Console manufacturers Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all chimed in on NPD's sales figures for March, which saw Nintendo's Wii once again outsell both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 in North America, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl taking the top spot in software sales with 2.7M units sold.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 broke the PlayStation 3's two-month winning streak for the #2 spot in hardware sales, moving 262,000 consoles in March. Microsoft again suggested that shortages played a hand in the total numbers for the month.

"Going into March, some key U.S. retailers were still experiencing the trickle down effect of Xbox 360 console shortages," a Microsoft representative said. "By the end of March, supply issues had improved and we expect retailers to be fully stocked with Xbox 360 consoles in time for the Grand Theft Auto IV launch."

The company went on to tout a 7.5 software attach rate for the Xbox 360 in March, describing the data as "a record for any game console".

In its response to the data, hardware manufacturer Sony noted that the 257,100 PlayStation 3s sold in March represent a 98% year-over-year growth in sales, while 1.9M software units sold marked a 139% increase over... Read more

Sales-tracking firm The NPD Group today revealed that Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl has topped the North American software sales charts for the month of March with a staggering 2.7M units sold, knocking Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare off a four-month reign at number one.

In terms of hardware, the Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, followed by the Nintendo DS in close second. March hardware sales for the North American market were as follows:

1. Wii - 721,000
2. Nintendo DS - 698,000
3. PSP - 297,000
4. Xbox 360 - 262,000
5. PlayStation 3 - 257,000
6. PlayStation 2 - 216,000

"Nintendo systems represented 58 percent of all video game hardware sold in March in the United States," said Nintendo marketing VP Cammie Dunaway. "We expect our momentum to continue with big upcoming game launches like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit."

North America's top-selling console titles during March were:... Read more

A report issued today by stat-tracking firm The NPD Group claims that 72% of United States residents aged 6-44 years played some sort of video game across 2007, representing an 8% jump from 2006.

According to the firm, 40% of United States residents aged 2 years or higher played an online game in 2007, with that figure expected to rise 2% in 2008. A whopping 90% of those who played online in 2007 reported using a PC to do so, with NPD describing the PC as "the driving force in online gaming."

Though the exact reasons were not specified, the high ratio of online PC gamers is most likely due to the abundance of massively multiplayer online games and free web-based casual titles available on the platform. Shacknews attempted to confirm this with NPD, but was told that information is not available to the media.

Renowned game designer Peter Molyneux recently commented on the shifting PC market, claiming that "the PC is just reinventing itself" and is "being owned more and more by casual gamers."

Only 19% of online players stated that they played online with a console, with the Xbox 360 accounting for half of that figure. Interestingly, Xbox 360 owners were reported to spend the most time gaming online per week, respectively followed... Read more

Console manufacturers Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all chimed in on NPD's sales figures for February, which saw Nintendo's Wii once again outsell both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 in North America.

As in January, the PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360, which Microsoft again attributed to supply issues. Both Sony and Microsoft expressed high expectations for Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360), which arrives on April 29.

"Xbox 360 remained in a supply constrained situation," stated a Microsoft representative, who once again reaffirmed that Microsoft is not in talks to bring Blu-ray movie playback to the Xbox 360.

"The [supply] situation is improving," Microsoft continued, "and we are confident consumers will soon be able to find the Xbox 360 SKU they seek, in time for the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV, which we expect to be one of the biggest titles of the year with huge impact on the Xbox 360 platform."

Referring to 2008 as "the year for PS3," Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO Jack Tretton trumpeted the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray... Read more

Sales-tracking firm The NPD Group today revealed that the Xbox 360 edition of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has topped the North American sales charts for the fourth month in a row, ranking as the best-selling console title in February.

In terms of hardware, the Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with the Nintendo DS reigning as the month's best-selling system. February hardware sales for the North American market were as follows:

1. Nintendo DS - 587,600
2. Wii - 432,000
3. PlayStation 2 - 351,800
4. PlayStation 3 - 280,800
5. Xbox 360 - 254,600
6. PSP - 243,100

"Xbox 360 remained in a supply constrained situation [during February]," Microsoft stated. "The situation is improving and we are confident consumers will soon be able to find the Xbox 360 SKU they seek...we expect [Grand Theft Auto IV] to be one of the biggest titles of the year with huge impact on the Xbox 360 platform."

North America's top-selling console titles during February were: ... Read more

Though fewer mature-rated console games were released in 2007 than the previous year, revenue for those titles far exceeded those sold in 2006, Next-Gen reports.

