Xbox pulls into UK second place

[Johnny Awesome]

18:17 After nearly seven months at retail, Microsoft's Xbox console has finally muscled its way into the number two spot in the UK, boasting a larger installed user base than GameCube.
Despite releasing almost two months ahead of GameCube, Xbox had a slow start in the UK and Europe, with brand loyalty allowing Nintendo's console to hit the ground running.

But with the vital Christmas period approaching, Xbox has confounded expectations by pulling well clear of GameCube in weekly sales, while edging past Nintendo's machine in the all-important yearly totals.

UK figures for the week ending November 2, compiled by ChartTrack, show Xbox shifting an impressive 10,371 units, marking a rise of 42 percent on the previous week's sales, with GameCube tailing on 6,657 units - an increase of 15 percent.

The cumulative totals for 2002 make even more interesting reading, with GameCube on 230,876 since launch, and Microsoft just ahead on 233,503. But on the back of a successful new Xbox bundle, this trend seems unlikely to change, with the gap expected to widen in the run up to Christmas.

Microsoft is understandably delighted by the results, a spokesperson telling us: "We are really pleased with the positive momentum we have going into the Christmas period and are delighted that more and more gamers are experiencing the superior gaming offered by Xbox."

But this will make sobering reading for Nintendo, now faced with a much bleaker Christmas than it surely would have anticipated.

Super Mario Sunshine, despite big early sales, has simply not shifted GC units in the numbers Nintendo anticipated. Furthermore, it's no secret in development circles that bringing a title exclusively onto GameCube is a less profitable exercise that it is for PS2 and Xbox.

How Nintendo will respond to the new figures is unclear. A spokesperson for the company was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.

The ChartTrack figures as a whole, however, represent a positive overall sales rise in the run up to Christmas, with PS2 in an unassailable position, shifting a massive 39,719 units last week, up 35 percent, and GBA clearing 13,693 units - a weekly increase of 26 percent.

The fight for second place is well and truly on and Xbox is winning. We'll keep you updated on all developments.

 

[Qroach]

If this doesn't start an argument, I don't know what will

 

[Geeforcer]

We covered this ten times now. UK likes the Xbox, did not like the price. Price went down, sales went up.

 

[Gollum]

Question is, how is the rest of Europe? Is the rise in UK sales representative of european sales in general or, like some here have claimed in the past, is the UK buying behaviour more similar to the US and the rest of Europe is developing differently?
Would be nice to get some numbers from other EU countries too, not that I expect that to happen...

 

[Goldni]

Well GCN is a pretty good deal ahead in Europe overall though. I dont think Ms should start breaking out the 'bubbly' just because the XB pulls ahead by some 3000 units in the UK. It's appearant that the bundle and price drop are helping. One question though, when is the SMS bundle coming out in Europe?

 

[Blade]

What Quincy said.

Really, why bother post this?

Xbox is in the lead by a miniscule amount.. which could (and likely will) shift back and forth over the coming months.

 

[Legion]

How do we know the GC is far ahead of the xbox in europe? What were the last sales figures for europe?

 

[Steve Dave Part Deux]

Furthermore, it's no secret in development circles that bringing a title exclusively onto GameCube is a less profitable exercise that it is for PS2 and Xbox.

If it's a piece of crap.

 

[Magnum PI]

the xbox was launched in march, the GC in may.

the lead of the xbox is of 3000 units.

PR artists can really make something out of nothing, i admire them !

 

[Glonk]

The article was mostly about how Xbox weekly sales are rising substantially faster than the GCN, not just for this week, but over the past couple of months.

 

[Qroach]

If it's a piece of crap.

Well crap games don't typically sell on any system. However there's other games that are NOT crap that still don't sell well on gamecube. Sport games for instance are a perfect example.

 

[Teasy]

As has been said XBox was pretty much always doing well in the U.K, but doing terribly in the rest of Europe. Also the U.K is nowhere near as big a market as the rest of Europe combined. Just to illestrate that, GameCube sold 90,000 in the U.K within a few months and 500,000 in the entire of Europe, so the U.K is only about 20% of the European market, yet XBox sold around 60% of its European consoles in the U.K AFAIR.

