ChartSpot: October 2009

Brutal Legend, Demon's Souls, Tekken 6, WWE Smackdown land in bottom half of top 20; PC charts see Aion, Sims 3 switch places ahead of...Nancy Drew?!

The month of Halloween put a collective scare in the US game industry. Overall, the non-PC domestic game industry shrank by 19 percent in October, with hardware declining 23 percent despite the fact that all three consoles recently got price cuts. The Wii was the month's top console, followed by the DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, and nine-year-old PlayStation 2.

NBA 2K10 and Borderlands led Take-Two's rally on the October NPD charts.

Software sales were also down 18 percent for the month, which saw NBA 2K10 take the top prize of overall best-seller with 575,000 units sold. Other big debuts included Borderlands, which sold 546,000 units despite analysts' doubts that a new IP could launch during such a crowded month. If those numbers are matched in Europe, the game--which is already generating sequel talk--may have already hit the million-unit mark.

On NPD's charts, which rank games according to individual product, or SKU (stock keeping unit), the top game was Sony and Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The critically lauded PS3 exclusive sold 537,000 units in the US last month, with global sales reaching 1 million. Rounding out the top 10 were Wii Fit Plus, Borderlands (360), Wii Sports Resort, NBA 2K10 (360), Halo 3: ODST (360), NBA 2K10 (PS3), Forza Motorsport 3 (360), Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS), and FFIA Soccer 10 (360).

Aion maintained almost the same altitude as it did in September.

Though unit totals aren't available for the bottom 10 games on NPD's Top 20 chart, their ranking did offer some insight into their fortunes. The highly rated PS3-exclusive role-playing game Demon's Souls landed in 11th place, followed by the underperforming heavy metal fantasy Brutal Legend. Other high-profile debuts that charted include FIFA Soccer (PS3, 13th), WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 (360, 15th), Tekken 6 (PS3, 16th), Borderlands (PS3, 17th), and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS, 19th).

Over on the PC charts--which do not include digital sales on services such as Steam--September first- and second-place finishers swapped places. With its first expansion just a week away, Electronic Arts' multiplatinum hit The Sims 3 took the gold again. It was followed by silver-place Aion, NCsoft's money-minting massively multiplayer online role-playing game. New entries during October included Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy (3rd), Borderlands (7th), Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (8th), and IGT Slots: Texas Tea (9th).

TOP-SELLING NON-PC GAMES - SEPTEMBER 2009
Last Month / Rank / Title / Platform / Publisher / Release Date / Units (Top 10 only)
** / 1 / Uncharted 2: Among Thieves / PS3 / Sony / Oct-09 / 537,000
** / 2 / Wii Fit Plus* / Wii / Nintendo / Oct-09 / 441,000
** / 3 / Borderlands / 360 / 2K Games (Take-Two) / Oct-09 / 418,000
2 / 4 / Wii Sports Resort* / Wii / Nintendo / Jul-09 / 314,000
** / 5 / NBA 2K10* / 360 / 2K Games (Take-Two) / Oct-09/ 311,000
1 / 6 / Halo 3: ODST / 360 / Microsoft / Sep-09 / 271,000
** / 7 / NBA 2K10* / PS3 / 2K Games (Take-Two) / Oct-09 / 213,000
** / 8 / Forza Motorsport 3 / 360 / Microsoft / Oct-09 / 175,000
12 / 9 / Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days / DS / Square Enix / Sep-09 / 169,000
** / 10 / FFIA Soccer 10 / 360 / Electronic Arts / Oct-09 / 156,000
** / 11 / Demon's Souls* / PS3 / Atlus / Oct-09
** / 12 / Brutal Legend / 360 / Electronic Arts / Oct-09
** / 13 / FIFA Soccer 10 / PS3 / Electronic Arts / Oct-09
4 / 14 / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / DS / Nintendo / Sep-09
** / 15 / WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 / 360 / THQ / Oct-09
** / 16 / Tekken 6* / PS3 / Namco Bandai / Oct-09
** / 17 / Borderlands / PS3 / 2K Games (Take-Two) / Oct-09
3 / 18 / Madden NFL 10 / 360 / Electronic Arts / Aug-09
** / 19 / Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky / DS / Nintendo / Oct-09
** / 20 / Mario Kart Wii with Wheel / Wii / Nintendo / Apr-08
* = Includes Collector's, Limited, Legendary, Bundles (Guitars) Editions

