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will serve as a quick refresher for fans who are anticipating the North American premiere of Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train, which is set to roll into theaters in the US and Canada on April 23 and arrive on digital video storefronts such as Apple TV, Microsoft Store, Vudu, Google Play, PlayStation Store, and Amazon on June 22. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is set after the events of the 2019 anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and picks up with Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke as they embark on a new mission. Together with one of the most powerful swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, they investigate the mysterious disappearance of over 40 people aboard the Mugen Train. The movie is a direct sequel to the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime series directed by Haruo Sotozaki and produced by Ufotable. The original anime series told the thrilling tale of a young man in search of a cure for his sister, who was turned into a demon after the rest of the family was viciously slaughtered by demons. It won Anime of the Year at Crunchyroll's fourth annual anime awards last year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/19/everything-you-need-to-know-for-demon-slayer-the-movie-mugen-train"] Having opened in Japan on October 16, 2020, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train currently stands as the highest-grossing anime and Japanese movie of all time after grossing an estimated $368M in Japan. The R-rated anime adventure surpassed Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away to earn the coveted ranking. It's also enjoyed further success in Australia and New Zealand, where it opened at number one in February. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Three Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba television specials are now available to stream on Funimation. The three special episodes, titled Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Sibling's Bond, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mt. Natagumo Arc, and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Hashira Meeting Arc, were added to the Funimation library on April 15, and are available to stream in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil and Mexico; and on AnimeLab in Australia and New Zealand. Newly subtitled and dubbed for a global audience, the three TV specials offer fans a recap of all 26 episodes in the show's first season, with a condensed overview of the key characters, storylines, and overarching adventure of Tanjiro and his comrades. Each episode has been edited using existing footage from the show, however, the episode focused on the Hashira features some new footage. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=posters-for-demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-tv-specials&captions=true"] The three specials of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will serve as a quick refresher for fans who are anticipating the North American premiere of Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train, which is set to roll into theaters in the US and Canada on April 23 and arrive on digital video storefronts such as Apple TV, Microsoft Store, Vudu, Google Play, PlayStation Store, and Amazon on June 22. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is set after the events of the 2019 anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and picks up with Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke as they embark on a new mission. Together with one of the most powerful swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, they investigate the mysterious disappearance of over 40 people aboard the Mugen Train. The movie is a direct sequel to the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime series directed by Haruo Sotozaki and produced by Ufotable. The original anime series told the thrilling tale of a young man in search of a cure for his sister, who was turned into a demon after the rest of the family was viciously slaughtered by demons. It won Anime of the Year at Crunchyroll's fourth annual anime awards last year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/19/everything-you-need-to-know-for-demon-slayer-the-movie-mugen-train"] Having opened in Japan on October 16, 2020, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train currently stands as the highest-grossing anime and Japanese movie of all time after grossing an estimated $368M in Japan. The R-rated anime adventure surpassed Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away to earn the coveted ranking. It's also enjoyed further success in Australia and New Zealand, where it opened at number one in February. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Genshin Impact developer miHoYo has said that the game will officially launch on PS5 on April 28. In a press release, we learned that the PlayStation 5 version of free-to-play open-world RPG Genshin Impact will be made available on April 28th, alongside the game’s 1.5 update, titled “Beneath the Light of Jadite.” The game was playable on PlayStation 5 prior to this point, but native support for the console had not been implemented. This means that PS5 Genshin Impact players will see ”enhanced visuals and game performance” upon its launch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/16/genshin-impact-version-15-beneath-the-light-of-jadeite-trailer"] As for the content of the 1.5 update, it will delve ”into the history of Liyue with Zhongli” and introduce new playable characters called Eula and Yanfei. Eula is a five-star character wielding a claymore, and Yanfei is a four-star Pyro who wields a catalyst. New enemies will also be brought to the game with the 1.5 update and will offer players resources such as Character Level-Up Materials upon their defeat. Players will also be able to set up and decorate their own personal realm, which is found “inside a special teapot”. Co-Op Championship EXP will also be boosted, and it will be easier to claim the first three Trounce Domain rewards on a weekly basis. If you‘re looking to get into Genshin Impact ahead of its PS5 launch, check out our review of the game. We scored it a 9, calling it an “anime-zing adventure.