And the install bases are almost 2:1 in NA, so apples and oranges as always...
In its monthly NPD U.S. game sales reaction email, Microsoft has trumpeted that its console is the only one on the market to experience year-on-year growth, while noting that Xbox Live downloads have more than doubled from the same period a year ago.
The console sold 330,000 units in the U.S. in March 2009 -- a 25% year-over-year increase, and according to Microsoft, one that flies in the face of its competitors' "double-digit declines".
The company has also revealed that the number of Xbox Live users paying for content on the service has more than doubled since this time last year, with 128% growth in unique users purchasing XBL content -- be it use of Netflix, other video, games, or DLC.
Microsoft has also revealed that the first three months of the year have seen 220% increase in DLC purchases, led by Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3, as well as its own shooter titles Gears of War 2 and Halo 3.
According to its internal numbers, there has been a 62% increase in downloadable game add-ons compared to the same period last year, with 516 pieces of game content released via Xbox Live for 63 titles.
Microsoft can claim three of the top 10 games of the month -- with the overall number one game Resident Evil 5 on its platform; the title's PlayStation 3 version placed fourth. Platform-exclusive first-party RTS Halo Wars placed third, while 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K9 placed 10th overall, notably behind Sony's MLB '09: The Show, which slotted in at sixth.
In its email, Microsoft also claims a top 10 appearance with Guitar Hero Metallica, which disagrees with the official chart as released by the NPD Group -- the game does not appear in its official top 10 at all. Microsoft has clarified with Gamasutra that it disregards sales of handheld games to formulate its top 10 -- which strips out third-placed Pokemon Platinum and slots in GH: Metallica at #10.
You guys are all surprised at the KZ numbers but it was already known through a couple reports recently, one that it had reached 500k, and another that it had shipped 600k to date in NA. It was easy to extrapolate the sales from those in fact I expected it to be closer to 200k than 300.
MS speaketh: http://www.gamasutra.com/newswire?story=23242
Nice to see Xbox Live keep growing. It's a great service and deserves to do well. Yay at GH:M being 11th. Well deserved.
When I saw the 500k number, I thought it was WW, so I wasn't sure what I was expecting. I did expect Halo Wars to do about as well as it did in the UK, though. Ah, and I was about to comment about how Sony's not mentioning KZ2 passing the 1mil milestone was worrying, but I jumped the gun: http://kotaku.com/5215424/killzone-2-sells-1-million-worldwide
And I totally overlooked The Show, it's fascinating that it outsold the 360 version of MLB 09. I'd love to see the PS3 numbers for that game.
So the question is what happen to all those UK or Europe 1 million pre orders then?
It outsold it during the period of March NPD. I think The Show was released the same day as Halo Wars (March 3rd) so again, KZ2 was released just 4 days before The Show. So if you include Feb numbers, KZ2 sold more than double the amount of The Show.It's almost (almost) a bit funny that the most hyped PS3 game yet released gets casually outsold by The Show, itself not moving a very impressive number of units.
(I do think both are quality, AAA titles)
Is anyone surprised with KZ2?
Let's talk about hype...is there any games for the same period on the PS3 more hyped? No, so it got the whole stage to itself.
Let's talk about reviews and word of mouth...the reviews are generally excellent. The word of mouth according to some here is good too.
Let's talk about graphic...is there any fps on the PS3 that looks better? Nope.
Let's talk about genre...maybe FPS doesn't sell well on the PS3. Hmm look at WaW, it's doing amazing well.
It just doesn't add up. Maybe it's the control. JK
It just doesn't grab the interest. I feel I fit in with the majority of gamers.
I've been wondering about it myself.
Maybe the 'lots of people bought the PS3 for bluray' thing is true, and the people actually buying games are really a tiny contingent of incredibly hardcore fans with lots of money to spend. So hardcore that they manage to match multiplatform games' attach-rate on 360 several times in a row. But that, say, 1 million-strong ultra-hardcore fanbase (in the US, of course) can only do so much short of each buying more than one copy of a game.
Yeah, that's probably it.
I'm not comparing it to 360 fps. Comparing KZ2 with WaW on the PS3...it still doesn't make sense.
Unless what I'm said in another thread about KZ2 is that it's too hardcore...and turned people off.
Unless what I'm said in another thread about KZ2 is that it's too hardcore...and turned people off.