Publisher Activision continues to toot its own horn over the recent release of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 2 Modern Warfare 2 with new figures for the first five days of sale, revealing a "new worldwide estimated five-day sell-through record" of $550 million.

Backing up its bold claim that Modern Warfare 2's arrival on November 10 was "the biggest launch in history across all forms of entertainment," Activision lists the following book, movie and video game records broken by the shooter sequel's launch.

• The largest reported five-day opening worldwide box office gross figures, held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($394 million)
• The largest reported five-day opening domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($203.8 million)
• The largest reported five-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (6 million... Read more

Borderlands had "the fastest-selling original property video game launch of 2009," developer Gearbox proclaimed today alongside word of the imminent PC patch.

Exact sales figures for the shooter-RPG, which hit consoles and PC in October, weren't provided. Sales-tracking firm NPD recently revealed that the Xbox 360 version sold 418,000 copies in the United States during October, with the PlayStation 3 version netting sales of 113,000. Combined, the two SKUs rival chart topper Uncharted 2.

The first expansion, The Zombie Island of Dr. Zed, is slated to... Read more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 publisher Activision has declared this week's release of Infinity Ward's shooter "the biggest launch in history across all forms of entertainment."

Approximately 4.7 million copies of Modern Warfare 2 were bought within the first 24 hours of sale in North America and the United Kingdom alone according to internal estimates, which Activision works out as $310 million of sell-through sales.

Modern Warfare 2 was released for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, with many stores opening at midnight for the occasion including 10,000 in the USA.

So great was the launch, Infinity's Ward Robert Bowling explained, that Sony's PlayStation Network was "overwhelmed" by the glut of players on PlayStation 3 and many were left unable to play online--an issue which should now be rectified.

Sony had a big month in September, with the PlayStation 3 claiming the top spot in console hardware sales for the first time, according to NPD's US sales data.

"Compared to last September, the PS3 was the big winner, more than doubling last year's sales," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "This portrays a very strong consumer reaction to the price decrease as August and September both realized a lift of more than 70% over the prior month."

The PlayStation 3 Slim was announced in late August, dropping the price of the console to $300. Microsoft followed suit with its own Xbox 360 price cut to $300, while Nintendo lowered the price of the Wii to $200 in late September.

Check out the final numbers below:... Read more

Bungie's stand-alone Halo 3 expansion topped the NPD sales charts in September, beating Wii Sports and Madden NFL 10 by a significant margin with over 1.5 million units sold. Also notable was the performance of The Beatles: Rock Band, which clearly beat Guitar Hero 5 sales on Xbox 360 despite launching nine days later. The Wii version of The Beatles also came in strong, selling enough units to claim the tenth place on the list.

The top selling games of September follow:

1. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360) - 1,520,000 units
2. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - 442,900
3. Madden NFL 10 (Xbox 360) - 298,600 ... Read more

The videogame industry continued to struggle in July, posting $848 million in total US sales, a 29% decrease in overall sales compared to the same month last year.

Interestingly, only publishers Electronic Arts and Nintendo made the top 10 in software sales. Wii Sports Resort sold over 500,000 units, while NCAA Football 10 pushed over 600,000 units across the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

July's top 10 software:

1. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo, Wii) - 508.2K
2. NCAA Football 10 (EA, 360) - 376.5K
3. NCAA Football 10 (EA, PS3) - 237.4K
4. Wii Fit W/Balance Board (Nintendo, Wii) - 164.3K
5. Mario Kart W/Wheel (Nintendo, Wii) - 156.6K... Read more

Nintendo's 2009 first-quarter net profits fell 60% compared to the period last year while net sales are down 40%, new financial documents released today have revealed.

On a sunny note, Nintendo affirmed its continuing mission to "pursue 'Gaming Population Expansion' based on the idea of putting smiles on many people's faces."

Nintendo also reveals the DSi has sold 6,680,000 hardware units worldwide to-date, while the two DS models have hit 107,750,000 sales, and the Wii a tidy 52,620,000.

The gaming giant's 2009 net sales for the three-month period ending... Read more

THQ's mixed martial arts hit UFC 2009 Undisputed reigned supreme over the North American console software charts in May.

The fighting game--developed by Japanese studio Yuke's Osaka--recorded over one million sales between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, which placed first and fourth place on the list, respectively.

Sucker Punch's PlayStation 3-exclusive action game inFamous, released on May 26, recorded 175,900 sales in its first six days of business.

May's North American console software leaders:

1. UFC 2009 Undisputed (Yuke's Osaka, Xbox 360) - 679,600 units
2. Wii Fit w/Balance Board(Nintendo, Wii) - 352,800 units
3. EA Sports Active Bundle (EA Sports, Wii) - 345,800 units
4. UFC 2009 Undisputed (Yuke's Osaka, PS3) - 334,400 units
5. inFamous (Sucker Punch, PS3) - 175,900 units... Read more

Lacking the monster sales of last April's Grand Theft Auto 4, the NPD charts for April 2009 mark a fairly uneventful period in North American videogame sales.

