NPD: Fable II hits 1.2M in US, MGS4 goes platinum
Final 2008 sales figures paint mixed picture for PS3, 360 exclusives, as Resistance 2, Little Big Planet score 600K while Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts unscrews only 140K.
When industry research firm the NPD Group released its final 2008 sales figures earlier this month, the US software best-seller list was topped by four Wii titles. The remote-bundled Wii Play was the top title of the year with 5.28 million units, followed by Mario Kart Wii (5.0 million units), the balance-board-accompanied Wii Fit (4.53 million units), and Super Smash Bros. Brawl (4.17 million units). In fact, according to recent NPD data analysis by industry site Gamasutra, 49 percent of all games sold in the US last year were for a Nintendo console.
The Wii's domination of the software charts pushed almost every exclusive for another console out of the top 10 list. The sole exception was Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360. The sequel to Epic Games' highly regarded Blockbuster sold just over 2.31 million copies, thanks to rave reviews, a dedicated fan base, and Microsoft's massive marketing machine.
Though Gears 2's success was no surprise, given the steady drumbeat of sales-milestones announcements, it was less clear how Xbox 360 exclusives outside the top 10 fared. NPD provided final 2008 US sales figures to GameSpot for two 360-only titles from Microsoft's internal studio system: Lionhead's Fable II and Rare's Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. The difference between the two was striking: The former RPG sold 1.2 million units, while the latter eked out a mere 140,000 units in US sales (a fact that isn't stopping Banjo-Tooie from hitting Xbox Live in April). According to the story mentioned above, 360 and original Xbox games made up 19 percent of US software sales in 2008.
The year's top PlayStation 3 exclusive didn't quite match Gears 2, a fact to be expected given the console's smaller installed base and its one fewer year on the market. Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, GameSpot's 2008 Game of the Year, was the biggest exclusive for Sony's platform, racking up over 1 million in domestic sales. In June, Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Kaz Hirai said the game had sold 3 million units worldwide in the two weeks after its release. Some 500,000 copies of MGS4 sold in Japan during its debut week, while 775,000 units were bought during its first 18 days on the US market.
Unfortunately for Sony, its first-party PS3 exclusives didn't fare quite as well. Despite substantial hype and solid reviews, Media Molecule's quirky platformer Little Big Planet sold only 611,000 units in the US--just less than half its global 1.3 million total. Insomniac's Resistance 2, which wowed critics as much as rival Gears 2, sold only about 600,000 units in the US. Sony game sales--including the PS3, PSP, and still-strong PlayStation 2--made up 32 percent of last year's software sales, according to Gamasutra's NPD breakdown.
Subscribe to GameSpot's YouTube Channel
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Mortal Kombat developer to diversify in 2012
NetherRealm creative director Ed Boon says there's an "assumption" another Mortal Kombat game to come, but wants to work on new IPs on multiple formats, genres. Full Story
- Posted Jan 30, 2012 8:17 am PT
- 59 Comments
Featured Stories
-
Star Wars: The Old Republic denounced for gay relationships
Family Research Council says BioWare has "gone to the dark side" with promise to include same-gender romance in MMO game. Full Story
- Posted Jan 30, 2012 10:46 am PT
- 511 Comments
-
No new Xbox in 2012 - Microsoft
Company's French marketing manager says Microsoft not ready to roll out new console this year, won't compete with Nintendo and the Wii U. Full Story
- Posted Jan 30, 2012 9:51 am PT
- 359 Comments
-
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning online pass unlocks seven quests
New copies of 38 Studios' fantasy RPG come bundled with code to download House of Valor faction questline; studio says it was "always intended" to be DLC. Full Story
- Posted Jan 27, 2012 2:53 pm PT
- 345 Comments
-
Sony sweetens PS Vita 3G deal
$300 version of new handheld will now include free 8GB memory stick, PSN game, AT&T 3G data plan access; $350 First Edition preorders to receive just the PSN game and data plan. Full Story
- Posted Jan 27, 2012 2:24 pm PT
- 244 Comments
-
Nintendo considering new name for Wii U - Report
Underwhelming reaction and concerns of customer confusion supposedly have the Mario maker weighing its options for a rebranding before this year's E3. Full Story
- Posted Jan 27, 2012 11:12 am PT
- 512 Comments
Related Game
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Follow for the latest news, videos, & tips from experts & insiders
- Publisher(s): Konami
- Developer(s): Kojima Productions
- Genre: Action
- Release: Jun 12, 2008 (US) »






Accessbboy posted Jan 28, 2009 5:05 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)
squidracerX posted Jan 28, 2009 4:38 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)