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NPD clarifies December sales info
The NPD group has made an official statement regarding yesterday's widespread news that the Xbox 360 narrowly outsold both the Wii and PS3 over the holidays. It appears that the sources that broke the story -- taken from a video segment on CNBC -- mistakenly attributed sales numbers to NPD. NPD's David Riley clarifies that CNBC only had numbers from November's NPD report. Any December sales numbers did not come from NPD. It is currently unknown from where the sales data in question was derived. We'll have definitive numbers when NPD releases them next week.[Via Xbox-Scene]
Holiday 2006 console sales figures erroneous
As many of you may or may not have seen, yesterday El Reg ran a story based on a CNBC report which stated that during the holidays (namely from November to December of last year), the numbers shook out such that the big three console game companies moved: 2 million Xbox 360s, 1.8 million Wiis, and 750,000 PS3s. We thought that report sounded a bit dubious, and now according to NPD, CNBC mis-cited a not-yet-existent report. The numbers, which are now considered to be erroneous, don't really correlate to anything on NPD's end as their forthcoming console retail report (which will include compiled retailed sales figures) will not be released for another week or so. (We still don't really have any idea what report it was CNBC was actually citing.) Although it wouldn't really surprise us if Xbox-Wii-PS3 is the actual order the console sales took over the last couple of months, as far as we know there isn't yet any evidence to support that assertion, so we'll all have to wait and see exactly which group of fanboys is proved right or wrong in '06.
Xbox 360 outsells Wii, PS3 over holidays [update 1]
Update: It seems that sources of this information are mistakenly attributing December sales figures to NPD. NPD has made an official statement regarding this. Click here for more info.Several sources are reporting that preliminary holiday NPD numbers declare that the Xbox 360 outsold both the PS3 and Wii during the period between November 1st and Christmas day. The Xbox 360 reportedly shipped 2 million units, compared to 1.8 million Wii consoles and 750,000 Playstation 3 consoles. While the sales victory over the PS3 and Wii is a great bullet point for Microsoft PR, the numbers are deceiving, as both the PS3 and Wii weren't even available until mid-November. Also important, these numbers reflect only the United States. Still, if Microsoft managed to sell 2 million units in the US alone, then its goal of shipping 10 million units worldwide by year's end will have likely been reached.We'll provide a further breakdown when the official NPD numbers become available.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in.]
November NPD: revised data reveals current install bases
Earlier this month, a whole slew of numbers escaped from the NPD's inadequate holding facilities and viciously assaulted gamers with all sorts of sales tallies and percentages. Having discovered an error in their historical data, the analytical group has seen fit to unleash the numbers again, though an important one is now somewhat smaller and thus, less dangerous. It was previously reported that year-to-date sales had risen 25% in November, when in fact, they had only risen by 16% (putting the industry at $8.76 billion). Please calm yourselves, we're as crushed by this dramatic reversal as you are. Far more intriguing, however, is the now rectified install base data for consoles in the US. Be sure to use this information the next time you have a prolonged, ultimately pointless argument on the sleazy gaming forum of your choice: PS2: 35.8 million GBA: 34.3 million DS: 7.6 million PSP: 5.7 million Xbox 360: 3.4 million Wii: 476 thousand PS3: 197 thousand The full report on GameDaily BIZ also notes that Microsoft sold 42 thousand HD-DVD drives for the 360 -- that's only 1.24% of the total install base.
Sony only shipped 197,000 units to US
With all the NPD buzz going on today it looks like nobody really touched on the Playstation 3's shipment numbers. If you remember, Sony cut its initial 2006 shipment to the United States from 1,000,000 units to a more realistic 400,000. Since the PS3 launch, Sony has been very mum about sales figures and today we found out why. According to NPD sales data Sony only shipped 197,000 units to the US in November missing their promised 400,000. Looks like 1,000,000 units by the end of the year may be a tad hard to achieve ... oops, I mean a tad hard to entitle.