If sales stayed with the same ratio (20% of total Eurpean GC sales in the U.K and 60% of total European XBox sales in the U.K) then GameCube would currently have around 1.2 million units sold in Europe and XBox around 400,000. Of course we have no way of knowing right now so its just speculation to make my point, that point is good U.K sales do not neccesarily mean good European sales for XBox.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

Well, the European console market is about 60% of the US console market, since the split is (50/30/20) between US/EU/Japan.

Since the PS2 is selling about 600,000 units per month in the US, it should be selling about 360,000 units per month in Europe. It's selling 40,000 units per week = 160,000 units per month in the UK. This places the UK at roughly 44% of the EU market. It's probably more like 40%. I imagine that Germany and France each have around 20%, with the other 20% split amongst Scandanavia, Italy, Spain, Protugal, and the rest.

 

[wazoo]

Well, the European console market is about 60% of the US console market, since the split is (50/30/20) between US/EU/Japan.

Since the PS2 is selling about 600,000 units per month in the US, it should be selling about 360,000 units per month in Europe. It's selling 40,000 units per week = 160,000 units per month in the UK. This places the UK at roughly 44% of the EU market. It's probably more like 40%. I imagine that Germany and France each have around 20%, with the other 20% split amongst Scandanavia, Italy, Spain, Protugal, and the rest.

the exact pourcentages on the gamasutra web site in a pdf file about sales.

 

[Qroach]

Actually, from what our Euro rep has told me, germany is the largest region for game sales.

Either way, the only reason it wasn't selling well at the start was because the price was too high. Well, as you all know the price is no longer the issue and i have no doubt that sales have increased in all regions.

 

[Johnny Awesome]

Germany isn't the largest, the UK is. See, sometimes I actually disagree with QRoach.

New information: The September numbers are in - Xbox is outselling GCN in UK, France, Germany (combined) by 7% right now. IGN Wire has the article, for reference.

 

[marconelly!]

IGN Wire has the article, for reference.

Yeah, that 'report' from MS is pure comedy gold

I don't doubt the 7% european number, though.

 

[Qroach]

Erm johnny, I'm going to have to trust my Euro sales rep on that one. He just mentioned it in a conference call yesterday afternoon. According to him, the game market in Germany is MUCH larger than the UK. Unless he meant it was the largest out side of the UK...

Either way, if Xbox is doing better in all thsoe regions, then it's a good thing.

 

[Teasy]

Johnny Awesome

The U.K is most deffinately not 40% of the European market, it might very well be the biggest single market in Europe, but I can't see it being anymore then 30% of the whole market. Its probably more like 30% for U.K, 25% for Germany, 15% for France, leaving 20% for the other countries.

On a seperate note if you look at PS2 sales, as you just were (11 million for U.S and 8 million for Europe, plus Europe got PS2 a month later), the European market is more like 75% of the U.S market.

New information: The September numbers are in - Xbox is outselling GCN in UK, France, Germany (combined) by 7% right now. IGN Wire has the article, for reference.

When I see actual sales numbers, not ones from MS, I'll believe that (as I did with the U.K sales numbers). But until then I'll dismiss it is yet more MS propaganda. Like when they said they'd sold 500,000 XBox consoles in Europe ages ago, even though it was obviously untrue at the time.

 

[Qroach]

Teasy,

On a seperate note if you look at PS2 sales, as you just were (11 million for U.S and 8 million for Europe, plus Europe got PS2 a month later), the European market is more like 75% of the U.S market.

That's JUST the PS2. Not the entire gaming market of course. If you want the entire gaming market then you need to add up the sales of ALL consoles in both regions. We talked about this before.

When I see actual sales numbers, not ones from MS, I'll believe that (as I did with the U.K sales numbers). But until then I'll dismiss it is yet more MS propaganda. Like when they said they'd sold 500,000 XBox consoles in Europe ages ago, even though it was obviously untrue at the time.

ha, I knew you'd say this. keep in mind that thi means you also ca not trust Nitnendo's numbers as well. this is exactly the same thing I was saying months ago when you and a few others ran bout using nintendo's number as fact.

Also, I remember that 500,000 number being "shipped", not sold.