Wii Fit lead the software pile with 471,000 units sold, with Pokemon Platinum followed up closely with 433,000 units. EA's newcomer The Godfather II captured two slots on the list for over 200,000 combined sales, while Guitar Hero Aerosmith unbelievably beat out Guitar Hero Metallica in its debut month.

"The big story for the month is the performance of portable game hardware sales as propelled by the release of Nintendo's DSi," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier of the system's 1.04 million sales. "The NDS platform accounted for 31 percent of total industry unit sales this month across all categories."

April's best-selling software:

1. Wii Fit w/Balance Board (Nintendo, Wii) - 471,000 units
2. Pokemon Platinum Version (Nintendo, NDS) - 433,000
3. Mario Kart w/Wheel (Nintendo, Wii) - 210,000
4. Wii Play w/Remote (Nintendo, Wii) - 170,000
5. The Godfather II (EA Redwood Shores, 360) - 155,000... Read more

While analysts had predicted that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars would see first month sales of anywhere from 200K to 450K units, sales-tracking group NPD has revealed that Rockstar's Nintendo DS exclusive sold far under those expectations.

From its release on March 17 to the end of NPD's tracking period on April 4, the mature-rated title sold a mere 89,000 units in the US, the firm confirmed with Joystiq. Publisher Take-Two's internal sales expectations for the game are unknown.

"The disappointing first month sales reinforce our view that achieving meaningful success on Nintendo platforms remains a very difficult proposition for third party publishers," Cowen Group analyst Doug Creutz told Gamasutra, noting his belief that the lower-than-expected sales were "not due to any misexecution on Take-Two's part."

Nintendo has revealed that the Nintendo DSi posted far higher sales during its first week of sale than its predecessor the DS Lite managed when it launched in 2006.

According to Nintendo's internal tracking numbers, a whopping 435,000 DSi units were sold in the first week of sale in the United States. In contrast, the DS Lite sold 226,300.

The third iteration of the Nintendo DS, the DSi slims the console, enlarges the screens and adds two cameras, at the price of removing its Game Boy Advance cartridge slot.

According to NPD data, Nintendo accounted for 58.4% of all hardware sales in March.

Offering a glimpse into the fascinating world of game sales, research group NPD has released its take on the software and hardware sales in the US over 3/1/09 to 4/4/09.

New releases dominated the software chart, with Resident Evil 5 surpassing 1.5 million units thanks to a dual-platform debut, and Halo Wars racking up an impressive 639K.

Meanwhile, Nintendo continued its dominance of hardware sales charts.

The month's ten best-selling consoles games were:

1. Resident Evil 5 (Capcom, 360) - 938,000 units
2. Pokemon Platinum Version (Game Freak, DS) - 805,000 units
3. Halo Wars (Ensemble, 360) - 639,000 units
4. Resident Evil 5 (Capcom, PS3) - 585,000 units
5. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 541,000 units
6. MLB 09: The Show (Sony, PS3) - 305,000 units
7. Killzone 2 (Guerrilla Games, PS3) - 296,000 units... Read more

Nintendo's lineup of Wii and DS titles continues to dominate the North American console sales charts, with Wii Fit once again being named the best-selling video game in the region last month, according to NPD.

Capcom's Street Fighter IV also did well in February, posting combined sales of over 800,000 units across the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.

The best-selling games of February:

1. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 644,000 units
2. Street Fighter IV (Capcom, 360) - 446,000 units
3. Street Fighter IV (Capcom, PS3) - 403,000 units
4. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 386,000 units
5. Killzone 2 (Guerilla Games, PS3) - 323,000 units
6. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 263,000 units
7. Call of Duty: World at War (Treyarch, Xbox 360) - 193,000 units
8. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo, NDS) - 145,000 units
9. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, NDS) - 144,000 units
10. Guitar Hero: World Tour (Neversoft, Wii) - 136,000 units

Nintendo predictably crushed the competition in the hardware sector, while Sony's PlayStation 3 again trailed the Xbox 360 in the race for third place.

February hardware sales follow:... Read more

In the three or so weeks since Halo Wars launched, the Xbox 360 strategy game has sold over one million copies worldwide, publisher Microsoft announced today.

That makes it "the best selling real-time strategy game on any current generation console," according to Microsoft's claims. The final game from Ensemble Studios, Halo Wars hit Asia on February 26, Europe on February 27, and North America on March 3.

Over 2.6 million multiplayer matches have been played thus far, adding up to 118 years of time, with Microsoft teasing that "these initial explosive battles in 'Halo Wars' are just beginning" as the Ensemble veterans at Robot are working on more Halo Wars content.

