Madden NFL 11 tops August sales charts - EA

The NPD Group isn't expected to release its August game-industry sales breakdown for at least a couple more weeks, but Electronic Arts is already touting Madden NFL 11 as the month's sales leader. Citing internal figures, EA claims Madden NFL 11 was the No. 1 selling game in North America during August, with sales on all platforms rising about 5 percent year-over-year.

EA did not offer specific sales figures for any of the versions of Madden NFL 11, which launched for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Wii, and iPhone on August 10. However, Madden NFL 10 sold 1.9 million units in August 2009, a figure that included versions on the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, and Wii.

EA also said that digital revenues for Madden NFL 11 were up 200 percent year-over-year. Examples of downloadable content currently available include the "One More Year" bonus, which keeps an in-game player from retiring for an additional year, and "Skilled Medical Staff," which confers a 10 percent bonus chance of avoiding injuries and increasing recovery time. EA also announced its Online Pass initiative in May, which requires used-game owners to purchase access to the game's online mode.

The sales bump is likely a relief for EA, after seeing lackluster results for Madden NFL 10. Last September, EA CEO John Riccitiello expressed disappointment over the game's performance despite the game's near-2-million-unit opening. "It is discouraging that one of our highest rated and best marketed Madden titles in years is facing strong headwinds," he said.

Along with touting Madden NFL 11's sales, EA also took the opportunity to officially announce Madden NFL Superstars, a new installment in the franchise designed specifically for social-gaming network Facebook. Built in conjunction with recent EA acquisition Playfish, Madden NFL Superstars is a team-management sim in which Facebook users can build a roster from more than 1,500 current players and then match their squad up against friends.

Madden NFL Superstars is available as of today through its Facebook game space.