TOP-SELLING PC GAMES - SEPTEMBER 2009
Last Month / Rank / Title / Publisher
2 / 1 / The Sims 3 / Electronic Arts
1 / 2 / Aion / NCsoft
** / 3 / Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverly Academy / Her Interactive
4 / 4 / World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King / Blizzard
6 / 5 / Mumbo Jumbo Assortment / Mumbo Jumbo
7 / 6 / The Sims 2 Double Deluxe / Electronic Arts
** / 7 / Borderlands / 2K Games (Take-Two)
** / 8 / Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising / Codemasters
** / 9 / IGT Slots: Texas Tea / Masque
8 / 10 / World of Warcraft: Battle Chest / Blizzard
9 / 11 / Reel Deal Slots Treasures of the Far East / Phantom Efx
10 / 12 / World of Warcraft / Blizzard
11 / 13 / Spore / Electronic Arts
** / 14 / Fallout 3: GOTY Ed. / Bethesda Softworks
13 / 15 / Starcraft: Battle Chest / Blizzard
14 / 16 / Zuma's Revenge / PopCap Games
12 / 17 / Grand Theft Auto IV / Rockstar Games (Take-Two)
** / 18 / Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion GOTY Ed. / 2K Games (Take-Two)
19 / 19 / Civilization IV: Complete Ed. / 2K Games (Take-Two)
** / 20 / The SimCity Box / Electronic Arts

137 Comments

  • rafaelp11

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 10:25 pm PT

    yes... Uncharted 2 is ROLLING...

  • dangk

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 1:52 pm PT

    Why no salesnumbers for all? Is it embarrasing?

  • PatchMaster

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 11:45 am PT

    Surprised Borderlands didn't do better on PC. Now put down Nancy Drew and go buy Demon's Souls!

  • Dualmask

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 6:57 am PT

    I have to say, I'm kind of glad that Tekken 6 underperformed, the way it did. Not because I'm a fanboy or because I dislike Tekken (neither are true) but because it proves that making a game multiplatform when it was originally intended to be single-platform doesn't guarantee increased sales.

    I mean, honestly, Tekken has always been on Playstation consoles. People didn't buy 360's saying "I need to play Tekken on this console because I hate Sony" because if they were Tekken fans, chances are they had PS1s and PS2s. And then the fact is Tekken hasn't really grown. Like someone else said, fighting games are less relevant, and Tekken 6 didn't exactly raise the bar. The Mishima clan is still hating each other, there are some new characters, blah blah. SF4 meanwhile reinvented their design while Tekken really just improved graphics.

    This makes me wonder how well Final Fantasy XII is going to perform when it's released for both platforms.

  • larsblank

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 1:29 am PT

    Uncharted 2 at the top, no surprises there but I guess that Modern Warfare 2 will take over

  • StephenBassford

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 10:10 pm PT

    It's nice to see that Borderlands did well. I'm also glad to see Uncharted "charted" (LOL pun) at the top. Good games sell well, what else can be said?

  • BigBacon87

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 4:36 pm PT

    I don't know why everybody is arguing over GOTY? Batman blew me away, Borderlands is killer, KZ2 and MW2 both blew my f'n socks off.. but at the end of the day anyone who has had the pleasure of Uncharted 2 knows it beats them all. Sorry 360 fanboys but your day in the spotlight is behind you, hope you enjoyed it when Halo was actually one of the best games out(thats embarassing for gaming).

  • BigBacon87

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 4:11 pm PT

    Brutal Legend is only 'underachieving' because customers didn't submit to the hype like everyone thought they would. The truth of the fact is, apart from the humourous voice acting.. it isn't a very fun game at all, and certainly not fun for the casual audience I suspect they thought Jack Black would bring in. I was excited for it, but after I played it for 2 hours I decided all the other games that just came out which are actually as good as their reviews indicate we're much more worthy of my time. Maybe it's because Uncharted 2 and Borderlands released so close and we're so amazing, but that's me wishfull thinking. At the end of the day, I have to admit that Brutal Legend kinda sucks and I'm not really caring what TS does next if he's not hanging out with Kojima or Uedo.

  • jeffv541 posted Nov 16, 2009 3:40 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    jeffv541

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 3:40 pm PT (hide)

    Let's see some good games next month sony, good games... Poop on you sony poop on YOU!

  • Tornado_Volcano

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 2:25 pm PT

    The Sims 3 still on the good ol' glorious #1 at PC sells. As for the console sales, I can't help but thinking that there are so many good games out there that didn't came on Top 20... So many good games that came/will come out since the end of September 'till the end of March 2010... Damn, my wallet is going to suffer...

  • santinegrete

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 12:07 pm PT

    Glad to see a great game like Borderlands made this good

  • GAMERALL

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 11:55 am PT

    lol @Bortson's comment.

  • Bortson

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 10:53 am PT

    World of Warcraft, Starcraft and The Sims. As reliable as death and taxes

  • ISuperGamerI

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 10:07 am PT

    I can't believe WoW is still selling lol.

  • petee677

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 8:23 am PT

    @TevoxZi

    This article is about sales. Therefore, I thought my comments were quite fitting. Have a nice day.

