GfK-Chart-Track
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GfK-ChartTrack analyzes 2009's global software and hardware sales trends
We've seen some pretty comprehensive breakdowns of how the U.S. gaming industry performed last year -- however, industry analysis firm GfK-ChartTrack recently compiled a sizable amount of data to inform us how the whole planet did. In short, the planet did okay. U.S. sales faltered somewhat, the U.K.'s past-gen console sales sunk like a rock (or, rather, an original Xbox), and Japan stayed afloat upon a makeshift raft of Nintendo DS RPGs. The worldwide best-selling game of 2009 was (you'll never guess) Modern Warfare 2, with 11.86 million units sold. The runners-up were all proud members of the casual Wii suite: Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit Plus, and plain ol' Wii Fit. For more details on how the gaming industry did across this great big terrestrial mass we call home, check out MCV's analysis of the statistics.
'Just Dance' just keeps groovin' atop UK charts
In what is likely an unearthed Dalek conspiracy, Chart-Track's UK sales chart reveals that Ubisoft's Just Dance is cuttin' a rug at the head of the retail Soul Train for a second week. In a small bit of redemption for those on the British isles, Modern Warfare 2 took back second place. Meanwhile, Wii Fit is biding its time in third, ready to gain its eighteenth wind and jump back up again when it's ready. Most of the top ten is made up of familiar favorites, with the exception of Army of Two: The 40th Day, which is surely fist-bumping its hold of the fourth spot. Bayonetta and Darksiders, the first two of 2010's numerous high-profile Q1 releases, continue to put up a fight, slipping slightly to 11th and 14th places, respectively. Now could somebody please explain the magic of Just Dance? Source – Just Dance Fever [GFK Chart-Track] Source – Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]
Nintendo DS exceeds 10 million units in the UK
GamesIndustry.biz reports that the DS has officially exceeded 10 million units sold in the UK. The revelation comes courtesy of data from European number crunchers GfK Chart-Track and, according to Nintendo, the handheld is currently owned by one out of every six UK residents. Of course, there's no telling how many people have purchased more than one of the console's many, many iterations. Still, the DS has managed to reach the 10 million mark faster than the PS2 did, just shy of five years since the handheld launched in March 2005. We've been holding this back for a while now, but it's probably time to just come out and say it: It looks like the DS is a success.
Xbox 360 sales predictably spike in UK after price drop
GfK Chart-Track notes the Xbox 360 had a 43 percent sales increase over the weekend in the UK, following the price drop which sent the console's Elite version to a friendlier £199. With Sony's PS3 Slim model expected to hit the region this week, it'll be interesting to compare the percentage increase in sales for both consoles. We'd prefer actual sales numbers instead of percentages, but that's apparently not happening. To get a good grasp on the actual console sales, post price drop, it appears we'll have to wait for September's US NPD figures, which won't be released until mid-October. At that time, we'll compare them to the August numbers to get a better idea of the price drop's impact. Exciting!
UK sales: Wii and DS up top; 360 besting PS3 at the bottom
Here in the States, we've grown accustomed to certain luxuries: subsidized gasoline for our free Hummers (hey, gotta stimulate that economy!); a complimentary 72oz soda with every purchase (just buy anything!); a lifetime supply of type 2 diabetes; and, of course, monthly updates from NPD charting the sales numbers of the major video game consoles. Our friends in the UK aren't so fortunate. So when we get a peek behind that curtain, we look to share it with you.And here, courtesy of UK retailer GAME's first-half fiscal statement, we find data from GfK Chart-Track for sales up to June 27th, 2009. Unsurprisingly, Nintendo is in the lead with the DS, having sold 2.7m in the past year, bringing its total up to 9.1m units (that includes 300,000 DSi units sold since launch). The Wii is in second place with 5.4m, up 2.3 from last year. And then we get to the main attraction: 360 and PS3 sales. You'll recall that in February, Microsoft claimed the 360 bested the PS3 in overall European sales by 1m units, citing GfK Chart-Track data again. In the UK, the Xbox is siting pretty with 3.9m units, up 1.7 from last year, while the PS3 is at 2.2m, up 900k from last year (and, coincidentally, right where Microsoft would've been a year ago). In between the "big boys" is the PSP, with 3.3m consoles sold, up 500k from last year.It's weird: despite their genetic differences (three stomachs? gross!) the video game shopping trends of UK citizens sound an awful lot like those in the States.