An examination of data provided by the sales tracking firm NPD reveals that the number of released titles stamped with an M for Mature rating fell 14% in 2007 versus the previous year. Revenue from those sales, meanwhile, jumped from $800 million in 2006 to $1.4 billion in 2007.

Three key titles explain the boost in sales: Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed (PS3, X360), Bungie's Halo 3 (X360) and Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC, PS3, X360). Together, the games sold a combined 11.7 million units in 2007 across all platforms, accounting for a minimum of $700 million in revenue for the year.

The report suggests that if it wasn't for those three titles, revenue for M-rated games may have dropped below 2006 figures. Only one M-rated title placed within the top 10 of 2006's best-selling console games by revenue: Epic Games' Gears of War, which ranked 7th.

While 2008 boasts some very important M-rated console releases such as Epic Games' Gears of War 2 (X360), Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) and others, the industry will likely continue to rake in the majority of its revenue from E- and T-rated console titles, which accounted for roughly 78% of sales in 2007.

Research firm iSuppli estimates that Sony's PlayStation 3 will exceed sales of the Wii and Xbox 360 by 2011, reports Reuters.

iSuppli reckons that strong momentum of the system will build during 2008, estimating that Sony will sell roughly 10.2 million PS3s worldwide through the year and double its install base to over 20 million users. Sustained growth will propel the PS3 to some 38.4 million users by 2011, which the firm suggests will position Sony as the "industry leader" in installed units.

The Wii is projected to maintain its lead through 2008, selling 12.2 million hardware units and putting it on top for the year at over 30 million users worldwide. iSuppli's estimate of the Wii's total market share in 2011 was not provided, but the firm's projection that the PS3 will lead at 38.4 million units by 2011 seems to indicate that it believes the Wii will sell less than 8.2 million units over three years.

January hardware sales figures reported by sales-tracking firm NPD yesterday show that the PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360 for the first time since the system launched in November, 2006.

The North American console market pulled in $1.18 billion in January 2008, reports sales-tracking firm The NPD Group. Of that figure, $377.8 million was related to video game hardware, with $610.6 million spent on software and $191 million on accessories.

According to NPD, the month's top-selling console titles in North America were:

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 330, 900
2. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 298,100
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Vicarious Visions, Activision, Wii) - 239, 600
4. Rock Band Special Edition Bundle (Harmonix, MTV Games, X360) - 183,800
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Neversoft, Activision, X360) - 182,700
6. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo, Wii) - 172,000
7. Burnout Paradise (Criterion, Electronic Arts) - 140,000
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, PS3) - 140,000
9. Mario Party DS (Nintendo, Nintendo DS) - 138,500
10. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega, Nintendo DS) - 133,000

In terms of revenue, the Xbox 360 version of Harmonix's Rock Band (PS2, PS3, X360) was the month's top performer, bringing in over $30 million thanks to... Read more

Sales-tracking firm The NPD Group has issued its analysis of North American console hardware sales across January 2008, showing the Wii and PlayStation 3 outselling the Xbox 360.

1. Wii - 274,000
2. PlayStation 3 - 269,000
3. Nintendo DS - 251,000
4. PSP - 230,000
5. Xbox 360 - 230,000

Totaling $377.8 million, hardware sales were down 25% compared to the last January. "Given the huge number of hardware systems sold in December, inventory shortages could be the biggest contributor to the softer than expected sales," analyst Anita Frazier reasoned.

In related news, a Microsoft representative told Shacknews that the Xbox 360 is currently experiencing shortages. "Xbox 360 is selling as fast as [retailers] can restock," the rep stated. "We are working as quickly as we can to replenish inventory."

The firm also released figures highlighting the month's best-selling software.

The sales-tracking NPD Group will soon begin reporting on game-related subscriptions in North America, the firm announced today.

Issued quarterly, the Video Game & PC Game Subscriptions Report will be based on data collected from over 3 million survey participants aged 13 and older. Among other details, it will chart the market size and title shares of subscription-based massively multiplayer games, sites, and services such as Xbox Live.

At present, it is unknown what portion, if any, of the Video Game & PC Subscriptions Report will be released to the public. Though NPD releases some of its collected data to the public--mostly in the form of monthly console sales, top-ten software lists, and year-end industry reviews--the bulk of its information is reserved for paying clients.