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/21/genshin-impact-beginners-guide"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Genshin Impact developer miHoYo has said that the game will officially launch on PS5 on April 28. In a press release, we learned that the PlayStation 5 version of free-to-play open-world RPG Genshin Impact will be made available on April 28th, alongside the game’s 1.5 update, titled “Beneath the Light of Jadite.” The game was playable on PlayStation 5 prior to this point, but native support for the console had not been implemented. This means that PS5 Genshin Impact players will see ”enhanced visuals and game performance” upon its launch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/16/genshin-impact-version-15-beneath-the-light-of-jadeite-trailer"] As for the content of the 1.5 update, it will delve ”into the history of Liyue with Zhongli” and introduce new playable characters called Eula and Yanfei. Eula is a five-star character wielding a claymore, and Yanfei is a four-star Pyro who wields a catalyst. New enemies will also be brought to the game with the 1.5 update and will offer players resources such as Character Level-Up Materials upon their defeat. Players will also be able to set up and decorate their own personal realm, which is found “inside a special teapot”. Co-Op Championship EXP will also be boosted, and it will be easier to claim the first three Trounce Domain rewards on a weekly basis. If you‘re looking to get into Genshin Impact ahead of its PS5 launch, check out our review of the game. We scored it a 9, calling it an “anime-zing adventure.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/21/genshin-impact-beginners-guide"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The latest update for Google Earth lets you see how climate change, urban expansion, deforestation, and more has affected different areas of the planet over the years. This update is the first major one in years for the popular satellite imagery viewing site and it now allows users to travel backward in time. Specifically, the new Timelapse feature takes you back to 1985 and from there, with the press of a "play" button, the site will show you how that location has changed since 1985 to now. As you might expect, there's a lot of human-based growth and while looking at how cities like Las Vegas, Shanghai, and Dubai have expanded is cool, it also speaks to how much nature has been lost over the past few decades. Below is a gallery of locations like Dubai, New York City, Antarctica, and Alaska, and what they looked like from above in 1985, followed by a picture of the same location in 2020. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=google-earth-timelapse-1985-vs-2020&captions=true"] "Using Earth Engine, we combined more than 15 million satellite images from the past several decades collected by five different satellites," the About section of Google Earth's new Timelapse feature reads. "The majority of the images come from Landsat, a joint USGS/NASA Earth observation program that has observed the Earth since the 1970s. Since 2015, we have combined Landsat imagery with imagery from the Sentinel-2 mission, part of the European Union and European Space Agency's Copernicus Earth observations program." The feature lets you search for individual places on Earth, but Google teamed up with Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab to create a "Stories" section that features five unique stories: Changing Forests, Fragile Beauty, Sources of Energy, Warming Planet, and Urban Expansion. Each story features multiple locations based around a theme. For example, the Changing Forests story shows the effects of deforestation and also highlights some forest restoration projects that have happened around the globe. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/07/scientists-may-have-observed-a-particle-breaking-the-laws-of-physics"] All five of those stories and the rest of the world can be viewed in Google Earth's new Timelapse hub and it's well worth a look. For more science stories like this, read about how crystal caves show sea levels were raised 50 feet during a warm period in history and then check out this story about a space hurricane that rained charged electrons above the North Pole. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer, guide maker. and science guru for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

The latest update for Google Earth lets you see how climate change, urban expansion, deforestation, and more has affected different areas of the planet over the years. This update is the first major one in years for the popular satellite imagery viewing site and it now allows users to travel backward in time. Specifically, the new Timelapse feature takes you back to 1985 and from there, with the press of a "play" button, the site will show you how that location has changed since 1985 to now. As you might expect, there's a lot of human-based growth and while looking at how cities like Las Vegas, Shanghai, and Dubai have expanded is cool, it also speaks to how much nature has been lost over the past few decades. Below is a gallery of locations like Dubai, New York City, Antarctica, and Alaska, and what they looked like from above in 1985, followed by a picture of the same location in 2020. