December NPD: DS sells over 3 million, '08 sales reach $21.33 billion
That's right, we just used "billion" and "million" in a headline. Clearly, we're writing about the game industry's North American performance during the month marked by Christmas trees, torn wrapping paper and men wearing fake beards. According to the latest NPD sales results, December saw consumers spending $5.29 billion on gaming, resulting in a grand 2008 total of $21.33 billion -- that's up 19 percent from 2007.
And here comes the paragraph where we tell you about Nintendo's unstoppable success. America bought 3.04 million DS systems in December and another 2.15 million Wii consoles. The best selling game, not only for the month but the entire year, was on Wii (and bundled with a controller). You win again, Wii Play.
As for Microsoft, the Xbox 360 did a respectable 1.44 million units, nearly double that of the PlayStation 3, which sold 726K. The PSP fared better with 1.02 million sold, and the trusty PlayStation 2 still managed to shift 410k units. Don't feel bad about its position at the bottom of the chart, though. Everyone gets a green arrow for Christmas!
- DS: 3.04m
1.47m (94%)
- Wii: 2.15m
110K (5%)
- Xbox 360: 1.44m
604K (72%)
- PSP: 1.02m
599K (142%)
- PS3: 726K
348K (92%)
- PS2: 410K
204K (99%)
Check out the software sales chart after the break.
Top 10 Games of December 2008
1. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii – Nintendo – 1.46 million
2. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 – Activision – 1.33 million*
3. Wii Fit w/ balance board – Wii – Nintendo – 999K
4. Mario Kart Wii w/ wheel – Wii – Nintendo – 979K
5. Guitar Hero: World Tour - Wii – Activision – 850K*
6. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 – Microsoft – 745K*
7. Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360 – Electronic Arts – 629K
8. Mario Kart - DS – Nintendo – 540K
9. Call of Duty: World at War - PS3 – Activision – 533K
10. Animal Crossing: City Folk - Wii – Nintendo – 497K*
* Includes Collector's, Limited, Legendary, and Bundled Editions
Top 10 Games of Calendar Year 2008
1. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii – Nintendo – 5.28 million
2. Mario Kart Wii w/ wheel – Wii – Nintendo – 5.00 million
3. Wii Fit w/ balance board – Wii – Nintendo – 4.53 million
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Wii – Nintendo – 4.17 million
5. Grand Theft Auto IV - Xbox 360 – Take-Two – 3.29 million*
6. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 – Activision – 2.75 million*
7. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 – Microsoft – 2.31 million*
8. Grand Theft Auto IV - PS3 – Take-Two – 1.89 million*
9. Madden NFL '09 - Xbox 360 – Electronic Arts – 1.87 million*
10. Mario Kart - DS – Nintendo – 1.65 million
* Includes Collector's, Limited, Legendary, and Bundled Editions
