NPD: Halo effect helps Sept. sales hit $1.3B

[UPDATE] Microsoft's shooter moves 3.3 million copies in the US in 12 days, propels Xbox 360 hardware sales to first place; Nintendo touts its own record-setting Wii sales.

For gamers, Halo 3 generated huge buzz in the weeks and months leading up to its release. For industry watchers and analysts, it's more interesting to follow the weeks and months after the game hit shelves.

The industry-tracking NPD Group today released its domestic retail sales figures for the September period (which actually stretched into October), and Halo 3 posted some massive sales figures. In its first 12 days on sale, Microsoft's sci-fi first-person shooter sold 3.3 million copies in the US alone. NPD didn't break down how many copies each of the three versions of the game sold, but did note that they took the top three spots on the software charts, with the $59.99 regular edition first, the $69.99 limited edition second, and the $129.99 legendary edition (complete with replica Master Chief helmet) third.

It appears that many of the hordes of gamers who claimed that they were just waiting for Halo 3 to invest in an Xbox 360 were true to their words. Microsoft sold nearly 528,000 Xbox 360s in September, enough to dethrone the Wii and DS from the top of the charts. Nintendo's motion-sensitive console came in second with 501,000 sold, with the DS close behind in third with about 496,000 sold.

[UPDATE] However, Nintendo was quick to point out one fact about the NPD September numbers. "One thing you guys forgot is that it's our biggest month yet of the year for the Wii," outgoing vice president of communications Perrin Kaplan told GameSpot. "In fact, it's our biggest month since we launched the Wii." Indeed, September 2007 saw more Wiis scooped up by US consumer than the 476,000 units sold in November 2006, when the platform launched.

The PlayStation Portable welcomed a hardware redesign that sparked sales of almost 285,000, whereas the PlayStation 2 kept trucking at 215,000 sold. The PlayStation 3 brought up the rear, tallying sales just over 119,000 amid rumors of the just-announced $399 40GB PS3 and $100 price drop of the 80GB model.

As one might expect given those numbers, industry-wide revenues for the month were up sharply. US retailers as a whole sold $1.36 billion worth of non-PC game software, hardware, and accessories in September, 74 percent more than they managed over the same stretch last year. Hardware sales were particularly strong, with September console sales of $418.6 million, which is 188 percent greater than last year. Sales of handhelds were also up, though not as drastically. Retailers took in 28 percent more in portable hardware sales than last year, for a total of more than $126.2 million.

Console software revenue for the month was up 64 percent over September 2006, landing at $550.5 million. Portable software was not so fortunate, sliding 6 percent year-over-year to $103.1 million.

Recent months have been so good for the industry that NPD analyst Anita Frazier upped her expectations for the industry's 2007 revenue total.

"Although we've been confident for many months now that the industry was poised to realize its best year ever in terms of revenue, the results in recent months make me even more bullish," Frazier said in a statement. "I believe the U.S. video games industry will realize somewhere in the range of $17 to $18 billion for the year."

Top 10 best-selling games of September 2007, according to NPD Group

Halo 3 (all versions)--Xbox 360--3.3 million
Wii Play with Wii Remote--Wii--282,000
The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass--DS--224,000
Madden NFL 08--PS2--205,000
Skate--Xbox 360--175,000
Madden NFL 08--Xbox 360--173,000
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption--Wii--167,000
BioShock--Xbox 360--150,000
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day--DS--141,000
Heavenly Sword--PS3--139,000

September 2007 hardware sales, according to NPD Group

Xbox 360--528,000
Wii--501,000
DS--496,000
PSP--285,000
PS2--215,000
PS3--119,000

532 Comments

  • hjonx

    Posted Mar 20, 2009 9:56 pm PT

    this game sucks

  • okassar

    Posted Dec 25, 2007 8:46 pm PT

    You can't go wrong with Halo, I'm still hooked on Halo 3.Sadly,though,I found out my friends were right.When I rented COD4,I realized Bungie isn't the biggest player(but it is making the biggest buck).COD4 is truly revolutionary, and, actually, if you play on hardcore,it's long enough.The multiplayer is amazing!!!!Well,with an Xbox 360,you get the best of both worlds.

