November’s American video game sales data from the NPD is in, and like almost any month the past year, it shows an unchanged result: A Nintendo system on top, this time the Wii outsold all other systems BY FAR!
NPD analyst, Anita Frazier, had this to say: “The video games industry continues to set a blistering sales pace, overall, with total month revenues 10% higher than last November, even with 7 less days of post-Thanksgiving shopping this year as compared to last. With $16 billion realized for the year so far through November, the industry is still on pace to achieve total year revenues of $22 billion in the U.S.
One reason for the continued strength of the industry compared to other forms of entertainment comes from a number of sources. Certainly, the expanded audience for gaming due to the availability of a wider variety of compelling content is a strong contributor. Economic factors are also at play given that a video game is a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment for the hours of value it provides. Our Consumer Spending Indicator shows that video games is the category consumers are least likely to cut back on this holiday.”
Video game hardware overview:
1. Nintendo Wii — 2.04 million
2. Nintendo DS — 1.57 million
3. Xbox 360 — 836,000
4. PlayStation Portable — 421,000
5. PlayStation 3 — 378,000
6. PlayStation 2 — 206,000
Xbox 360-exclusive Gears of War 2 had a strong launch with over 1.56 million sales in the U.S. alone (3 million worldwide) thanks to both the standard and limited editions. The NPD mentions that “Gears of War II certainly didn’t disappoint, achieving a 13% attach rate to the Xbox 360 install base. These are the types of platform exclusive games that are so important to the continued strength of any given platform.
After a soft introduction last month, Wii Music came back to score a spot on the top 10 list for the month. I think this is a testament to the power of a comprehensive marketing campaign and the very strong brand equity that the Wii platform enjoys. We would be remiss not to point out the strength of PC game sales this month as lead by the release of the latest World of Warcraft expansion pack. Wrath of the Lich King sold over 1.4 million units in the U.S. during its debut month at retail. — Year-to-date games sales growth is 31%.”
Video game software overview top 10:
1. Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360) — 1.56 million
2. Call of Duty: World At War (Xbox 360) — 1.41 million
3. Wii Play (Wii) — 796,000
4. Wii Fit (Wii) — 697,000
5. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) — 637,000
6. Call of Duty: World At War (PS3) — 597,000
7. Guitar Hero: World Tour (Wii)
8. Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360) — 410,000
9. Resistance 2 (PS3) — 385,000
10. Wii Music (Wii) — 297,000
11. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)
12. Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)
13. Rock Band (Wii)
14. Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (DS)
15. Guitar Hero: World Tour (Xbox 360)
16. Mario Kart DS (DS)
17. Guitar Hero: World Tour (PS2)
18. WWE Smack down vs. Raw 2009 (PS2)
19. Fable II (Xbox 360)
20. Madden NFL 09 (Xbox 360)
Ms. Frazier concluded that “All three of the newer generation console systems have something to brag about. The expanded supply of Wii systems at retail was clearly evident in the sales figures this month. The 360 realized a nice unit sales bump over last November and the PS3 year-to-date unit sales growth is impressive. It’s clear there can be more multiple victors this generation and while price is certainly a strong factor, particularly as the current economic situation continues to prevail, the most important factor that will drive success in 2009 will be the line-up of compelling games that will keep consumers involved in the industry.”