While NPD has yet to begin tracking digital distribution, today's news marks the beginning of its attempts to better understand the changing PC gaming... Read more

An NPD analyst says that the $60 million drop in PC software retail revenue from 2006 to 2007 reflects the industry's movement towards digital distribution, GameDaily reports.

Analyst Anita Fraisure notes that the data, which currently does not account for digital downloads or subscriptions, is no cause for concern.

"As we've seen from a number of our studies, the PC continues to be a top platform in terms of total game playing time," said Fraisure. "I don't think this slight decline in retail sales is anything more than a reflection of a shifting of distribution channels."

The latest numbers reveal that PC sales accounted for only 14% of total revenue for game software sales in 2007. But without a comprehensive perspective of online activity, Fraisure says, the implications of the gap remain unclear.

"Video games software sales, and even just the console portion of that figure have been greater than PC retail sales every year that we've tracked. Yes, the (console and portable) video games retail sales have really exploded, but again, until we can get a measurement of dollars spent online, we won't have the true picture."

Continuing the recent barrage of sales numbers and their numerous interpretations, the sales-tracking firm NPD Group informed IGN that the Wii had the highest software to hardware sales ratio across the past holiday season.

During December, North American consumers bought an average of 8.11 Wii titles for every Wii console sold in that timeframe. The Xbox 360 ratio was just a bit lower, coming in at 7.76 games for every unit, while the PlayStation 3 moved 5.04 games for every piece of hardware.

The Xbox 360, meanwhile, has dominated the lifetime ratio with an impressive 7.0 attach rate since launch.

Despite the Wii's impressive holiday figure, its overall lifetime ratio is substantially lower. Since launch, Wii software has only sold an average of 4.64 pieces for every unit. The PlayStation 3's holiday numbers more closely match its overall figure, which is 4.26.

After tallying figures from sales tracking firms across the world, publisher Activision now claims that Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC, PS3, X360) was 2007's best selling game worldwide.

In all, the game sold in excess of 7 million units, according to data compiled from the NPD Group, Chart Track, and the GFK Group. Incredibly, that figure represents less than two whole months of sales, as the game deployed to stores in early November.

Of the overall figure, North American sales of the Xbox 360 version accounted for 3.04 million. The PC version, meanwhile, only sold 383,000 units at North American retailers, though that number does not include sales made... Read more

Update: The NPD Group has chimed in, attributing the low percentage of PC software sales to the growing shift towards digital distribution, which the firm does not track.

Original Story: Of the $18.85 billion the video game industry generated at North American retailers throughout 2007, only $910.7 million of that, roughly 14%, was attributed to PC games.

Data from the sales-tracking firm NPD reveals that retailers sold 267.8 million games in 2007, 36.4 million of which were PC titles. Console games brought in $6.6 billion, selling 153.9 million units total, while portable software hauled a record $2 billion in revenue with 77.5 million units sold.

Figures were also released highlighting the top ten best-selling PC games of this year, accompanying last week's list of 2007's top ten console games. The numbers, which do not take digital downloads into account, have Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft and EA Maxis' Sims franchises occupying six of the top ten spots. A complete run-down of the top PC games of 2007 follows:... Read more

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Harmonix's multi-instrument title Rock Band have sold in excess of 1 million units, according to figures provided by Microsoft and sales-tracking firm NPD, with the majority of those sales being the Xbox 360 version.

Furthermore, over 2.5 million downloadable songs have been sold since the game's November 20 debut, Harmonix owner MTV Games has announced. New tracks are released weekly via the online PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace, where they are typically sold by themselves for $2 or in three-song packs for $5.50.

MTV pledged that new songs will be available every week of 2008, including new tunes from Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, Coheed and Cambria, Rush, and Grateful Dead. Shacknews is, of course, ever-hopeful that our most-wanted songs are... Read more

New numbers released by the NPD Group reveal that the Xbox 360 version of Infinity Ward's intense shooter Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare edged out the competition this holiday season, barely beating Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy to become the top selling game in December.

For those interested in how the gift-giving spirit factored into this year's record sales for the industry, the top ten console games for December 2007 follow, in order of units sold:

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 1.47 million
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Nintendo, Wii) - 1.40 million
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft, Activision, PS2) - 1.25 million
4. Wii Play with Remote (Nintendo, Wii) - 1.08 million
5. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, X360) - 893,000
6. Halo 3 (Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, X360) - 742,700
7. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day (Nintendo, NDS) - 659,500
8. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts, PS2) - 655,200
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft, Activision, X360) - 624,600
10. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega Japan, Sega, Wii) - 613,000

Riding a wave of strong software releases and still-fresh hardware offerings, the North American console video game market grew a massive 43 percent in 2007, according to new numbers released today by the NPD Group.

