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XBL revenues hit $103 million in 2009 - Analyst

Market research firm FADE says Microsoft's online platform sales grew 34 percent last year, thanks to rising average sales prices, top-performing games.

As part of its most recent financial report, Microsoft said that Xbox Live surged in popularity by 35 percent in 2009, with 23 million gamers having now signed up for the service. And according to a new independent study by Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment, those gamers spent an estimated $103.4 million on the service's wares during the year, up 34 percent from 2008.

Battlefield 1943 made off with the most XBLA loot last year.

Battlefield 1943 made off with the most XBLA loot last year.

FADE attributes the dramatic rise in its revenue estimates to an increase in average selling prices for Xbox Live Arcade titles as well as "incredible sales" for a number of downloadable games. The market research firm found that average sales prices gained nearly a dollar last year, rising from $8.33 in 2008 to $9.12 in 2009.

EA's Battlefield 1943 topped the list of XBLA titles in 2009, selling more than 800,000 units during the year, according to FADE. In July, EA announced that DICE's World War II shooter had sold 600,000 units across the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of the game. EA had not returned requests to verify Battlefield 1943's XBLA sales numbers as of press time.

The Behemoth's highly regarded 2008 beat-'em-up Castle Crashers finished second behind Battlefield 1943. According to FADE's research analysis, the downloadable game sold 485,000 copies on the Xbox 360 in 2009, bringing its lifetime sales to nearly 1 million. RedLynx's Trials HD, Epic Games' Shadow Complex, and EA's Family Game Night rounded out the top five, though FADE did not break out individual sales estimates.

FADE did not indicate how it compiled its data and had not responded to requests for comment as of press time. A Microsoft representative did comment on the report, however, saying, "Microsoft does not disclose revenue estimates or comment on speculation for Xbox Live or Xbox Live Arcade."

Estimated Top Titles by Revenue in 2009 (Average Price):
1) Battlefield 1943 (EA DICE) - $12.5 million ($15)
2) Castle Crashers (The Behemoth) - $7.3 million ($15)
3) Trials HD (RedLynx) - $7.1 million ($15)
4) Shadow Complex (Chair Entertainment / Epic Games) - $6.1 million ($14.38)
5) Family Game Night (EA) - $4.2 million ($9.53)
6) Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Capcom) - $4.2 million ($15.00)
7) Magic: The Gathering (Stainless Games) - $2.8 million ($10)
8) Worms 2 (Team 17) - $1.8 million ($10)
9) Peggle (PopCap Games) - $1.8 million ($8.86)
10) Turtles in Time: Reshelled (Ubisoft Singapore) - $1.7 million ($10)

95 Comments

  • GOR_TAK

    Posted Feb 10, 2010 12:56 pm GMT

    "XBL revenues hit $103 million in 2009 " and MS still can't pull together the resources to allow original Xbox live games to be played past April!?!

  • tenka1212 posted Feb 8, 2010 1:22 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    tenka1212

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 1:22 pm GMT (hide)

    Thanks to all YOU Xbox live users for stuffing extra cash in Bill Gates's dough boy pockets.

  • da_vortexx

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 11:37 am GMT

    these numbers seem pretty astounding since these games are about $10-$15 a piece. Making big bucks of arcade games seems to be pretty nice. Let's hope these games get put to good use and it gets used to further support and update the games to make the experience better.

    and for those people arguing about the $50 a year subscription to XBL is so much, if you do the math its really only about $4.16 a month. so get off this stupid subject.

  • Richardthe3rd

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 10:42 am GMT

    That list has a lot of great games. Castle Crashers being a year and half old and still hitting 2nd on the list with that competition is pretty impressive.

  • FaintRain

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 10:16 am GMT

    i just hope they put that money in good use to improve the games quality even more

  • Ryanrtk posted Feb 8, 2010 10:05 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Ryanrtk

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 10:05 am GMT (hide)

    psn is free and is pretty much better than xbl.

  • swamptick

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 7:46 am GMT

    More win for Microsoft.

    I love all the Sony girls over here obsessing over Xbox Live! We appreciate your interest in Microsoft and Xbox Live!

  • PixelAddict

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 7:30 am GMT

    ....some people don't appreciate sarcasm.

  • jtthegame316

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 4:43 am GMT

    xbox live is awesome.

  • Sirbobislost

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 1:52 am GMT

    Looks at the figures capcom!! Now get to work on MvsC3!!!

  • AiRxSQUARED

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 11:44 pm GMT

    holy platonia

  • Flint247

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 11:05 pm GMT

    Wow, that's a lot! Go XBL!

    You get what you paid for on XBL. I am sure enjoying the experience of it. I don't mind paying $50 a year, it's like buying a game; and I don't get many games at once anyways, so I am good.

  • ibanezdropd

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 10:46 pm GMT

    MvC 2 made 4.2 million? That oughtta lite a fire under capcom's ass to release more VS games online.