  • NukeU

    Posted Nov 9, 2007 4:28 pm PT

    Halo 3 is just , wow. truely revolutionary

  • halocheif147

    Posted Oct 26, 2007 7:56 am PT

    i got ma xbox 360 n halo 3 dis week da only probs is im not aloud 2 play it coz its 4 ma birthday so i ave 2 wait till november

  • xgalacticax

    Posted Oct 25, 2007 2:41 am PT

    OWNED!!! HALO 3 WAS HERE..........
    u see, even with the launch of halo 3, it was still nintendos biggest month, selling more wii's than ever. that should show those retarded analysts that said halo 3 caused harm to movie ticket sales. its not halo 3, its the worthless movies showing at the cinema that just dont sell tickets. oh yea, metroid prime 3 comes out 2moro, yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

  • nica505

    Posted Oct 24, 2007 3:33 pm PT

    You have to admit halo 3 is a very fun game both online and offline i have it played it beat it love it,but i also have a wii too,all im trying to say is that when super smash bros brawl comes out i will put aside halo 3 and play brawl instead.Just think how many people want nintendo wiis just for this game HA! the sales will sky rocket

  • Unkoil666

    Posted Oct 24, 2007 12:16 pm PT

    "arrogant people don't listen, and I'm not going to listen to unkoil and his fanboy zionism."

    I did have a response to this, but I see that its pointless. I proved you wrong now you're going to start taking personal shots at me. Inaccurate ones I might add. Such is the way of the inter-web, i guess. Oh well, moving on.

    I gotta agree with you, Rowr, Mass Effect is going to be major. I'm not sure how it will sit with the casual crowd though. I don't think most casual gamers will really delve too deep into the game. I think most casual gamers come from a pick-up and play stand point where they can just jump right in and out. Mass Effect isn't that type of game. I think its going to be a phenomenal game, but I think it will be a bit much for the casuals to swallow.

    Here's to KOTOR MMORPG though. Keeping my fingers crossed and hope alive that its not just a rumor.

  • Rowr14

    Posted Oct 24, 2007 4:30 am PT

    "I just checked the sales charts and a week after being trumped by Orange Box, Halo 3 is back at #1.

    You Nintendo fans were saying that Halo 3 sales would slow down by late Ocotber, doesn't look like it"

    well you gotta remember all the poor suckers that didnt preorder, and have had to wait for stock to come back in. like me

    I clocked it on a rental.

    Ive had a pretty casual attitude and have decided to pick it up when i get around to it. Im sure im not the only one. Pick it up this weekend probably.

    also forget not that halo 1 was like the consistently selling number one title for the xbox system, even up til like 3 years after it was released. Although i dont think we will see that here.

    I enjoy reading peoples predictions for the console wars and the only thing i have to add is to not underestimate Mass Effect. Its massive hardcore following is known, but i can see it doing well in the casual market. (Which recently has had a significant growth from teh halo.)

    o yeh and bioshock is sweet.

  • PatLTornado

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 4:07 pm PT

    potato you are so right.

    arrogant people don't listen, and I'm not going to listen to unkoil and his fanboy zionism.

  • Tomdogg

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    My god, Halo 3 was a massive hit. Glad I got my copy. I bought an Xbox 360 long before though.

  • PatLTornado

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 2:49 pm PT

    I just checked the sales charts and a week after being trumped by Orange Box, Halo 3 is back at #1.

    You Nintendo fans were saying that Halo 3 sales would slow down by late Ocotber, doesn't look like it.

  • osleyee

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 1:40 pm PT

    the only reason halo is so popular is because the multiplayer but hey bungie did a awesome job and also help the industry out hopefully the industry make great games and so the video game industry can worth more.

  • matt_dangelo

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 11:26 am PT

    KILLURELLYFAST Halo like is a sickness. I think Microsoft and EA will have some sort DBZ like fight in the future.

    --thats right lol...i can see EA having a finall showdown with Ms, Nintendo and Sony.....hmmm i wonder what games it would be..if EA loses the NFL exclusiv rihgts ting...they are in trouble..

  • potatoesman

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 11:14 am PT

    i dont see the point typing paragraphs to convince arrogant people lol

  • KILLURELLYFAST

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 10:32 am PT

    Halo like is a sickness. I think Microsoft and EA will have some sort DBZ like fight in the future.

  • vmfstorm1

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 8:40 am PT

    unkoil666, you are so right, unfortunately I don't really have the time to experience bioshock to its fullest but from what i have played up to it is an ingenious game that just doesn't get the publicity it deserves

