December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
#1
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2009/01...ls-ps3-by-2-1/
http://kotaku.com/5132576/what-was-2...game-in-the-us
Pretty much the usual suspects up there...
http://kotaku.com/5132576/what-was-2...game-in-the-us
December NPD Hardware
DS - 3.04 million
Wii - 2.15 million
Xbox 360 - 1.44 million
PSP - 1.02 million
PS3 - 726K
PS2 - 410K
December NPD Software
1. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii -1.46 million
2. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 - 1.33 million
3. Wii Fit w/ balance board - Wii - 999K
4. Mario Kart Wii w/ wheel - Wii - 979K
5. Guitar Hero: World Tour - Wii - 850K
6. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 - 745K
7. Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360 - 629K
8. Mario Kart - DS - 540K
9. Call of Duty: World at War - PS3 - 533K
10. Animal Crossing: City Folk - Wii - 497K
Top Software of 2008
1. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii - 5.28 million
2. Mario Kart Wii w/ wheel - Wii - 5.00 million
3. Wii Fit w/ balance board - Wii - 4.53 million
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Wii - 4.17 million
5. Grand Theft Auto IV - Xbox 360 - 3.29 million
6. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 - 2.75 million
7. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 - 2.31 million
8. Grand Theft Auto IV - PS3 - 1.89 million
9. Madden NFL '09 - Xbox 360 - 1.87 million
10. Mario Kart - DS - 1.65 million
DS - 3.04 million
Wii - 2.15 million
Xbox 360 - 1.44 million
PSP - 1.02 million
PS3 - 726K
PS2 - 410K
December NPD Software
1. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii -1.46 million
2. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 - 1.33 million
3. Wii Fit w/ balance board - Wii - 999K
4. Mario Kart Wii w/ wheel - Wii - 979K
5. Guitar Hero: World Tour - Wii - 850K
6. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 - 745K
7. Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360 - 629K
8. Mario Kart - DS - 540K
9. Call of Duty: World at War - PS3 - 533K
10. Animal Crossing: City Folk - Wii - 497K
Top Software of 2008
1. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii - 5.28 million
2. Mario Kart Wii w/ wheel - Wii - 5.00 million
3. Wii Fit w/ balance board - Wii - 4.53 million
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Wii - 4.17 million
5. Grand Theft Auto IV - Xbox 360 - 3.29 million
6. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 - 2.75 million
7. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 - 2.31 million
8. Grand Theft Auto IV - PS3 - 1.89 million
9. Madden NFL '09 - Xbox 360 - 1.87 million
10. Mario Kart - DS - 1.65 million
#2
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Osaka, Japan
Posts: 2,493
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
Wow, Valve would be very happy with those numbers for Left 4 Dead. Also GOW2 and COD going on their merry way. Usual 1st party Wii suspects doing amazing sales. Guitar Hero doing great on Wii too. DS sales ridiculous. Also, MS would have to be happy with those 360 sales I think. Great numbers for the PSP too. Where's the PSP software though?
#5
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Space Junk Galaxy
Posts: 2,470
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
Here are the results when you add up all the NPD numbers:
2008 U.S. sales:
1. Wii - 10.171 mil
2. DS - 9.951 mil
3. 360 - 4.735 mil
4. PSP - 3.829 mil
5. PS3 - 3.544 mil
LTD U.S. sales:
1. DS - 27.541 mil
2. Wii - 17.54 mil
3. PSP - 14.341 mil
4. 360 - 13.860 mil
5. PS3 - 6.794 mil
2008 U.S. sales:
1. Wii - 10.171 mil
2. DS - 9.951 mil
3. 360 - 4.735 mil
4. PSP - 3.829 mil
5. PS3 - 3.544 mil
LTD U.S. sales:
1. DS - 27.541 mil
2. Wii - 17.54 mil
3. PSP - 14.341 mil
4. 360 - 13.860 mil
5. PS3 - 6.794 mil
#6
DVD Talk Legend
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
#7
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: In the Universe.
Posts: 2,923
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
Talk about a comeback. The last two console cycles Nintendo got their asses handed to them. This generation Nintendo is cleaning house. It's simply amazing.
#10
DVD Talk Legend
This article kinda cracked me up. It more or less praises and insults all three consules at the same time. (and lest you think I'm ripping on anybody, I have all three consules)
http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_s...-own-good.html
With NPD's December and total 2008 sales data coming out tomorrow, it seems like a timely moment to ask: Why is the Playstation 3 performing so badly? After a decent start to the year, Sony has been slipping further and further behind its competitors. By November, it wasn't just a distant third place, but the only current gen console to see sales actually decline from 2007, despite two heavily hyped new games, one of which got overwhelmingly stellar reviews and was touted as a system seller (starts with an "L," ends with "anet").
There are lots of potential reasons that we're all aware of, including price (even though the PS3 is arguably the best value given its features, it still costs $100 more than the standard 360 and $150 more than a Wii), developers' difficulty working with the system, price, consumers' confusion over blu-ray, price, a lack of good exclusives, price, and, oh yea, price.
