Mass Effect 3 sold 1.5M in March, projects analyst

Mass Effect 3 blasted off to first-month console sales of 1.5 million units, Cowen & Company's Doug Creutz said in an investor note today. The analyst called the March 2012 release window "challenging," noting last year's same-month new release slate included Pokemon Black and White, Homefront, and Dragon Age II.

Mass Effect 3 shipped for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on March 6 and quickly shipped 3.5 million units. Publisher Electronic Arts heralded the sci-fi action game as the "best game BioWare has ever made."

Elsewhere in his note, Creutz echoed the sentiment of Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter, predicting that software sales for March dropped from the year prior. Total software unit sales were down 24 percent year-over-year, according to Creutz, with double-digit dips expected through April and May.

Mass Effect 3 today welcomes free downloadable content in the form of the Resurgence Pack, as well as a bug-fixing patch. Future Mass Effect DLC titled Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will arrive this summer and aims to address fans' concerns regarding the Mass Effect 3 endgame by providing "greater context," but no new endings.