  • Unkoil666

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 6:57 am PT

    Bioshock? There's plenty of reasons everyone thinks it's a great game. I'd say the number one reason though, is that it actually makes you think. An example of this would be how you weigh your options when engaging a Big Daddy. You can't just simply blast away at one and hope to survive, because you won't. You have to lure them to a spot that gives you an advantage over them, use the weapon, types of ammo, and Plasmids that it's weakest against, and actually wittle away at it to defeat it. Its not just, "Oh, its got stronger armor? Rocket Launcher! BOOM! DEAD FOR THE WIN!" You're also sometimes faced with a moral decision after defeating a Big Daddy that plays into how your Plasmids advance throughout the game. Do I Rescue or Harvest the Little Sister? Not only that, but its got an enthralling story that constantly has you asking "What the hell happened here and WHY did it happen?" And the "tiny closed in environments" also help make the game great. The fact that you're trapped in this claustrophobic, underwater city that's flooded everywhere you turn, and you have nowhere to run, adds to the tension and panic set in place by the very atmosphere of Rapture itself. Everything about Bioshock is amazing. The story, the pacing, the character and level design, the Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and Bauhaus inspired art style, the voice-acting, even the period-specific music. How anyone cannot like Bioshock, i'll never know. Then again, its all a matter of personal preference.

  • wainojake

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 3:51 am PT

    why does everyone think bioshock was such an amazing game i played it and beat it and will never play it again your trapped in tiny closed in environments the entire time not fun

  • Rizer

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 7:44 pm PT

    Halo 3 was top seller. Gee wiz...I had no idea.
    ...No...wait...I...knew that before it was even announced. That game had so much hype that each case could have held a blank disk and game would have reached the millions before anyone even got the chance to relieze they've been gipped. I mean, the numbers from Halo 2 alone should have predicted this outcome years ago.

  • Unkoil666

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 2:31 pm PT

    Oh, and the new Nights game is a sequel, NOT a remake. You are right, however, that the first one was very underated. Sad how people seem to overlook really good games because they aren't as popular or hyped as other games.

  • Unkoil666

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 2:20 pm PT

    So now I have to narrow it down to "western potential"? Alrighty then, Wii-Fit then, if you're looking for "western potential". I forgot all about Super Smash Bros. Brawl too. I'm not personally all that into Smash Bros, but that game is definitely a huge seller. Not to sound mean or anything, but I noticed in your post that you stated the "ridicious bias fanboy zionism has got to stop", yet here you are, TRYING to bash Wii? I offered up an answer to your question of naming a big seller for Wii, 3 in fact, and you come back basically asking me to narrow it down to titles that will sell well in America. It seems you're a little bias yourself because not everybody gets all wet for Halo. I bought Halo 3, played it, beat, play it online every now and again, big whoop! It's a very solid, very good game, but I honestly don't see why people think it's the epitome of FPS'. I personally think Bioshock is much better, save for the lack of multi-. But thats my personal preference. And you DO realize that INDISPENSIBLE means - "absolutely necessary", or, "not to be ignored" right? Which yeah, you're right, Wii IS indispensible. Why people (gamers and devs alike) don't see that, i'll never know.

  • PatLTornado

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 12:49 pm PT

    I don't see a big name title that has the western potentional. Unkoil.

    Nights was a very underratted game, due to this fact I doubt many who overlooked it on Saturn back in '96 will buy a Wii just to play a Nights remake. While the game will sell well, I doubt it will be big.

  • Unkoil666

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 12:18 pm PT

    If people are smart, that title for Wii will be No More Heroes. Or Nights 2. But most likely, it will be Wii-Fit, but that's first party. Either way, there's 3 titles. Whether they're 1st party or not doesn't matter when it comes to sales. Not a fanboy here, just stating facts. Wii DOES have some sweet titles coming.

  • PatLTornado

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 12:11 pm PT

    I'm ashamed of Gamespot and Nintendo fans. I post a comment that was a true fact I say what I see with 360 and Halo 3 and just because I call the Wii for what it is the fanboys make false accusations against me.

    Yes, I know that Halo 3 is the reason for the spike in 360 sales and YES it will continue well into Christmas why say I'm insulting you on these facts?

    This ridicious bias fanboy zionism has got to stop! Leave Mircosoft alone and let 360 owners enjoy this holiday season and the fact that for now 360 will have the upper hand. Stop your spinning and your stool pigeon antics when somebody dislikes your indespensible console. Face the music that Wii will have a slow holiday season and that 2008 will be a year that's harder for Nintendo to sell the machine and that the only selling point it has right now is it's 1st party titles.

    Name me a big name title on Wii besides first party that will be a big seller next year. Please do.

  • buruburu

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 10:36 am PT

    I had taken very good care of the 360, but it broke on 10-13-07 (Lot:0620). Despite being open to air circulation on a glass shelf, DeadRising had Disk read errors and Halo 3 froze during MP. 3RED Lights after reboot. Personally I think the 360 is a very badly designed laptop without a monitor. 3Redlights are the pre-burst into flames phase. LOL What gets me, is the freezing (2 times;Halo3 MP mode) happened while the console was only powered on for less than 10 minutes. Accumulative damage from heat, I guess.