  • Sasuga

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 10:43 pm GMT

    I'm just glad to know that developers like RedLynx and Chair/Epic are getting PAID for making such awesome games as Trials HD and Shadow Complex. When too many great games fail to make money, this is always good news!

  • PixelAddict posted Feb 7, 2010 8:29 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    PixelAddict

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 8:29 pm GMT (hide)

    Finally we know how much revenues XBL had in 2009. I barely slept all this past week worrying.

    Finally I can sleep easy. Thank you Gamespot, thank you.

  • Arghyeeho

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 7:32 pm GMT

    Ah, I sure am glad they felt the need to report this. Good to know, good to know.

  • sonicare

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 6:36 pm GMT

    This article was about the marketplace and the games for sale on it. It's not really about the XBL service, itself. Just looking through the comments, looks like everyone is confusing the two.

  • felipebo

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 4:49 pm GMT

    5) Family Game Night (EA) - $4.2 million ($9.53) umm, whaaa...

  • gnbfd

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 4:48 pm GMT

    I bought BF1943 when it was $10.50 on PSN and it was WAY worth it. GJ DICE.
    Also... $103 million still isn't enough to keep the original Xbox Live going? Wat?

  • MBJC posted Feb 7, 2010 3:58 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    MBJC

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 3:58 pm GMT (hide)

    Capitalist pigs

  • penguins227

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 3:33 pm GMT

    I love dice.

  • Doctamonta posted Feb 7, 2010 1:50 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Doctamonta

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 1:50 pm GMT (hide)

    @jaggermaster its the internet not a job applitcation so get off my wood

  • Jaggermaster

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 1:41 pm GMT

    @Doctamonta

    Looking at your grammar I highly doubt you're an adult or have a job for that matter.

  • DAMSOG

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 1:34 pm GMT

    When XBL first started it was a great way for developers to support gamers who purchased their products by giving away free maps/skins etc....it was stated that "some" extra content was going to be premium and was going to cost, when was the last time you got content for free? Just about all content released these days comes with a price tag, good or bad. Good for developers though, as they stuff they usually threw in the bin can now be sold to unsuspecting consumers. Some games even had content hidden on the disk that was "unlocked" by purchasing a code, wrong? You bet. New games are now released with DLC on the same day, multiplayer games suffer because of the sheer amount of content they bombard you with. I gave up on Halo/COD etc because of all the map packs available, dont have the extra content ? Good luck getting a game. Its fun to play together was XBL catch cry, it should have been its fun to PAY together.

  • Doctamonta posted Feb 7, 2010 1:15 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Doctamonta

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 1:15 pm GMT (hide)

    xbl i great but its kinda hard to choose cuz psn is free.i gotta job but ithey do get most of the same games and choosin xbl will be just another bill...idk its hard

  • CheckMate

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 11:27 am GMT

    Ah....good news for corporate control.

  • rp108

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 10:46 am GMT

    This is why Xbox Live will always be superior then PSN. Publishers see these types of numbers and start foaming at the mouth which allows more exclusive and timed exclusive deals for Xbox Live. So much for people saving money on PSN and actually buying games with it.

  • timepatrol

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 10:40 am GMT

    Well guess I helped them make some of that. I have Battlefield 1943, Shadow Complex, Family Game Night(All Games), Turtles In Time Re-Shelled, Trials HD, and Marvel Vs. Capcom 2.

  • Ghoroo

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 10:16 am GMT

    @ suicidalblues
    Trials HD
    Shadow Complex
    Family Game Night
    Magic: The Gathering
    Worms 2
    And then yeah Castle Crashers for now.

    Really I don't care, if you had to call me any type of fanboy I would be a PC fanboy :-P I just had to point out that there was more then one. Now what ever has a better Arcade, PS3 or 360, that's up to you.

  • Onetwoindo

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 10:14 am GMT

    lamprey 623

    thats what happened when you live in 3rd world...the oriiginal games or software cost very much.it almost same as full salaries for the most people in third world which is only beetween $100-200.so whats the solution...everybody deserve a entertainment..maybe a game maker should consider to cut retail prices for original software in 3rd world.if they dont want to be cracked

  • MarcJL31

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 9:19 am GMT

    Both systems are beneficial in their own way. I play Live for the most part but that really is only because most of my friend have 360s. The argument that Live is better, well I would hope so since I pay for it. If you pay for anything and it is not better than something thats free then I got ripped off. If Sony rolls out a pay subscription service, which eventually they will as its has been rumored, then we can make an honest comparison of the two. Overall, if you just want to play games only, I see no problem with PSN. In MY opinion, I like playing games over PSN just for the simple fact that it seems there are more people on Live who feel that since they have a mic, they can be stupid, annoying, and talk stuff just to start a fight (got old fast). Yea they exist on PSN but at least for ME they are far and in-between where as on Live, especially MW2, there is at least 1 in every game. So if I am not playing in a party with my friends, I rather play it on PSN. I would seriously pay more if there was a way to have a verifiable system for gamers 18 and older. No offense to those younger as I have met some good people from the younger age range, just as I have met some people older who really never grew out of that. But it just seems the majority are younger. All in all, I use both and enjoy both for different reason. A good game is a good game to me such as the experience. The console is just something I need to play it on so whichever one it is doesnt matter to me at all.