NPD numbers, big 360 sales, Gears on top
The NPD sales numbers for November are in, and things are looking good for Microsoft. Sales of the Xbox 360 jumped to 511k units last month, up from 218k in October. While the sales numbers are impressive, Microsoft still has a long way to go to reach their (oft reiterated) goal of 10 million units by year's end. In related news, Gears of War was the clear winner in game sales last month. Selling 1 million copies (collector's edition included) and grossing $61.5 million, it even trounced one of the Playstation 2's biggest titles, Final Fantasy XII, which sold 896k units (the biggest launch of a Final Fantasy title to date, by the way). This is an outstanding achievement for an original IP, especially compared to an entrenched brand name like Final Fantasy. Any of you pick up your 360 last month?[Via Joystiq]
November NPD breakdown
November is often the best of times and worst of times for gamers. Good in the sense that we are given precious fuel in the form of several top-notch games, bad in the way that we can't pay our utility bills for the month as all funds had been diverted towards gaming. It's really a vicious cycle as upon buying all these games, we have to wait until we can pay our electric bill to play them or, which often is the case this time of year, we just go over to a friend's house and perform a hostile takeover on their gaming rig.With the release of two new consoles this November, along with countless high-profile, AAA titles, it's no surprise that we spent a total of $1.7 billion. In the interest of creating a post that is both smooth and less-filling, we've gathered the top sellers and placed them into convenient bullet points:Console Sales (units) DS: 918k PS2: 664k Game Boy Advance: 661k Xbox 360: 511k Wii: 476k PSP: 412k PS3: 197k Software Sales (units and sales grossed) Gears of War: 1 million -- $61.5 million Final Fantasy XII: 896k -- $49 million The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: 412k -- $20.2 million Guitar Hero II: 356k -- $20.2 million You may go over the rest of the figures here.[Via Joystiq]
November NPD: big franchises, new consoles drive industry sales up 34% [update 1]
The above headline shouldn't come as a great surprise to many gamers, what with November having been a deadly obstacle course of top-tier franchises and console debuts. Surviving the month with wallet unscathed was quite impossible, a fact clearly reflected in the NPD's sales data for the period which typically sees manufacturers clash in full force, guns blazing. Consumers caught in the cash crossfire spent an impressive $1.7 billion in total, with console, software and accessory sales all seeing notable increases. The NPD's Anita Frazier told GameDaily BIZ that she expects this to be a record-breaking year for the industry, with total sales expected to come in at $14 billion. In the interest of having you maintain consciousness, we've put the most pertinent information into those convenient bullet-point things (it also ties in nicely with our earlier gun metaphor):Console Sales (units) DS: 918k PS2: 664k Game Boy Advance: 661k Xbox 360: 511k Wii: 476k PSP: 412k PS3: 197k Software Sales (units and sales grossed) Gears of War: 1 million -- $61.5 million Final Fantasy XII: 896k -- $49 million The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: 412k -- $20.2 million Guitar Hero II: 356k -- $20.2 million Check out the full report for even more numbers and commentary -- mind you don't go cross-eyed.[Update 1: PSP information added.]
NPD October: DS leading the upsurge in gaming
American hardware sales from October from the NPD group indicate that the trend continues -- video game sales are up, revenue is up, and if this continues, it's going to be a banner year for game sales. With two console launches less than a week away, we're pretty sure the industry will hit that grace note that triggers the confetti, but the victory can't be hung on just the release of the next gen systems. No, shocking as it may be to some, the Nintendo DS is at the heart of this year's rocketing game sales. And for October, we're even happy to share the love with the guys who are usually our mortal enemies -- the PSP fanboys. Last month, a full quarter of the top one hundred games in the U.S. were portable games. When it came to systems, the show was all the DS, with 360,000 units sold in the U.S. for the month. The PS2 pulled out a strong second with 235,000, and oh! Look! Even the GBA moved more than the poor ol' PSP: 169,000 to 130,000. That was a short-lived sense of camaraderie, but that's okay. We're pretty sure they're going to tell us that we're only on top because of Pokemon anyway ....