  • profileap600

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 8:20 am PT

    Everyone on my friends list is playing Modern Warfare 2. Meanwhile I play Forza Motorsport 3 almost non-stop.

  • TevoxZi posted Nov 16, 2009 7:52 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    TevoxZi

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 7:52 am PT (hide)

    @petee677

    Who really cares about sales except the game developers..? Of course something with a bigger fanbase gets more sales, not to mention that not everyone even knows what Uncharted 2 IS even with all the hype. I'd rather play a good game, than a bad game with a lot of sells (Not saying Borderlands is a bad game, don't take me wrong.), if you feel otherwise, then I feel bad on how you categorize good and bad games. Sales DON'T make the game.

  • danciu

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 7:31 am PT

    I'd really like to get Tekken 6, but there's so many other must buys out that I have to prolongue my decision of buying it...

  • volcomstoner180

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 6:54 am PT

    too bad brutal legend isnt doing better...but i will be getting a copy when it drops in price

  • bm1212

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 6:16 am PT

    I was going to get tekken 6 as soon as it came out but I have seen the reviews and at the moment there are a lot of better games for the same price. I might get it though when the price goes down. I am also going to get Uncharted 2 soon but first I absolutely need modern warfare 2. That is probably going to be the game of the year and has already broken the record for selling the most units within a period of 24 hours. Hell I should have been one the ones who bought it at launch date. Ah well, I am going to get it soon anyway.

  • sleepnsurf

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 5:56 am PT

    Borderlands with my buds on 360 was epic. Thanks gearbox!

  • MSG-Deathscythe

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 4:09 am PT

    i think i'm almost to the end of Uncharted 2. Awesome game. I'm glad to see that I got Demon's Souls and Dragon Age to play next. Heard so much good comments about Demon's Souls. Can't wait to play it.

  • Timbydude

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 2:42 am PT

    I'm happy that Demon's Souls sold pretty well.

  • SicklySunStorm

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 1:33 am PT

    Brutal Legend deserves better

  • beny_pimpster

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 1:18 am PT

    hm i tell you gamers today got no class at all.....nancy drew the top3 pc games omg...and lol tekken 6 on 16th place thats gonna make me laugh my ass off...cant wait psp stats lol i bet its gonna be alot worst...cause most psp owners will just get it for free not me cause 1) no psp 2) dont like tekken

  • bennae66

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 12:09 am PT

    as for the tekken complainers about 'why did it do so poorly' well sonny jims (and sonny gals) i have news for you: first, yes, tekken is a good game, but its simply not relevant like it used to be. second, no the fact that it was on the 360 did not kill its sales. it would take a pretty jaded one eyed fanboy to refuse to buy a game they loved on ps3 out of spite because it wasnt 'exclusive.' grow up! third, street fighter changed the ball game, they made fighting relevant and fun again, thats not to take away from tekken or soul calibur, etc, but they CHANGED the way it used to be. tekken is more of the same, better graphics, bigger roster. once you start hitting the '6s' and '7s' in a game series, true innovation is required. a complete rehaul on the gameplay, areas, graphics etc. not just 'oh, we will put in a few more characters, and a few more moves, and sharper textures' that will satisfy the diehard fanbase but wont change other peoples minds. for the record, i havent bought a tekken game since tekken 2 on the playstation. the past 4 just havent interested me, sue me.

  • Shadow_Fire41

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 11:42 pm PT

    Nancy Drew?
    are you ****ing serious!?
    damn casual gamers............

  • bennae66

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 11:42 pm PT

    537k vs 418k? wow, i diddnt know borderlands on 360 came so close to uncharted 2 on ps3. a big suprise, i bought both, but considering that uncharted was the ps3's 'exclusive messiah' and humble little borderlands did so well. im even more proud of 2k and gearbox for what they achieved. as for the current state of the ps3, that doesnt bode all that well. mind you, the highlight of drakes second adventure was definitley the marco polo joke involving the swimming pool on top the hotel..

  • SUMMONO

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 11:22 pm PT

    Too bad tekken 6 sold like crap. Had they polished it more instead of making it multiplatform, I bet It would have done better.

  • Storm82

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 10:47 pm PT

    MW2 is mostly good for its multiplayer. Single player campaign wise, I'd put games like old games like GRAW 2, Rainbow 6 Vegas, Half Life 2:Episode 2, and newer games like Uncharted 2 over it easily.

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 10:11 pm PT

    Uncharted 2 is a very worthy champion, and it's nice to see Demon's Souls on the charts. Hope Bowser's Inside Story hangs on for a while, too... it's the portable Game of the Year for sure.

