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."

Along with November's best-selling consoles games, NPD has detailed the month's hardware sales from US retailers. Thanks to the holiday shopping season, each console saw a significant jump that, at least, came close to doubling October sales.

Nintendo's Wii posted a staggering 2.04 million sales, a one-month record since NPD began its tracking in 2001. Last year, the Wii sold 981,000 over the same period.

Sales of Nintendo DS hardware tripled in the past month, while Microsoft finally made good on its promise to outsell the PlayStation 3 by more than a two-to-one ratio. The PS3 sold 466,000 units in November 2007, but only managed 378,000 this year.

The US console sales for November:

1. Wii - 2.04 million units
2. Nintendo DS - 1.57 million units
3. Xbox 360 - 836,000 units
4. PSP - 421,000 units
5. PlayStation 3 - 378,000 units
6. PlayStation 2 - 206,000 units

"The video games industry continues to set a blistering sales pace, overall, with total month revenues 10% higher than last November, even with 7 less days of post-Thanksgiving shopping this year [over last]," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

"With $16B realized for the year so far through November, the industry is still on pace to achieve total year revenues of $22B in the U.S."

Per tradition, sales-tracking research group NPD has issued its regular list of the past month's best-selling console games at U.S. retailers.

According to NPD, the top-selling console titles in November 2008 were:

1. Gears of War 2 (Epic, Xbox 360) - 1.56 million units*
2. Call of Duty: World at War (Treyarch, Xbox 360) - 1.41 million units*
3. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 796,000 units
4. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 697,000 units
5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 637,000 units
6. Call of Duty: World at War (Treyarch, PS3) - 597,000 units
7. Guitar Hero World Tour (Vicarious Visions, Wii) - 475,000 units*
8. Left 4 Dead (Valve, Xbox 360) - 410,000 units
9. Resistance 2 (Insomniac, PS3) - 385,000 units*
10. Wii Music (Nintendo, Wii) - 297,000 units

(*includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)

While Gears of War 2 was the best-selling game on a per-platform basis, the PS3 and Xbox 360 sales of Call of Duty: World at War top Gears 2 if combined.

Notable absences from the list include Mirror's Edge (PS3, 360) and Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)--both November games--as well as LittleBigPlanet (PS3), which arrived in the final days of October after a last-minute delay.

"Reinforcing that at this point in the cycle, content is once again king, year-to-date games sales growth is 31%. The top-10 list of games shows just how varied the most popular games have become," explained NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Frazier also touched on Gears of War 2, Wii Music and the strength of PC... Read more

The Xbox 360 outsold the PlayStation 3 on a three-to-one ratio on Black Friday, one of the biggest holiday shopping days of the year, Microsoft has announced.

Citing U.S. retailer reports, Microsoft said November 28 was a "historic Black Friday for Xbox 360," with an estimated 25% jump in hardware sales over Black Friday 2007.

The company further reported that, since the September price drop, the Xbox 360 has outsold the PlayStation 3 "week over week across Europe," with European console sales "up as much as 400 percent."

Noted Microsoft VP Don Mattrick: "Record Black Friday sales in the U.S., coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox Live members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009."

Adding to October's top ten console games as measured by market research firm The NPD Group, the rankings for numbers 11 to 20 have emerged, showing strong performance for 360 versions of multiplatform games and a few high-profile disappointments.

The next best ten games, courtesy of Gamasutra, are as follows:

11. Guitar Hero World Tour (Neversoft, Xbox 360)
12. Guitar Hero World Tour (Vicarious Visions, Wii)
13. Kirby Super Star Ultra (Nintendo, DS)
14. Fallout 3 (Bethesda, PS3)
15. Dead Space (EA Redwood Shores, PS3)
16. Rock Band 2 (Harmonix, PS3)
17. NBA 2K9 (Visual Concepts, PS3)
18. Far Cry 2 (Ubisoft Montreal, Xbox 360)
19. FIFA Soccer 09 (EA Canada, 360)
20. Guitar Hero World Tour (Neversoft, PS3)

Notably, Guitar Hero World Tour failed to crack the top 10... Read more

Sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360 dominated those of rival Sony's PlayStation 3 by a nearly two-to-one margin in October, according to new figures released by US sales tracker NPD.

The final numbers show the Xbox 360 with October sales of 371,000 units, compared to PlayStation 3 sales of 190,000. The Xbox 360 also lead the PlayStation 3 in the month of September, though by a smaller margin.

The news follows a September 7 price cut on the cheapest version of the Xbox 360 to $199, and comes just ahead of the November 19 launch of the New Xbox Experience, a set of updates to the console's interface and functionality.

Nintendo continued to top the console charts, with the Wii outselling the combined sales of both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360:

1. Wii - 803,000 units
2. Nintendo DS - 491,000 units
3. Xbox 360 - 371,000 units
4. PSP - 193,000 units
5. PlayStation 3 - 190,000 units
6. PlayStation 2 - 136,000 units

In all, the US video game industry brought in $1.31 billion during... Read more

Sales-tracking research group NPD has released its analysis of US console hardware and software sales for October 2008, revealing Lionhead's open-world action-RPG Fable II (360) as the month's best-selling game.

Meanwhile, Ubisoft's Far Cry 2 did not make the list despite showing a strong debut on the PC, while EA's Dead Space barely squeaked onto the list in the 10th position.

The top ten U.S. console games in October, according to NPD, were:

1. Fable II (Lionhead, Xbox 360) - 790,000 units
2. Wii Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 487,000 units
3. Fallout 3 (Bethesda, Xbox 360) - 375,000 units
4. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 290,000 units
5. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 282,000 units
6. Saints Row 2 (Volition, Xbox 360) - 270,000 units
7. SOCOM Confrontation (Slant Six, PS3) - 231,000 units
8. LittleBigPlanet (Media Molecule, PS3) - 215,000 units
9. NBA 2K9 (Visual Concepts, Xbox 360) - 202,000 units
10. Dead Space (EA Redwood Shores, Xbox 360) - 193,000 units

Today's NPD numbers left out sales for PC games, as is typical, but this month the market research firm decided to take a look at PC game sales anyway to see how they would fare.

"Although PC games sales are not included in these numbers, there were two that should be pointed out," wrote NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a press release accompanying September's sales data.

"Spore realized sales of 406,000 units and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning sold 274,000 which would put them both in the top 10 list of combined console, portable and PC games sales for the month," Frazier continued.

In fact, Spore's numbers would place it squarely in third place for September, just below the explosive launch of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS3, PS2, 360, Wii, DS, PSP) and perpetual best-seller Wii Fit. Warhammer Online, on the other hand, would take eighth in a combined PC-and-console sales chart.

If Warhammer's sales look at odds with the 500,000 players the game picked up in the days after its September 18 launch, it's because NPD only looks at United States retail sales whereas Warhammer's subscriber base is a worldwide number.