Microsoft has announced that global sales of their Xbox 360 console have topped over 30 million units, since its launch in 2005!
The company said that puts it on top this year compared to competitors Nintendo and Sony. NPD data confirms this is the highest percentage growth of any console thus far in 2009. This conflicts with a Nintendo announcement back in March that 50 million units of its Wii gaming console had been sold, putting Nintendo in the number-one slot for total units sold globally.
Never the less, Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business senior VP Don Mattrick says that “We’ve always been confident that Xbox 360 offers more entertainment value than any other console on the market, and these latest numbers show that consumers agree. We expect our growth to continue to accelerate. E3 2009 will underscore our commitment to bringing blockbuster entertainment experiences to everyone and to growing the Xbox entertainment brand globally.”
Xbox Live, which now has more than 20 million active users, is at the core of Xbox 360’s sales, according to Microsoft. Live allows users to connect with friends and download movies and television shows. Consumers have downloaded nearly one billion games and content from Xbox Live Marketplace.
The online gaming service surged after Microsoft launched the New Xbox Experience last November. Once released, the service saw a 136 percent increase in new members. The number of television and movie downloads also more than doubled, and purchases of Xbox Live Arcade games increased 70 percent, according to the company.
Because of its availability in 26 countries, Xbox Live is now in more homes than satellite providers, according to the company, and before the end of the year Microsoft said it expects the number of Xbox Live members will push past number of subscribers of the largest cable provider, based on data collected by NPD Group.
Microsoft further stated that in the current console generation, U.S. consumers have spent $14.5 billion on Xbox 360 as a category. Microsoft also highlighted its strength among third-party publishers, claiming $5.9 billion in sales to date for them is “more than those of current-generation consoles combined.” And closing off by adding that the Xbox 360’s games-per-console ratio currently stands at 8.3.