Sony's aware of all this, of course, and there are are reasons it can't solve them (on the price front, especially, SCE apparently feels an intense need to turn a profit, even if that means ceding volume). But an interesting question is why Sony's efforts to stand out -- the advantages it does have over its competitors -- aren't working. One reason: Odd as it is to say, I think Sony may just be too artsy. It's giving smart gamers (a category in which I'd include myself) what they want and it's not helping the bottom line.
Example #1: What was Sony's biggest release this year? "LittleBigPlanet." Sony may have attempted to market this as an all-aged fun-stravaganza, but given the weak sales so far (215,000 domestic units in October; far less <outside the top 20> in November; only 1.3 million registered users worldwide, meaning it sold far fewer), it hasn't yet hit a mass audience. So who does love it? From what I can tell, fans of quality, "artsy" games. The reviews are spectacular (one of the worst reviews on Metacritic coming from this largely positive crank) and there's tons of buzz amongst game critics, bloggers, aspiring designers, and others who like to really think about the games they play.
Similarly, Sony has put a lot of emphasis on the Playstation Network Store. It's the only one of the big three console makers that's investing its own money on downloadable "indie" games, resulting in innovative exclusives like "flow," the "PixelJunk" series, "Echochrome," and soon titles like "Flower" and "Fat Princess." Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare have fewer exclusive "indie" games, more ports of old favorites, and, frankly, more junk (though there are a few gems, like "Braid" and "World of Goo").
Of course there's "Home." Sony's answer to Xbox Live is to basically mimic "Second Life," the heavily hyped virtual world that was actually used by just a small number of artsy-minded Web obsessives.
The Cross Media Bar (XMB) is much cleaner and more Google-esque than Xbox Live, filled as it is with ads and other clutter, or the boring grid on the Wii menu.
Even the console itself is smoother, prettier, quieter -- a superior work of art.
And yet... there's little evidence any of it is helping sales. Sony has all these advantages, and plenty of smart people touting them, but it's mired in third place. It's not that being artsy is a bad thing. Substantively, it's great. And impressive that such a big corporation manages it. But as a question of where the company dedicates resources, I wonder whether Sony's being too high minded.
That's not to say Sony hasn't made any efforts to hit other audiences. "Resistance" 1 and 2, "Uncharted," the upcoming "Killzone 2" are all games that broader audiences should be able to appreciate. But so far, none have really caught on. Certainly not the way that "Gears of War" or "Wii Fit," to mention some new franchises aimed at mass audiences from Sony's competitors, have.
It's notable, if obvious, that the PS3's best month in 2008, the only one in which it sold more than 400,000 units domestically, was June, when "Metal Gear Solid 4" came out. And looking forward, the best hope on Sony's horizon to really move consoles in 2009 is probably when "God of War III" is released.
When all is said and done, Sony's efforts to do something different are impressive, but not enough to change the game, or at least overcome that $400 price tag. Compared to, say, Nintendo's efforts to do something different with the Wii, the PS3's artsy ambitions are barely moving the needle at all.
Which isn't to say it's a bad idea. "LittleBigPlanet" is a major achievement in videogame design and Playstation Network is undoubtedly leading the way in the indie gaming movement. XMB and the PS3 console are elegantly designed. But if Sony want more people to appreciate them, it looks like the old rules apply: it needs more hit core or family franchises, and probably a price cut.
Plus ca change...
There are lots of potential reasons that we're all aware of, including price (even though the PS3 is arguably the best value given its features, it still costs $100 more than the standard 360 and $150 more than a Wii), developers' difficulty working with the system, price, consumers' confusion over blu-ray, price, a lack of good exclusives, price, and, oh yea, price.
Sony's aware of all this, of course, and there are are reasons it can't solve them (on the price front, especially, SCE apparently feels an intense need to turn a profit, even if that means ceding volume). But an interesting question is why Sony's efforts to stand out -- the advantages it does have over its competitors -- aren't working. One reason: Odd as it is to say, I think Sony may just be too artsy. It's giving smart gamers (a category in which I'd include myself) what they want and it's not helping the bottom line.
Example #1: What was Sony's biggest release this year? "LittleBigPlanet." Sony may have attempted to market this as an all-aged fun-stravaganza, but given the weak sales so far (215,000 domestic units in October; far less <outside the top 20> in November; only 1.3 million registered users worldwide, meaning it sold far fewer), it hasn't yet hit a mass audience. So who does love it? From what I can tell, fans of quality, "artsy" games. The reviews are spectacular (one of the worst reviews on Metacritic coming from this largely positive crank) and there's tons of buzz amongst game critics, bloggers, aspiring designers, and others who like to really think about the games they play.
Similarly, Sony has put a lot of emphasis on the Playstation Network Store. It's the only one of the big three console makers that's investing its own money on downloadable "indie" games, resulting in innovative exclusives like "flow," the "PixelJunk" series, "Echochrome," and soon titles like "Flower" and "Fat Princess." Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare have fewer exclusive "indie" games, more ports of old favorites, and, frankly, more junk (though there are a few gems, like "Braid" and "World of Goo").