Scarface shows PSP software sales are lacking
According to Gamespot, the Scarface video game topped the PSP's US sales charts in October by selling over 37,000 copies. This is distressing for two reasons. Firstly, the game sucks. Secondly, 37,000 copies sounds much too low a number to be the top selling game on any console. For comparison purposes, the new Pokemon game on the Game Boy Advance sold more than 150,000 copies (with the DS version selling more than 140,000).According to PCVS Console, PSP software did not manage to break into the top 30 sales at all this month. This is especially distressing considering the slew of great new releases that were released in October. Will this discourage publishers from supporting the PSP? Should Sony fanboys worry that even the supposedly-dead Gamecube ranked more titles in the top 30?
NPD's October hardware sales numbers released
We're all fully aware of the PSP's situation in Japan, but I think many people don't know how well the PSP sells in North America. Well, NPD has just released the October hardware numbers, and I have some good news and some bad news for you PSP Fanboys.Bad news - in October, there were 130,000 PSPs sold compared to the DS' 360,000 units.Good news - the deficit between the DS and PSP is a lot smaller than it is in Japan.While it still seems like a large gap, the DS, at times, outsold the PSP by that margin in a week's time in Japan. Plus, the PSP is now selling better in America than it is in Japan by an average of 50,000 units.However, with Peter Dille's recent comments, do these numbers really matter anymore since Sony is targeting a different audience? Or do you think Sony's just telling us and themselves that to make them feel better?
Game sales up 16% in October on lower average price
On the heels of THQ's quarterly report comes some more positive gaming news. According to the NPD Group the gaming industry has posted a 16% jump in software sales. An interesting trend noted by the NPD Group is the average price of games sold has declined by $2.40. The decline in price could be confusing to many gamers, especially those staring down the $60 price tags on new Xbox 360 (and soon to be PS3) games. The decline in price was due mainly to the fact that new release PS2 games are now in the $40 range and six of the top ten software games were for the PS2 (the top ten was rounded out by three Xbox 360 games and one Xbox game). If the revenue is up and the game prices are down this means that unit sales are WAY up. The data pokes in the eye the argument that next-gen software needs a $60 price point to make a profit. If PS2 games are selling for $40 -- and selling well at that -- keeping $60 price tags emblazoned all over our precious games is absurd when gamers are clearly buying $40 merchandise in droves. By selling next gen software at even $50, gaming companies can easily use economics of scale to their advantage. The increased production costs can easily be drowned out by more sales generated by a lower price point. Stop gouging us guys ... you know you can make a profit without that $60 price tag.
September NPD sales numbers
The September NPD sales numbers have come in and the DS, once again, did favorably. Out of all consoles, DS titles had a good showing, taking up four spots. Of course, Madden took the top spot, showing that we Americans love our football. Madden NFL 07 - PS2 Saints Row - Xbox 360 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - PS2 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team - DS Madden NFL 07 - Xbox 360 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team - GBA Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - GC Madden NFL 07 - Xbox Star Fox Command - DS New Super Mario Bros. - DS NBA Live 07 - PS2 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - Xbox 360 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - Xbox Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus - PS2 Test Drive Unlimited - Xbox 360 Dead Rising - Xbox 360 Mario Hoops 3-on-3 - DS Okami - PS2 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - PS2 Madden NFL 07 - PSP We've included a listing of the top DS and GBA game only listings, available after the break.
