Top 10 Best Selling Games of August 2011 (USA)

What were the top 10 best selling games in August 2011 in the United States?

The newest NPD numbers are in, and so is the top 10 list of the highest selling games for August in America. This month, two beloved favorites cracked the top 10 list in Deus Ex: Human Revolution (a revival of the hit sci-fi series) and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS.

Here is the full Top 10

1. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) – Sales of 244,000, Released towards the end of the month on August 23rd.
2. NCAA Football 12 (Xbox 360, PS3) – Sales of 240,000 (Up from below 110K last year), Released on July 12th last month.
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360, PS3, DS, Wii, PC), Released way back on November 9th, 2010
4. Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd (DS, Wii, PS3), Released on August 2nd, based on the hit Disney Channel TV movie of the same name based on the hit cartoon.
5. Cars 2 (DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PC), Released on June 21st last month. Based on the hit Pixar Disney film.
6. Just Dance Summer Party (Wii), Released on July 19th.
7. Just Dance 2 (Wii), a Top 10 mainstay, Released on October 12th 2010.
8. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Wii, Xbox 360, DS, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC), Released on May 10th. Based on the hit film series.
9. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) – Sales of 84,000, Released on June 19th two months ago. Based on the beloved N64 title.
10. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3), Released on November 18th, 2010.

Here is the amazing trailer Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the top-selling game of the month.

System Sales

1. Xbox 360; Sold 308,000 Units (down 13.7% from last month)
2. 3DS; Sold 235,000 Units
3. PlayStation 3; Sold 218,000 (Down 3.5% from last month)
4. Wii; Sold 190,000 Units (Down 22.2% from last month)
5. DS; Sold 165,000 Units (Down -51.9% from last month)

Note that some numbers are approximations.

Overall Analysis from NPD’s Anita Frazier:

“August 2011 sales saw a decline versus August 2010 in all categories except for portable games hardware. In software, the bulk of the decline can be attributed to the shift of the annual Madden release from August to September (8/30 release falls within NPD’s September 2011 reporting period). Even though year to date performance of the new physical portion of the industry is down 5%, more than half of industry sales in this channel are still to be realized in the back four months of the year. Given the strong release schedule in the coming months, new physical retail sales could still be flat to slightly up once full year sales are tallied.”

Hardware
“All platforms (if you combine DS and 3DS) saw unit sales increases over July. The 3DS price cut drove portable hardware sales into positive territory, to a year-over-year increase in both unit and dollar sales. The PS3 price cut also drove a notable uptick in sales of that platform.”

Software
“Deus Ex: Human Revolution, was the top title for the month with just five days in the market before the end of the August reporting period. In September, it is likely we’ll see Madden take the top spot. Just Dance: Summer Dance Party, hit the market in July but just missed making the top 10. Sales of this title increased enough in August to capture a spot on the top 10 list. NCAA Football 12 did better in its second month at retail than did NCAA Football ’11 in August 2010, which could be an indication of Madden fans looking to get their football fix elsewhere due to the delay in the release of that title.

Games fans have a huge variety to choose from in September, especially for fans of games in the sports genre. Those interested in more “core” gaming experiences have both Resistance 3 and Gears of War 3, among others, to look forward to. Yes, some of these are already out in the market but we’ll get our first picture of their combined sales performance in the new physical retail channel when we release those figures on October 13. There was a lot happening outside of new physical retail as far as content is concerned. Fruit Ninja became available to download for the Xbox 360 and a new Call of Duty map pack was available as well.”

Here are quotes from each respective console manufacturer:

Microsoft PR
Xbox 360 maintains its lead over the current-generation console market, selling more units in the U.S. than any other console for 14 of the past 15 months. Sustained consumer demand for Xbox 360 and Kinect have helped the console maintain its number one spot in 2011, proving that consumers continue to recognize the excellent value and amazing games and entertainment experiences delivered by Xbox 360. With an exciting holiday sales season coming up, marked by blockbuster game titles and great new hardware offerings, we continue to expect this to be the biggest year in Xbox history, and the distinction of being this year’s best-selling console worldwide.

August 2011 NPD highlights include
– Holding 43 percent share of the overall current-generation console market, Xbox 360 sold 308,000 units in August, maintaining the number-one console spot in the U.S. for 2011. This marks the sixth month Xbox 360 has had more than 40 percent of the current-generation console market share. (Source: NPD Group, August 2011)
– Total retail spend on the Xbox 360 platform in August (hardware, software and accessories) reached $232 million, the most for any console in the U.S. (Source: NPD Group, August 2011)
– During the month of August, the top two console game titles were for Xbox 360: Deus Ex: Human Revolution and NCAA Football 12.

With a massive portfolio of new blockbuster and Kinect titles coming this holiday as well as new partnerships like Disney and UFC, Xbox 360 is well-positioned for continued success. Below is a list of some of the top exclusive game titles launching in the coming months.

– September 20th: Gears of War 3
– October 11th: Forza Motorsport 4
– October 11th: Kinectimals Now with Bears!
– October 25th: Dance Central 2
– October 25th: Kinect Sports: Season Two
– November 15th: Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
– November 15th: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Additionally, the highly-anticipated release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will launch on November 8th. All of the entertainment, partner support, record growth and sales momentum give us confidence that Xbox 360 will notch another record year.

Nintendo PR
Nintendo 3DS Sales Up 260 Percent Following Price Reduction

Nintendo sold more than 235,000 Nintendo 3DS portable entertainment systems in the United States in August, and the system finished as the No. 2 best-selling dedicated game system for the month, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. About 185,000 units were sold following a price reduction on Aug. 12, an increase of more than 260 percent during the comparable 19-day time period in July. Consumers are responding very positively to the new suggested retail price of $169.99 for the Nintendo 3DS,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Star Fox 64 3D and the new Flame Red color launching tomorrow, and Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 arriving later this year, Nintendo 3DS will offer consumers cutting-edge entertainment and tremendous value this holiday season.”

Other Nintendo milestones reached in August include:
– Nintendo sold more than 590,000 total hardware units in August, including more than 190,000 Wii systems and more than 165,000 units of the Nintendo DS family.
– For the third month in a row, the majority of the best-selling software SKUs play on Nintendo platforms. August featured five of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20.

So far in 2011, more than 50 million units of software have been sold for Nintendo platforms. In total, 540 million units of software have been sold for the Wii system and Nintendo DS family of systems combined.

Sony PR
“Despite inventory constraints at retail during the first half of August, PS3 hardware sales were very strong the last two weeks of the month following the $50 price cut and the new InFamous 2 bundle. The new PS3 price point, combined with PlayStation Move and the industry’s strongest lineup of exclusive titles, including Uncharted 3 and Everybody Dance, positions us for an amazing holiday season,” said Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at SCEA.

Thanks to NeoGAF