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Nintendo Rules November, Microsoft Does Well, Sony Drops the Ball

by Rainier on Dec. 11, 2008 @ 6:05 p.m. PST

NPD has released its sales numbers for the month of Nov. and it comes as no surprise that the NDS and Wii wiped everybody off the map with 1.57 and 2.04 million units, respectively. As mentioned, Microsoft outsold the PS3 2 to 1, moving 836k units compared to Sony's 378k. Software-wise, it was all about Gears of War 2 with 1.56 million copies, with Call of Duty: World at War hot on its heels with 1.41 million, although if you add both the PS3 and X360 platforms together, it sold a combined 1.88 million copies.

Nov. 2008 hardware sales:

  1. Wii - 2.04 million units
  2. NDS - 1.57 million units
  3. Xbox 360 - 836,000 units
  4. PSP - 421,000 units
  5. PS3 - 378,000 units
  6. PS2 - 206,000 units

Nov. 2008 software sales:

  1. Gears of War 2 (Epic, Xbox 360) - 1.56 million units
  2. Call of Duty: World at War (Treyarch, Xbox 360) - 1.41 million units
  3. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 796,000 units
  4. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 697,000 units
  5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 637,000 units
  6. Call of Duty: World at War (Treyarch, PS3) - 597,000 units
  7. Guitar Hero World Tour (Vicarious Visions, Wii) - 475,000 units
  8. Left 4 Dead (Valve, Xbox 360) - 410,000 units
  9. Resistance 2 (Insomniac, PS3) - 385,000 units
  10. Wii Music (Nintendo, Wii) - 297,000 units

The Wii console sold more than 2 million in November, a new all-time record for a non-December month. The Nintendo DS system sold more than 1.56 million in November, which is now the second-highest total for a non-December month in history. The Wii console has sold 15.4 million in the United States since it launched in November 2006, and Nintendo DS has sold nearly 24.6 million in the United States since it launched in November 2004.

“Nintendo’s record-breaking sales demonstrate that consumers are looking for the best value not only among video games, but also among all entertainment options,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Shoppers are looking for gifts that can be enjoyed by the whole family, and Nintendo provides an incomparable range of experiences that gets the whole family involved.”

Four games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 U.S. best-sellers for November, representing the diversity of people who play Nintendo games. These included Wii Play™ (for casual and lapsed players) at No. 3 with more than 796,000 sold, Wii Fit™ (for new gamers) at No. 4 with more than 697,000 sold, Mario Kart™ Wii (for both core and casual payers) at No. 5 with nearly 637,000 sold and Wii Music™ (for everyone) placed at No. 9 with more than 297,000 sold, following its long-tail trend.

Looking at the industry as a whole, Nintendo products continue to fuel the engine of the video game industry. In November alone, Nintendo represented 198 percent of industry growth over 2007. Nintendo systems represented 66 percent of all hardware sales in November, including 59 percent of all console sales and 79 percent of all portable hardware sales.

The Xbox 360 continues to sell at record levels this holiday season, registering the biggest Black Friday and most successful November in its history. Xbox 360 sold a record number of consoles for the month of November at 836,000 units. (November NPD data)

With $298 million in third-party game sales in November, the Xbox 360 has generated more revenue at retail for third-party publishers than the PS3 and Wii combined this generation. (November NPD data)

In addition to a 3:1 console sales lead over the PS3 during the Black Friday weekend, Xbox 360 finished the month of November with more than a 2:1 sales advantage over PS3. (November NPD data and Microsoft internal data) This momentum is happening around the world as well; Xbox 360 was the fastest-growing console in Europe for the month of November, with sales up 124 percent year-over-year, versus 43 percent for Wii and three percent for PS3. (Microsoft Internal data)

Xbox 360 outperformed the PS3 on total software sales for November at $408 million, thanks to the best and broadest games line up. (November NPD data) Additionally, Xbox LIVE continues to outpace both competitors with more than 14 million active members online worldwide, with the average number of unique visitors rising 66% in the past year. (Microsoft internal data) As an example of its industry-leading growth, every day, more than 1.5 million transactions and nearly 4 million game sessions take place on Xbox LIVE. In total, 45 network and studio partners, as well as Netflix, offer more than 30,000 pieces of entertainment content over Xbox LIVE.

“We’ve created the optimal line-up of experiences this holiday season for families seeking lasting entertainment value, particularly during rough economic times in the U.S. and abroad,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “We have the largest library of games, TV and movie content and the most expansive and rewarding social experiences. We’re confident Xbox 360 will continue to drive record sales around the world this holiday and beyond.”

Xbox 360 titles continue to dominate the industry’s top software spots, with three of the top ten games in November living on Xbox 360 (November NPD data).

  • Xbox 360-exclusive “Gears of War 2” was this month’s #1 selling game with 1.6 million units sold. (November NPD data)
  • “Call of Duty: World at War” for the Xbox 360 held the #2 spot, while “Left 4 Dead” rounded out the top 10 list at #8 (November NPD data)
  • Xbox 360-exclusive “Fable 2” was honored to receive the Game of the Year Award during G4TV X-Play’s Best of 2008 Awards this week. In November, “Fable 2” sold 184,000 units, bringing its life to date sales to 974,000 units in the US. (November NPD and Microsoft internal data)

PS3 has continued its strong momentum during the holiday season with 378,071 hardware units sold in November, representing an increase of almost 100% from October. From January to November 2008, more than 2.8 million PS3s have been sold in the U.S., representing a year-to-date hardware sales growth of more than 60%.
Fueled by an unmatched holiday line-up of blockbuster first and third-party titles, more that 3,552,456 software units were sold for PS3 in November, representing a year-to-date growth of 150%.

  • Top-selling exclusive games for PS3 in November included hot titles for the hardcore gamer and family alike, from the pulse-pounding first-person shooter Resistance 2, to one of the best-rated games of the year, LittleBigPlanet.Third-party must-have titles -- including Activision’s Call of Duty: World at War, Midway Games’ Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and Electronic Arts Sports’ Madden NFL 09 – rounded-out the best-selling games for the platform.
  • In November, the PlayStation nation continued to turn to the PlayStation®Network for entertainment content, including: new PlayStation games such Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Age of Booty; original content such as Qore: Episode 5 and Xam’d: Lost Memories, Season 2; and new blockbuster additions to the video delivery service, including Hancock and Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There are currently more than 15 million registered PlayStation Network accounts worldwide.

PSP and the Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack proved to be a popular choice for movies, games and entertainment content on-the-go in November, with 420,539 units sold. This represents an increase of 118% from October.

PS2 and the LEGO Batman: The Videogame PS2 Entertainment Pack posted solid sales in November, with 205,944 hardware units sold, a 51% increase from the previous month.

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