The latest NPD numbers were just released, and they spell good news for all console manufacturers overall. Whereas the Xbox 360 predictably ended in first place by a healthy margin, Nintendo’s 3DS system saw a massive 260% boost in sales following its $80 price cut starting August 12.
On the software side, this was a pathetically slow month, with only Deus Ex providing a relief from the casual fare that dominated the charts (although evergreen titles such as Black Ops and Ocarina of Time 3D also charted).
The full software charts are given below:
Software (New physical retail only, across all platforms including PC)
01. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360, PS3, PC)** Square Enix Inc
02. NCAA Football 12 (360, PS3) Electronic Arts
03. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, NDS, Wii, PC)** Activision Blizzard
04. Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd (NDS, Wii, PS3) Disney Interactive Studios
05. Cars 2 (NDS, Wii, 360, PS3, PC) Disney Interactive Studios
06. Just Dance Summer Party (Wii) Ubisoft
07. Just Dance 2 (Wii) Ubisoft
08. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Wii, 360, NDS, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC) Disney Interactive Studios
09. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) Nintendo
10. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Wii, 360, PS3) Majesco
**(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)
On the hardware side, the charts looked like this:
Hardware
Xbox 360: 308,000 (-13.7%)
Nintendo 3DS: 235,000
PlayStation 3: 218,000 (-3.5%)
Wii: 190,000 (-22.2%)
Nintendo DS: 165,000 (-51.9%)
PR statements are given below:
Anita Frazier from NPD:
Overall
“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.”
Microsoft Press Release:
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 20: “Gears of War 3”
· October 11: “Forza Motorsport 4”
· October 11: “Kinectimals Now with Bears!”
· October 25: “Dance Central 2”
· October 25: “Kinect Sports: Season Two”
· November 15: “Kinect: Disneyland Adventures”
· November 15: “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary”
Additionally, the highly-anticipated release of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” will launch on November 8.
All of the entertainment, partner support, record growth and sales momentum give us confidence that Xbox 360 will notch another record year.
Nintendo Press Release
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 Press Release
“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.