Overall industry sales totaled a record $17.94 billion--compared to 2006's take of $12.53 billion--with software making up $8.64 billion of the pie. The highest-selling games list, which doesn't factor PC software sales into the mix, was unsurprisingly lead by Bungie's Halo 3, followed up by Nintendo's remote-including Wii Play.

The top ten software titles follow, listed in order of units sold:

1. Halo 3 (Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, X360) - 4.82 million
2. Wii Play with Wii Remote (Nintendo, Wii) - 4.12 million
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 3.04 million
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft, Activision, PS2) - 2.72 million
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Nintendo, Wii) - 2.52 million
6. Pokemon Diamond Version (Game Freak, Nintendo, NDS) - 2.48 million
7. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts, PS2) - 1.90 million
8. Guitar Hero II (Harmonix, Activision, PS2) - 1.89 million
9. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, X360) - 1.87 million
10. Mario Party 8 (Hudson Soft, Wii) - 1.82 million

Consoles hardware sales topped out at $5.12 billion, with Nintendo again leading the competition. The yearly numbers are as follows, with life-to-date totals... Read more

In an announcement today, publisher Activision stated it holds the number one home console and handheld video game publisher in the United States from January to November 2007. The company bases its claims on figures from tracking firm NPD, which recently released its latest report.

Activision claims overall market share of 16.8% for that period, a massive year-over-year increase of 7.9%. Meanwhile, chief rival Electronic Arts' market share has waned somewhat in recent years, and its stock prices have grown at a slower rate than Activision's--though EA CEO John Riccitiello recently stated in a conference call that his company will hold 20% market share in North America and Europe during the third and fourth quarters.

Much of Activision's success is due to the astronomical success of the Harmonix-created, now Neversoft-developed, Guitar Hero franchise. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock proved to be the highest-earning title across all platforms; to some extent, the per-unit revenue on Guitar Hero games is increased due to the available packed-in hardware. Another Activision-published title, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, apparently came in at the number two earnings slot. Meanwhile, the Guitar Hero franchise as a whole is said to be the highest-selling franchise of the year.

Today's announcement is likely to be particularly worrying to EA, since the performance it reports precedes the epic Activision/Vivendi merger that will result in megalithic Activision Blizzard. That newly-formed company is expected to top the industry in total revenues.

When November industry sales data was released this week by tracking firm NPD, the PC platform was notably absent from the list of top ten best-selling games despite the release of high-profile titles such as Epic Games' Unreal Tournament III and Crytek's Crysis. Now, according to NPD data released by market tracking site the simExchange, it seems both games kicked off with disappointing initial sales--neither approached 100,000 units.

The report shows Crysis as selling 86,633 units at retail since its November 13 release; the game's potential audience has no doubt been limited by the game's notoriously steep system requirements. Meanwhile, Unreal Tournament III saw considerably flatter sales, tallying 33,995 since its November 19 release. Prior to the release of this data, many gamers had predicted low sales based on the game's sparse player count; at the time of writing, its current online player count is actually below the single-player-oriented Crysis.

It should be noted that Unreal Tournament III in particular released about halfway into the month, with only two full business weeks of availability, though the numbers are undoubtedly lower than publisher Midway and developer Epic expected.

ShackCast 23 features Chris Remo, Chris Faylor, and Nick Breckon--but where's the ever-scatalogical Steve Gibson? This web 2.0 broadcast contains a twist worthy of M. Night Shamalamadingdong! You will just have to listen yourself!

In the news, we touch on Activision and Harmonix squaring off over Guitar Hero and Rock Band controllers, the NPD industry sales data for November, Killzone 2's doctored screenshots and the practice of altering screenshots, and the arrest made through Call of Duty 4 on Live.

Those current events are followed up with discussion of Unreal Tournament 3, the Burnout Paradise demo, GripShift, and, of course, reader mail from good old Pendergrass.

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com! Even if your name isn't Pendergrass!

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. (iTunes or Digg experts: if you have any idea why our podcast isn't updating properly through those services, please contact us! You're our only remaining hope!) ... Read more