  • gamescottsman

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 6:19 am GMT

    Yeah thanks DICE, where's the DLC?? Fail.

  • lamprey263

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 5:06 am GMT

    @BFKZ - "In my country all they sell is pirated games, and x-boxes are moded when u buy them..games cost 3$ a piece, a whole experience ...but cant play online or u'll get banned"

    since you mentioned pirated games people seem to have hard feelings about that, but having gone abroad lately I kind of undertand you in this regards, I just came back from Vietnam a few months back and I have to say in that country there's not one place to buy a non-pirated game or DVD or CD, I went shopping all over, and it's not like people buy their pirated media in dark alleyways and whatnot, they sell this stuff in upscale malls and retail all over, I saw DVDs of movies not even released yet, and not crappy theater recordings but actual DVD rips, selling for less than $1 a piece, hell even cable TV is pirated there, they rip everything like HBO shows, add subtitles or dubs, and replay them over over their own cable networks, and the funny thing is they still operate like real media outlets selling add time for commercial breaks... in some ways I'm very much against pirating, but at the same time I don't know how gaming companies expect people in poor corners of the world to be able to afford any of this stuff they're selling, even if they tried to legitimately buy it the gaming devices still cost more than they would in the United Statesor UK, that doesn't make sense to me

    it's sad too because I'd love to play games with people around the world if I could

  • Ricochet93

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 3:09 am GMT

    "PS3 fanboys. The difference between XBL and PSN is like getting two channels for free over a crappy T.V. or Paying for cable that comes with 800 channels and On Demand. But everyone pays for Cable T.V. so why is so out of the question step up your gaming experience for a small sum?"

    360 fanboy. You clearly know nothing about PSN. Surely it's not better than Live, I'll admit that, but to say it's comparing nothing to something is pure BS. Live has better features, PSN is free. Take what you want, but in the end, I just wanna play games online. Now if PSN does that thing for free which in Live you have to pay for why not?

    Oh and BTW, I live in a 3rd world country, $60 is a quarter of my dad's salary (shame ain't it?), we barely meet end's meet, my parents would think twice, no, thrice before paying for something like that. But if I have friends who have the subscription then WTF cares

  • Hizakii

    Posted Feb 7, 2010 2:21 am GMT

    Proud to see Ubisoft singapore in the top ten list.

  • ChamomileBaths

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 11:39 pm GMT

    The features and convenience of XBL easily outweigh the price. Without Live 360 sucks, with it you have the system that can eat up all your gaming hours easily.

  • badtaker

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 9:58 pm GMT

    Shadow Complex FTW

  • izmickey

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 8:50 pm GMT

    @pukmok
    Seriously, dude. Cross game chat is really useless IMO. Your comment makes a lot of sense.

  • pukmok

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 8:43 pm GMT

    Betard, for the people who can only spare to buy a few games, crossing one game out hurts a lot.

    Screw cross game chat. I don't need to hear my friends scream when they lose.

  • izmickey

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 7:29 pm GMT

    the price isnt bad at all. But i find something interesting. They use up all that revenue to secure DLC for several months. Such a waste of all that revenue. I think its time for a price cut for XBL IMO.

  • BetardxFoosier

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 3:26 pm GMT

    Xbox Live is cheaper than a new game, so it's not a big deal to cross out one of the games on your "To Buy" list. Plus, it's well worth the money.

  • G4m3_0n

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 2:19 pm GMT

    All they need to do now is make NBA Jam a non wii exclusive and that'll sell like hot cakes.. And i'm sure Perfect Dark will do well once its released on XBLA later this year.

  • gellis1981

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 2:15 pm GMT

    I held out hope that DICE would support BF1943 just a little...just add a couple of remake maps of old BF1942 , Hell i would've paid for it but no all we get is 4 maps. I regret buying it now.

  • FoxbatAlpha

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 1:34 pm GMT

    PS3 fanboys. The difference between XBL and PSN is like getting two channels for free over a crappy T.V. or Paying for cable that comes with 800 channels and On Demand. But everyone pays for Cable T.V. so why is so out of the question step up your gaming experience for a small sum?

  • Land-0-Funk posted Feb 6, 2010 12:45 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Land-0-Funk

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 12:45 pm GMT (hide)

    Thankfully my credit card expired before M$oft could zap $50 from my bank account automatically for another year of live..now I can decide when to renew..which is better.

    edit:

  • mgsforever

    Posted Feb 6, 2010 12:05 pm GMT

    job well done

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