    I'll likely be repeating the repair process untill MS offers FALCON MotherBoard replacements. Some users have had 3-8 replacements~on xbox forum.
    I'm looking FWD to play'n Assassin's Creed on the PS3.

  • sw_and_wet

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 8:43 am PT

    Seriously, no doubt XBOX360 and Wii are the best console. XBOX360 has wide selection of games, most of them have decent graphic, stable frame rate, and best of all multiplayer. Wii, on the other hand, has innovative gameplay, despsite the graphic is only mediocore. One thing I can't believe is Bioshock is not in top 5....

  • AngelsongCA

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 8:39 am PT

    Halo 3 came out on September 25th, it only had 6 or so days to help XBOX 360 sales. And, even in that short time period sales of XBOX 360 increased 100+%.

    Should'nt XBOX 360 sales be increased far more for the month of October as Halo has now had more time to resonate? Could be.

  • iuns

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 8:32 am PT

    wii360 ftw !

  • childofrock11

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 7:40 am PT

    These are all great consoles and all have something to offer. The 360 not only has halo 3 but has been out a year longer to acquire more titles. It doesn't surprise me that its on top. It doesn't surprise me the ps3 is on bottom though. I love all these consoles with a passione so don't think im trying to knock one or the other. Get them all!

  • Devvy01

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 7:06 am PT

    Doesn't this basically say that they could've made alot more money if they produced Halo 3 for other platforms, and indeed any other exclusive game to platform?

  • Jathyr

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 6:54 am PT

    I think what most people forget about this whole thing is that 360/PS3 owners have a lot more cash, own the systems rather than get them as gifts, and their "attach rate" (games purchased) is almost 3 times that of Wii owners. For every 1 360 you sell ( i think a little over 10 ) games while wii owners have on average 4. So predict software sales to kickass more once more people have the thing, regardless if it's only the original xbox fans upgrading from Halo 2 to Halo 3. And more buyers make more publishers happy, and thus, better games. Every publisher's been coming out with this "we're in the casual games market!" announcement because they think wii is where they can make great money, partially true because the graphics are so jank you don't need to invest nearly as much in High def graphics/sound and they have less gameplay elements. i think a lot of publishers are going to talk about how they are going back to the "hardcore" crowd by next Christmas because of the flood of games on the wii, the average poor quality of games, and how theirs gets stuck amidst the mass of crap titles with little retail space out there. Just my two cents, sorry for taking up all that space.

  • Link_Destined_1

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 6:42 am PT

    I knew Halo 3 would sell like hotcakes, but DAMN. 3.3 million copies in 1 month? To Pat: Keep in mind that Halo 3 is THE killer app for the XBox 360. That's probably the only reason most people got a 360. To AV-Cables: The Wii is a new type of system, so programmers probably need to get used to it. I've mostly been using my Wii as a GameCube as well. I do wish there were more good games for it, too.

  • everson_rm

    Posted Oct 22, 2007 5:14 am PT

    mmmmmmm, interesting...

  • FoxMcCloudDS

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 11:32 pm PT

    haha. to pat tornado-

    First off 360 is a great system that is worthy of great sales. And Wii had it's best month too, the only difference is that Halo 3 came out for 360. Now that everyone has their copy sales are falling. Believe me, In my gamestop alone we sold 650 the midnight launch and over 1340 more copies so far. This is huge for microsoft, but I assure you that nintendo will take the lead next month with mario galaxy, metroid, fire emblem, and a bunch of other games on the way.

  • AV-Cables

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 11:29 pm PT

    I think what you're forgetting, Pat, is the only reason the 360 sold so much in September is because of Halo 3. It goes to show what a game like Halo 3 (plus a $10 million dollar marketing campaign) can do for a console.

    Nintendo hasn't fallen off their high horse yet, and it's quite impressive that they still are selling on average 450,000 Wii's a month. In August, 360 didn't even hit the 300,000 mark, while Wii just crawled over the 400,000's.

    I'm not a Nintendo fanboy in any way, either. I'm actually quite disappointed with the Wii and its lack of quality control from Nintendo. I haven't touched the console in months.

  • matrixman2k

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 8:18 pm PT

    Good.

  • santiagochile

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 7:04 pm PT

    Considering that the PSP only costs $40 more than the DS Lite, it should sell a lot more. I think that is a dysmal performance for the PSP. I have both, but the DS lite has games and the PSP does not. They need more games, and another price drop, to say, $140-$150.

  • santiagochile

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 6:59 pm PT

    "Wii Sport are selling like crazy"
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Wii Sports comes with the system! It is not sold as a seperate game!