September NPD reveals players choose Madden over originality
Madden was the only PSP game to break into the top-20 NPD list last month, and it holds that title once again, for the month of September, although barely (it placed 20th). Unfortunately, some of the more original entries for the platform didn't fare as well as this year's incarnation of Madden. I guess people like a safe-bet over trying something new: Last Month Current Rank Title Publisher Release Date Average Price 1 1 Madden NFL 07 Electronic Arts Aug-06 $40 ** 2 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Lucasarts Sep-06 $39 3 3 Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Take-Two Interactive Jun-05 $20 5 4 Star Wars: Battlefront II LucasArts Nov-05 $20 2 5 Tekken: Dark Resurrection Namco Bandai Games Jul-06 $40 ** 6 Locoroco Sony Sep-06 $40 6 7 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Take-Two Interactive Oct-05 $40 4 8 NCAA Football 07 Electronic Arts Jul-06 $40 ** 9 Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins Capcom Sep-06 $40 ** 10 Def Jam Fight For NY: The Takeover Electronic Arts Sep-06 $40 Loco Roco only debuted at number 6, for all PSP games. Maybe that's why Sony's been pushing out so many demos of this game? So that it can increase its somewhat disappointing sales? While it's unfortunate that PSP owners aren't buying original PSP-exclusive software, one has to ask if maybe the price of games are too high? Notice how well the budget Greatest Hits lineup continues to sell, even though many of these titles have been out for a year? Hmm.[Via Gamespot]
NPD releases top 20 U.S. games for August
While the DS has been killing just about everything in Japan, it doesn't appear to be as dominant according to NPD's August sales chart. And with news that the PSP's Tales of Phantasia Full Voice Edition taking the top spot in Japan, could the tide of war be changing? 1. Madden NFL 07 (PS2) 2. Madden NFL 07 (360) 3. Dead Rising (360) 4. Madden NFL 07 (Xbox) 5. Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus (PS2) 6. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) 7. NCAA Football 07 (PS2) 8. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2) 9. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (DS) 10. Ninety-Nine Nights (360) 11. NCAA Football 07 (360) 12. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja (PS2) 13. Big Brain Academy (DS) 14. Guitar Hero bundle (PS2) 15. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2) 16. Star Wars: Battlefront II (PS2) 17. Madden NFL 07 (PSP) 18. God of War (PS2) 19. Mario Kart (DS) 20. NCAA Football 07 (Xbox) (* NPD does not release sales numbers) Okay, so the PSP only has Madden in the top 20. The PSP is going to enjoy an extremely strong surge in the quality of its library in the coming months with the pending releases of Bounty Hounds, Killzone: Liberation, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Lumines II and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, just to name a few. Stand strong, my fellow fanboys because the future is bright. (Via PSP Advanced)
360 games rock the sales charts
Microsoft released some updated retail sales numbers yesterday, and the results are good. First, the big M reiterated its goal of shipping 10 million Xbox 360 consoles by the end of Holiday '06, and 13-15 million by the end of the fiscal year in June '07. As for the numbers, the 360 has maintained a very high accessory attach rate at 2.9 accessories per console (apparently a record). Of course, this is somewhat misleading as Microsoft has made accessory purchases somewhat essential (battery chargers, play n' charge, memory card, etc.). It would be interesting to see what the attach rate is for optional accessories like faceplates.Software attach rates are also becoming larger, with an average of 4.6 games sold per console. Most of our readers will know that 4.6 is a very high attach rate for games. Also mentioned in the announcement, the 360 has four of the top ten games sold in the US this month, including: Chromehounds, NCAA Football 2007, Prey, and LOTR: BFME II. Don't be shocked if Madden '07 and Dead Rising make that list as well.Very encouraging numbers for Microsoft, indeed. Now if they could just get some momentum going in Japan ...