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=google-earth-timelapse-1985-vs-2020&captions=true"] "Using Earth Engine, we combined more than 15 million satellite images from the past several decades collected by five different satellites," the About section of Google Earth's new Timelapse feature reads. "The majority of the images come from Landsat, a joint USGS/NASA Earth observation program that has observed the Earth since the 1970s. Since 2015, we have combined Landsat imagery with imagery from the Sentinel-2 mission, part of the European Union and European Space Agency's Copernicus Earth observations program." The feature lets you search for individual places on Earth, but Google teamed up with Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab to create a "Stories" section that features five unique stories: Changing Forests, Fragile Beauty, Sources of Energy, Warming Planet, and Urban Expansion. Each story features multiple locations based around a theme. For example, the Changing Forests story shows the effects of deforestation and also highlights some forest restoration projects that have happened around the globe. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/07/scientists-may-have-observed-a-particle-breaking-the-laws-of-physics"] All five of those stories and the rest of the world can be viewed in Google Earth's new Timelapse hub and it's well worth a look. For more science stories like this, read about how crystal caves show sea levels were raised 50 feet during a warm period in history and then check out this story about a space hurricane that rained charged electrons above the North Pole. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer, guide maker. and science guru for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Square Enix has said that it will not consider selling the company, and has not received any offers after a report claimed 'multiple' potential buyers were interested in an acquisition. CTFN reported that two bankers had indicated that several potential buyers were interested in purchasing the developer/publisher behind Final Fantasy and Outriders. Bloomberg Japan then reported the news, which led Square Enix to respond. "Bloomberg has reported today that there is interest from several buyers to acquire Square Enix," reads a press release. "However, this report is not based on any announcement by Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. We do not consider selling off the company or any part of its businesses, nor have we received any offer from any third party to acquire the company or any part of its businesses." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/final-fantasy-16-reveal-trailer"] It is of course possible that both sides of this story are true – there may well be parties interested in Square Enix, and Square Enix itself might be unwilling to sell to them. That said, analyst David Gibson pointed to the idea that this could be bankers trying to "drum up business" in Square Enix. To back up Gibson's idea, Bloomberg subsequently reported that shares in Square Enix rose by 12% after the report went out – their highest rise in eight months. Video game acquisitions have been big business recently, with the last year alone seeing Microsoft buying ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion, Epic Games buying Mediatonic (Fall Guys), and EA snapping up Codemasters after Take-Two showed an interest. Japan has been seen as a natural next step for some major gaming companies, with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer recently shooting down the idea that Microsoft was in contact with a number of developers in the country about potential acquisitions. On the other hand, Sony has had to counter the idea that the company is sidelining Japan, but we've seen the company's storied Japan Studio re-organised this year, leading to a mass exodus of developers. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Square Enix has said that it will not consider selling the company, and has not received any offers after a report claimed 'multiple' potential buyers were interested in an acquisition. CTFN reported that two bankers had indicated that several potential buyers were interested in purchasing the developer/publisher behind Final Fantasy and Outriders. Bloomberg Japan then reported the news, which led Square Enix to respond. "Bloomberg has reported today that there is interest from several buyers to acquire Square Enix," reads a press release. "However, this report is not based on any announcement by Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. We do not consider selling off the company or any part of its businesses, nor have we received any offer from any third party to acquire the company or any part of its businesses." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/final-fantasy-16-reveal-trailer"] It is of course possible that both sides of this story are true – there may well be parties interested in Square Enix, and Square Enix itself might be unwilling to sell to them. That said, analyst David Gibson pointed to the idea that this could be bankers trying to "drum up business" in Square Enix. To back up Gibson's idea, Bloomberg subsequently reported that shares in Square Enix rose by 12% after the report went out – their highest rise in eight months. Video game acquisitions have been big business recently, with the last year alone seeing Microsoft buying ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion, Epic Games buying Mediatonic (Fall Guys), and EA snapping up Codemasters after Take-Two showed an interest. Japan has been seen as a natural next step for some major gaming companies, with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer recently shooting down the idea that Microsoft was in contact with a number of developers in the country about potential acquisitions. On the other hand, Sony has had to counter the idea that the company is sidelining Japan, but we've seen the company's storied Japan Studio re-organised this year, leading to a mass exodus of developers. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.