  • dewey1991

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 6:33 pm PT

    Wow. thats a lot of money and consoles and games. wow. wow. cool. go PS3 I still love you and the Wii and the 360. even though i only have a Wii. lol last place yes woo

  • lextexrex

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 6:14 pm PT

    How many people bought the Wii just to spite Halo fans?

  • HXCDEW

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 2:26 pm PT

    Halo 3 sales were expected, though I wonder if the game is bringing actual new gamers into the fold or just the 10 million Halo fanboys who bought the original Xbox and previous two games. Wii may be 2nd but it still skimmed the bottom of 360 sales without any major titles, which is scary. Although it's not necessarily a good thing. MPH3 isn't selling well (only 20k this week) despite being a popular Nintendo franchise. Whereas casual, party games like Wii Play and Wii Sport are selling like crazy. While it may be great for the casual gamers, I don't know how much this will encourage 3rd party developers to put the "hardcore" games on the system.

    PS3 sales are disappointing but possibly due to the the announcement of 40GB sku and 80GB pricecut next month. With the release of Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, Haze, UT3, etc to follow, I think the sales will pick up fast. PS2 and PSP sales have been healthy and should help Sony recoup any losses and get as many Ps3s out there as possible. Q1-Q2 2008 will be biggest time for the system, that's when the real giants come out. MGS4, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2,Home, etc. They are all system sellers. Even multi-plat games like Burnout and GTA will sell a lot of PS3s because they have been known to be Playstation franchises as seen by the tremendous success on the PS2. That's something the Wii doesn't have. 360 has had its success. Halo 3 is the biggest game imaginable for the system, I don't think there will another game to match its success. It's only a matter of time PS3 will catch up.

  • OsLHimura

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 1:54 pm PT

    DAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNN!!!!!!! I really thought that with the release of Halo 3, the 360 would have gained dome ground on the Wii. But instead, the Wii SOLD 500K+ (only 27K less that the 360), without any mayor title whatsoever. Thats scary. The Wii is an epidemic. I like the price cut by Sony, maybe now i can change my view of them, or maybe it's too late?, who knows.

    Nest month will be the 1 year anyversarie for the Wii, i think that by this point we all agree that the Wii is no gimmick. i mean, DAMN, even with Halo 3 the 360 could not make any ground on the Wii.

  • sexyup

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 12:22 pm PT

    halo3 is a fantastic game and I do own it but as a nintenknight and a very logical person on both the wii and 360's side I am obligated to regulate... listen the 360 hopped in sells because of halo 3 but this months boost is the last one until christmas of which it will still be in number two because of guitarhero3(wii) and super mario galaxy I have to say this alst game was micorsofts last bang a good one that will last years but it is the last. Only because casual gamers... you know the people who totally over power us hardcore ones in numbers aren't interested in bioshock, masseffect, and all of those other shooters... what they are interested in is hype.

    anythingthat has big hype such as the wii and halo3, their also interseted in what they trust... classic games like mario kart ad mario galaxy. this was the most expected thing in nintendo fanboi's histroy we all knew that microsoft was going to get a boost in sales from halo3 and if you though different you are retarded.

    You still have to remeber though that nintendo still has heavy hitters left that appeal to both casual, hardcore, curious gamers, and new gamers aka noobs because it can make a newcomer look like and feel like a pro. Nintendo's online component although nothing compared to the much more expierieced xboxlive is becoming more sophisticated and simple :-) which is an excellent idea.

    Nintendo was not planing to be on the top of the charts they haven't ever been trying to be attention getters they are just trying to keep gaming alive and if your wii si collecting dust. it's jsut because you haven't bought any games DUH how would your xbox be if you had no games for it, just a stupid subscription demo from xbox live... "awsome huh" :- l

    Ps3 is dead as i said a while ago, after halo3's hype xbox will still be number two until lthe next generation rolls in 7 years from now, wii will be number one because of classic hits that appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers

    wii60 harcore gamers will rejoice while standing in line this sunday for guitar hero3 :-).

  • Hindle_1

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 11:33 am PT

    Ha! PS2 outselling PS3.
    And with GTA4 and DMC4 being non-exclusive its likely to stay that way.
    Ha! Ha! Ha!

  • Little_GreenMan

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 9:43 am PT

    They shouldn't have released Bioshock in the same month that Halo 3 came out

  • aRE-you-AFraid

    Posted Oct 21, 2007 7:06 am PT

    Halo 3 is amazing

  • OfficialBed

    Posted Oct 20, 2007 11:50 pm PT

    halo 3=

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