Of course there's "Home." Sony's answer to Xbox Live is to basically mimic "Second Life," the heavily hyped virtual world that was actually used by just a small number of artsy-minded Web obsessives.
The Cross Media Bar (XMB) is much cleaner and more Google-esque than Xbox Live, filled as it is with ads and other clutter, or the boring grid on the Wii menu.
Even the console itself is smoother, prettier, quieter -- a superior work of art.
And yet... there's little evidence any of it is helping sales. Sony has all these advantages, and plenty of smart people touting them, but it's mired in third place. It's not that being artsy is a bad thing. Substantively, it's great. And impressive that such a big corporation manages it. But as a question of where the company dedicates resources, I wonder whether Sony's being too high minded.
That's not to say Sony hasn't made any efforts to hit other audiences. "Resistance" 1 and 2, "Uncharted," the upcoming "Killzone 2" are all games that broader audiences should be able to appreciate. But so far, none have really caught on. Certainly not the way that "Gears of War" or "Wii Fit," to mention some new franchises aimed at mass audiences from Sony's competitors, have.
It's notable, if obvious, that the PS3's best month in 2008, the only one in which it sold more than 400,000 units domestically, was June, when "Metal Gear Solid 4" came out. And looking forward, the best hope on Sony's horizon to really move consoles in 2009 is probably when "God of War III" is released.
When all is said and done, Sony's efforts to do something different are impressive, but not enough to change the game, or at least overcome that $400 price tag. Compared to, say, Nintendo's efforts to do something different with the Wii, the PS3's artsy ambitions are barely moving the needle at all.
Which isn't to say it's a bad idea. "LittleBigPlanet" is a major achievement in videogame design and Playstation Network is undoubtedly leading the way in the indie gaming movement. XMB and the PS3 console are elegantly designed. But if Sony want more people to appreciate them, it looks like the old rules apply: it needs more hit core or family franchises, and probably a price cut.
Plus ca change...
#11
DVD Talk Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Formerly known as "orangecrush18" - still legal though
Posts: 13,844
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Get a free PSP or DS!!!!
Nice to see Mario Kart - DS in the 08' top ten. The Wii/DS numbers are out of control. It makes me a little in that it means we won't see a $99 price point for either in my life time.
#12
DVD Talk Hero
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
This article kinda cracked me up. It more or less praises and insults all three consules at the same time. (and lest you think I'm ripping on anybody, I have all three consules)
http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_s...-own-good.html
http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_s...-own-good.html
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Connekatakut
Posts: 578
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#15
DVD Talk Legend
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Picture a cup in the middle of the sea
Posts: 10,706
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
I hope this thread doesn't end like the previous one.
Well, to all the people that said that people were buying the Wii and not really buying games, that includes me , the numbers are a big surprise.
I'm really surprised by the Wii Fit numbers, that's $90+ game! And has been sold out since released, really hard to get. And still sold 4.53 million copies!
(Disclosure: I got one in release date and was heavily used the first couple of weeks but now it's used once a month by my wife... And no, I won't assume that's happening with everybody)
I may never be a fan of the Wii, and I may be afraid of the impact it can have in the videogame industry, but wow! good job Nintendo.
Well, to all the people that said that people were buying the Wii and not really buying games, that includes me , the numbers are a big surprise.
I'm really surprised by the Wii Fit numbers, that's $90+ game! And has been sold out since released, really hard to get. And still sold 4.53 million copies!
(Disclosure: I got one in release date and was heavily used the first couple of weeks but now it's used once a month by my wife... And no, I won't assume that's happening with everybody)
I may never be a fan of the Wii, and I may be afraid of the impact it can have in the videogame industry, but wow! good job Nintendo.
#16
DVD Talk Legend
#17
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
My parents haven't bought anything for the Wii other than Wii Fit and Wii Play. Humorously enough they bought Wii Fit for my 14 year old brother (my last brother still living at home) for Christmas. I don't think he has played it once but they are getting really into the thing.
The Wii really has become a gaming phenomenon and I'm curious what impact it will have on the next generation of game development.
The Wii really has become a gaming phenomenon and I'm curious what impact it will have on the next generation of game development.
#18
DVD Talk Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Formerly known as "orangecrush18" - still legal though
Posts: 13,844
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
That is a good question. By traditional standards the 360 is doing great. I fear that the Wii's numbers will encourage developers to make some half hearted attempt to appeal to the "soccer moms." I like the diversity of choice we have now.
#19
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
We're already seeing a push towards more "casual" games. I'm sure that will continue with the current gen as Microsoft and Sony keep trying to get the attention of the audience the Wii has already garnered.
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
While we are seeing a push for more casual games, the hardcore element is still buying the hardcore games. So I can see a market for both.
And the casual games actually have to be somewhat fun/or good, or they just wont sell.
And the casual games actually have to be somewhat fun/or good, or they just wont sell.
#24
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
#25
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
Re: December 2008 NPD Sales Numbers
Here's the list up to 20, albeit no exact figures -
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=21906
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=21906