    Sucks for Brutal Legend, though, even if it's not a masterpiece. Tim Schafer brought us Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, and Psychonauts; a man like that deserves a hit game. It's a pity that mass-market shooters like Modern Warfare get all the hype and fortune, while real artistry has to cling on the margins. We shall see how Dragon Age fares... it's a shame to see BioWare forced into a DLC model to recoup their massive artistic and financial investment, while Infinity Ward can pump out a six-hour campaign for untold millions. Here's hoping Origins makes a bundle.

  • c0rnbeef

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 10:07 pm PT

    nothing quite suprising really, tekken was never going to be revolutionary.

  • Storm82

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 7:15 pm PT

    Don't know why everyone is surprised tekken 6 didn't sell as much. Fighting games aren't as popular as before as in the 90s, even though SF4 made a resurgence.Right now everybody likes FPS games, the only thing required to sell game now is to give people a gun, maybe an army uniform, and have a lot of explosions. Fact of the matter is Tekken 6 is actually the best tekken to date. 90% of game reviewers can't make a fair review of a fighting game anyway. I remember back when all the reviewers praised virtua fighter 4 evo as the best fighting game ever, and that game could hardly get any entrants at Evo, the biggest fighting game tournament in the world.

    Come Evo 2010, Super Street Fighter 4 and Tekken 6 will headline and will have the most entrants.

    At least gamespot got the scores right for uncharted 2 and MW 2. Uncharted 2>MW2

  • BigBoi17

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 7:13 pm PT

    I hope so thekey.....Tekken was hella dumb-downed this year. I don't understand why they're trying to compete with SF4; they're both fighting games but with totally different vibes. I honestly don't think Xbox fans care about Tekken anyway especially with the controller(Isn't all that fighting game-friendly). Capcom is WAY better than Namco at producing Multi-platform games. Namco just needs to stick with PS3 as far as Tekken is concerned, Soul Caliber should stay multi(Had a copy of it on my 1st-generation Xbox, best fighting game last generation).

  • thekey

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 6:12 pm PT

    @MATERAZZI_23

    Well looks like Tekken 7 will be PS exclusive then. Anyways nice to see Uncharted 2 #1 in sales.Demon souls is up there along with Borderlands. All excellent games!

  • prenandrew301

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 5:44 pm PT

    @dylan417
    i agree, mw2 deserved the hype and it lived up to it
    adrenaline filled single player, incredibly addicting co-op
    and redifined cod 4 multiplayer
    what more could the developers have provided

  • dylan417

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 4:43 pm PT

    @ps3loverr How do say MW2 was overhyped? I loved the campaign it was perfect, every minute of it was action packed and intense, if it were any longer than it was, it would become repetitive, drawn out, sloppier, and it would have took longer to make. The multiplayer is constantly rewarding you, keeping people coming back for more and more, and the spec-ops mode is a smart way to fit in trophies and put your skills to the test. Its no 10/10 but it is still amazing.

  • dylan417

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 4:29 pm PT

    @fester420 Dont get me wrong I love Nintendo for as long as I can remember, I am just so sick of seeing wii fit, wii sports, wii sports resort, etc. always at the top of the chart, I dont consider them videogames, nor do I like the Wii, I love all their consoles accept the wii, I dont understand it, the whole point of videogames is to sit back, relax, enjoy and be lazy for a while, I am not a lazy person (I play multiple sports) but standing up and repeatibly swinging a plastic stick is not my idea of fun. I was saddened when Nintendo came out with the Wii, I thought they would make a gamecube 2

  • okassar

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 3:40 pm PT

    I don't know if this is funny or sad, but take the sum of ALL those game sales last month and that'll still be less than MW2 sales for this month alone.

  • Blargsman

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 3:38 pm PT

    Looks like you just can't put The Sims 3 down.

  • yonaswii08

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 1:47 pm PT

    I will be getting Tekken 6 soon.

  • crazyshooter93

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 1:13 pm PT

    @leeko_link they do count the bundles that's why the first wiisports became the best selling game ever

  • leeko_link

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 12:45 pm PT

    @ ASG_

    Lol you could say that.

  • sdbobplissken

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 12:25 pm PT

    Uncharted 2 is GOTY sorry all u duty boys

  • ASG_

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 12:15 pm PT

    @leeko_link
    You mean, the more people buy a Wii, the more people get WiiSports thrown at them.

  • nicktarist

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 11:49 am PT

    I wonder how long the starcraft battle chest has been on the charts. I remember buying that nearly a year ago. It was on the top shelf next to all the other top selling games.

  • onthe_dl posted Nov 15, 2009 10:51 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    onthe_dl

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 10:51 am PT (hide)

    Nancy Drew for GOTY!!!!!

  • Setsuka13

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 10:47 am PT

    Borderlands. Very nice.

  • KillerWabbit23

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 9:26 am PT

    How in heck did Nancy Drew even get close to making the top 5? I barely knew that it flipping existed!

  • Narutofan30

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 8:44 am PT

    Uncharted 2 is AWESOME! 10/10

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