Top 50 handheld games of the century
Next Gen has painstakingly gone through NPD sales data to give you the best selling handheld games of all time (in the US). They went through the number of units sold, and two PSP games made their way to this elite list of heavy-hitting games. Sure, the rest of the list is dominated by DS and Game Boy games, but Sony has done what the Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, n-Gage, etc. have failed to do: make a portable that can survive against the Nintendo goliath. The two games that represented the PSP should come as no surprise: 48. Madden NFL 06(est. sales of 590,000) 16. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories(est. sales of 980,000) Make sure you read through Next Gen's report to see the entire list.[Via DS Fanboy]
NPD Figures for July 2006: DS still King of the hill
Like a man obsessed with selling you propane, Nintendo wants, nay, needs you to own a DS. According to the July NPD figures that have released, you've been more than happy to oblige. Yet again, the DS is king of the hill and enjoying the crisp air that comes from being atop the mountain of success. In fact, Nintendo just purchased a luxurious home right on the peak of Mount Success, paid entirely by its revenue from DS sales. Oh, and its software didn't do so bad, either. Without further ado, the figures are: DS = 377,000 (94,250) PS2 = 241,000 (60,250) 360 = 206,000 (51,500) GBA = 163,000 (40,750) PSP = 161,000 (40,250) GCN = 44,000 (11,000) Xbox = 12,000 (3,000) The top 25 games, based on revenue earned and not units sold, are: 1. PS2 - NCAA Football 07 - Electronic Arts 2. 360 - NCAA Football 07 - Electronic Arts 3. DS - New Super Mario Bros. - Nintendo 4. XBX - NCAA Football 07 - Electronic Arts 5. 360 - Chromehounds - Sega 6. 360 - The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 - Electronic Arts 7. 360 - Prey - Take 2 Interactive 8. PS2 - Guitar Hero bundle - Activision 9. PS2 - Cars - THQ 10. PS2 - Naruto: Ultimate Ninja - Namco 11. PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - Take 2 Interactive 12. GBA - Cars - THQ 13. PS2 - 2006 FIFA World Cup - Electronic Arts 14. 360 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Take 2 Interactive 15. 360 - 2006 FIFA World Cup - Electronic Arts 16. 360 - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter - Ubisoft 17. GCN - Cars - THQ 18. DS - Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day - Nintendo 19. PS2 - NFL Head Coach - Electronic Arts 20. 360 - Fight Night Round 3 - Electronic Arts 21. DS - Big Brain Academy - Nintendo 22. PS2 - Kingdom Hearts 2 - Square Enix 23. 360 - Over G Fighters - UbiSoft 24. 360 - Call of Duty 2 - Activision 25. PS2 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow - Bethesda [Note: The numbers in parenthesis are an average per week estimate.][Thanks DownloadingData!]
Japanese hardware sales, 5 June - 11 June: outnumbered
The sheer volume of words being displayed on the front page of this blog is, quite frankly, entirely ridiculous. It's time for a change. It's time we inundate you with the accountant's best friend and the alphabet's greatest foe. It's time we unleash the Japanese hardware sales charts for the week ranging from 5 June to 11 June and thoughtfully observe their effects on the human body. The ranking, according to number of units sold:- DS Lite: 132,027 3,587 (2,65%)- PSP: 21,656 2,939 (11,95%)- PS2: 18,981 468 (2,53%)- GBA SP: 4,116 248 (5,68%)- Game Boy Micro: 1,654 384 (30,24%)- DS Phat: 1,371 212 (18,29%)- Xbox 360: 1,100 145 (11,65%)- Gamecube: 961 163 (20,43%)- GBA: 30 6 (20,00%)- Xbox: 20 23 (53,49%)For those perplexed by the friendly arrows, rest assured that their intention is only to indicate whether a platform's sales have increased or decreased since the last week (followed by the exact difference and a percentage). For those perplexed by the previous sentence, we politely suggest that you try attending school for once.[Source: Media Create]
May NPD sales: Plumber popularity soars
According to the NPD group's thorough and unusually keen sales analysis, Mario's latest block-bashing, Koopa-kicking, shell-sliding adventure was the bestselling game in the US for the merry month of May. Following closely on the portly plumber's hopping heels was Brain Age, nestled snugly in third place. It seems that New Super Mario Bros. was just the thing to wean gamers off that nasty heroine addiction.The Top 20 best-selling titles for May according to NPD: New Super Mario Bros. (DS) Kingdom Hearts II (PS2) Brain Age: Train Your Brain In Minutes a Day (DS) God of War (PS2) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360) MLB '06: The Show (PS2) Guitar Hero (with Guitar) (PS2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2) Kingdom Hearts (PS2) X-Men: The Official Game (PS2) Over the Hedge (PS2) Fight Night Round 3 (Xbox 360) FIFA World Cup 2006 (PS2) The Godfather: The Game (PS2) Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (Xbox 360) Midnight Club 3: Dub Ed Remix (PS2) Major League Baseball 2K6 (PS2) Major League Baseball 2K6 (Xbox 360)