Nintendo announced today that it shipped the 100 millionth Nintendo DS unit on March 6, 2009--4 years, 3 months and 14 days after the portable debuted at North America.

The company declared that the system "helped redefine what a video game could be" and trumpeted the Nintendo DSi as an example of its continued livelihood. Nintendo further noted that 83 DS games have shipped over 1 million copies, as of 2008's end, with 7 of those shipping over 10 million.

Already released in Japan, the Nintendo DSi represents the third revision of the hardware. It sports a slimmer profile thanks to the removal of the Game Boy Advance slot, bigger screens, two cameras, and the ability to buy and download games online.

The DSi hits Europe on April 3 and North America on April 5, where it will sell for an MSRP of $169.99. The previous model, the DS Lite, has an MSRP of $129.99.

Nintendo continued its steady reign over the industry in January, taking the top three slots on the US console software charts with Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii.

In the hardware sector, the Wii and Nintendo DS easily lead the field. Microsoft's Xbox 360 claimed a 3:2 margin over Sony's PlayStation 3, while the PlayStation 2 still managed another 100,000 sales.

The industry as a whole performed well despite the economic recession, boasting a 13% bump in total revenue over January 2008.

Let's get down to the numbers. The January 2009 software sales:

1. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 777,000 units
2. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 415,000 units
3. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 292,000 units
4. Left 4 Dead (Valve, Xbox 360) - 243,000 units
5. Call of Duty: World at War (Treyarch, Xbox 360) - 235,000 units... Read more

Yesterday, sales-tracking firm NPD Group announced that the United States console market grew by 19% in 2008, resulting in a new record revenue of $21.33 billion.

Now, Nintendo has stepped into the picture, claiming that its software, hardware and accesories were "responsible for 99% of those additional retail dollars."

Of the year's ten best-selling games, five were published and developed by Nintendo. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Wii accounted for 55% of all home console sales during 2008, selling more than 10 million units and more than doubling its install base.

As for the Nintendo DS, the device made up a whopping 72% of all portable sales in 2008, selling 9.5 million and bringing its U.S. install base to a staggering 27.60 million.

Shacknews' analysis of NPD Group's 2008 U.S. console sales data has revealed that Nintendo saw a banner year for total system sales, selling over 10 million Wiis--more than doubling its install base--and moving nearly as many Nintendo DS handhelds.

The 2008 total U.S. hardware sales are as follows:

1. Wii - 10,224,400
2. Nintendo DS - 9,951,500
3. Xbox 360 - 4,735,200
4. PSP - 3,829,300
5. PlayStation 3 - 3,685,000
6. PlayStation 2 - 2,106,100*

In combination with the lifetime figures NPD issued for 2007, the above data allows for an updated look at how each console is performing overall in the United States.

Lifetime U.S. hardware sales, as of December 2008:

1. PlayStation 2 - 43.22 million*
2. Nintendo DS - 27.60 million
3. Wii - 17.60 million
4. PSP 14.30 million
5. Xbox 360 - 13.89 million
6. PlayStation 3 - 6.94 million

While Sony recently claimed 50 million total PlayStation 2 sales in North America, the above figures only pertain to the United States.

(*NPD did not report PlayStation 2 sales for the months of January and May 2008.)

Marking another record year for the United States video game sales, research firm NPD Group reports that 2008 saw the console market grow by 19% to $21.33 billion.

As for why studios are undergoing closures and layoffs following a record-breaking year, NPD analyst Anita Frazier explained that "this is not a case of the rising tide lifting all boats...increases are not being enjoyed equally by all manufacturers and publishers."

2008's best-selling console games at U.S. retailers were:

1. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 5.28 million units
2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 5 million units
3. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 4.53 million units
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo, Wii) - 4.17 million units
5. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar North, Xbox 360) - 3.29 million units*
6. Call of Duty: World at War (Treyarch, Xbox 360) - 2.75 million units*
7. Gears of War 2 (Epic, Xbox 360) - 2.31 million units*... Read more

Eight years, three months and thirteen days after the system debuted in North America, Sony today revealed that the PlayStation 2 has sold over 50 million units in the territory, surpassing the "mid-30 million" sales of the original PlayStation.

Despite a lagging software lineup compared to more recent systems, Sony is still confident in the console, with hardware marketing director John Koller telling Gamasutra that "the PS2 is not going away anytime soon" due to its 2009-10 lineup.

The system now has over 1800 games in North America, with at least 130 of them arriving across the past year. Koller did not specify any upcoming key games, though the system will see a variety of sports games, movie tie-ins, and more Guitar Hero.

As for the system's price, Sony seems to be rather content with the existing $129.99 price point, with Koller claiming that the company is "comfortable with the current price."