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NPD: PS3 sales spike on MGS4

By Tom Magrino, GameSpotPosted Jul 17, 2008 4:38 pm PT

Sony's console sees significant sales uptick, as US gaming industry grows 53 percent to nearly $1.7 billion in June.

With the launch of Rockstar Games' multiplatform Grand Theft Auto IV in April, many industry watchers expected both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to experience a significant boost in hardware sales. However, that expectation proved to be unfounded. Although GTAIV floored critics and went on to log a record-breaking $500 million in first-week sales, neither console was impacted in a meaningful way by the release. With Sony releasing the equally lauded console-exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in June, the latest NPD Group sales figures reveal the importance of exclusive games in the console-sales race.

According to NPD's sales statistics for the month of June, Sony's PlayStation 3 benefitted substantially from the release of Konami and Kojima Production's top-rated action adventure, logging 405,500 units for the month. That's nearly double the number of consoles that Sony sold in May, and a far cry from June Xbox 360 sales, which stood at 219,800 units, despite the release of Tecmo's console-exclusive Ninja Gaiden II.

"Platform-exclusive content usually fuels hardware-system purchases, and PS3 sales certainly reflect the impact of Metal Gear Solid 4," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "PS3 unit sales were the highest of any month outside of that recorded during previous November/December holiday time frames."

Sony's win over its current-generation archrival notwithstanding, Nintendo's Wii once again trounced its competition in the console market. Putting a cap on Nintendo's seeming deal with the devil to go from disappointing GameCube sales to the phenomenally popular Wii, the NPD numbers reflect more than 666,000 units sold in June. That surge puts Wii lifetime sales in the US ahead of those for the Xbox 360, despite the fact that Microsoft's platform has been on the market a full year longer.

"The Wii has taken the lead in total sales of current-generation console hardware at 10.9 million units sold at retail life-to-date in the US," noted Frazier. Not a complete coup, however, as Frazier continued, "The 360 platform has driven the greatest number of hardware purchases this generation, with just under eight software units purchased for each unit of hardware, on average."

As for the portable market, the Nintendo DS maintained its dominance, selling a staggering 783,000 units for the month. Not to be discounted, Sony's PlayStation Portable posted significant numbers in its own right, shifting 337,400 systems. Perhaps contributing to the PSP sales spike was the release of the limited-edition ruby red God of War PSP bundle, which went on sale June 3.

In all, hardware sales contributed $615 million to June's total gaming-industry tally of $1.7 billion, a 53 percent spike compared to the same period a year ago. Breaking out the remainder of the statistics, software sales grew 63 percent year-over-year to nearly $873 million in the US. Accessories saw a more modest 25 percent rise to $202 million.

"The video games industry continues to perform in the face of an ever-increasingly difficult economic environment as many turn to more in-home entertainment," mused Frazier. "Even if growth slows over the back half of 2008, the industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues of over $22 billion for the year."

Unsurprisingly, Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4 led the software charts, selling 774,600 units in the US since it went on sale June 12. "As expected, Metal Gear Solid 4 realized significant retail sales and drove PS3 hardware acquisition," noted Frazier, continuing, "while the attached media report does not include units bundled with hardware; if included, MGS4 sold-through nearly 1 million units."

Putting a figure to Activision's trumpeting of Guitar Hero: On Tour sales, NPD has the first Nintendo DS installment in the popular rhythm-game franchise taking the second position with 442,300 sales. Tecmo's controversy-ridden Xbox 360 exclusive Ninja Gaiden II rounded out the top three, selling 372,700 units in its first month on the market. That number nearly equals Wii Fit, which sold less than 100 units under Team Ninja's gory actioner.

Games for the Nintendo Wii slotted into many of the remaining top 10 slots, with Wii Play's 359,100 units scoring the fifth position, Mario Kart Wii finishing seventh with 322,400 units, and Traveller's Tales Lego Indiana Jones notching an eighth-place performance with 294,500 copies on the month. The Nintendo DS version of the Warner Bros.-published game scored the seventh slot with 267,800 copies sold, with the PlayStation 2 edition rounding out the top 10 with 260,300 units. Finally but not last, the Xbox 360 edition of EA's Battlefield: Bad Company ranked sixth in its opening month, selling 346,800 units.

US VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY - JUNE 2008
Software: $872.6M (+61%)
Hardware: $615.1M (+54%)
Accessories: $202M (+25%)
Total Games: $1.69B (+53%)

TOP-SELLING HARDWARE - JUNE 2008
Nintendo DS--783,000
Wii--666,700
PlayStation 3--405,500
PlayStation Portable--337,400
Xbox 360--219,800
PlayStation 2--188,800

TOP-SELLING SOFTWARE - JUNE 2008
Title / Publisher / Release Date / Units*
1) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) / Konami / 774,600
2) Guitar Hero On Tour (DS) / Activision / 422,300
3) Ninja Gaiden II (Xbox 360) / Microsoft / 372,700
4) Wii Fit w/ Balance Board (WII) / Nintendo / 372,700
5) Wii Play w/ Remote (WII) / Nintendo / 359,100
6) Battlefield: Bad Company (Xbox 360) / Electronic Arts / 346,800
7) Mario Kart Wii w/ Wheel (WII) / Nintendo / 322,400
8) Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (WII) / LucasArts / 294,500
9) Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (DS) / LucasArts / 267,800
10) Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (PS2) / LucasArts / 260,300

* Figures include Collector's Editions and instrument bundles, but not hardware bundles.

1177 Comments

  • FabioPizzini

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 8:43 am PT

    In europe Ps3 become very stronger day by day, in japan it is great, if in america will tie the xbox ... ahahahah

    Poor xbox

  • Vasot posted Jul 31, 2008 1:40 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Vasot

    Posted Jul 31, 2008 1:40 pm PT (hide)

    Xbox360 sales better and is cheaper from PS3
    It has a bigger range of good exclusive games for someone to choose.

    PS3 is just poor in good exclusive titles
    MGS4 is not enough...

    XBOX360 is going also to retaliate soon by releasing Splinter Cell Conviction which is a Xbox360 exclusive game...

    XBOX360 is still the best gaming choice no question about that !!
    PS3 is a lost case still trying to catch Xbox360

    Maybe Sony needs to abandon PS3 and create a PS4 to see a better day...

  • mangoslayer

    Posted Jul 27, 2008 10:04 am PT

    Well... in E308 ps3 should hit nice sales too.

  • Warren360x1 posted Jul 24, 2008 4:19 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Warren360x1

    Posted Jul 24, 2008 4:19 am PT (hide)

    zzzzzzz seriously what are u all on about...i got borde of this game and i even bought a ps3 for it,well it got traded in affter 2 days,and you all say 360`s are bad my ps3 failed in 2 days ..tut tut. and no im not a fanboy i still have my ps2 that i still play on.

  • AbyssD

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 9:48 pm PT

    finish like i was saying before 360 go down slowly by slowly and in the end 360 will be in Deep S**t

  • Latinbro1

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 12:56 pm PT

    I wouldn't be surprised if 360 and PZS3 end up close to a tie (PS3 taking a significant lead in Europe/Japan and 360 maintaining the lead in the US). The software will likely be a toss-up depending on the game and it's popularity in all 3 regions.

  • darkride66

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 11:59 am PT

    Zateahouse said "After their "saviour" came, PS3 still came in second place!! This was supposed to kill the Xbox 360 and Wii and complete the domination of the PS3!"
    Kill the Wii? Says who? Sony fans expected big things from MGS4, and it delivered. On these forums even the most hardcore Sony fanboys weren't claiming that MGS4 would suddenly be the shot that won the war. With 110 million consoles to sell on, MGS3 sold just shy of 4 million copies it's entire life. MGS4 sold half that in it's first 2 weeks. One game isn't going to win the console war, nobody said it would, but if Sony expects to continue their sales momentum and outsell the 360 worldwide for another 9 months they need more titles of this quality.
    The PS3 won't outsell the Wii. Maybe outlast the Wii and outsell it in the long run, but they won't pull ahead until Nintendo pulls the plug.

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 11:34 am PT

    once a nintendo fan always a nintendo fan but nomatter what I'm still gonna own all of the systems cause there's always gonna be great games on all the 3. Gonna have to play the great ones anyway, even though nintendo is in my heart first and formost

  • Zateahouse

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 11:15 am PT

    After their "saviour" came, PS3 still came in second place!! This was supposed to kill the Xbox 360 and Wii and complete the domination of the PS3! Seems mediocre. Also note that the $100 gift certificate from Wal mart didnt hurt either. PS3 is gonna have to do better than this if it ever wants to get out of third place and make a profit like everyone elese.

  • darkride66

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 6:59 am PT

    @ jackrocks123. The actual quality of the console doesn't necessarily equate to ownership of the market. Look at the PS2. I think the orig X-box was a far better machine than the PS2 and we all know how that worked out. Nintendo has done an extraordinary job at placing the Wii withing the market and creating a bankable image. I like my Wii and I can understand it's appeal, I just prefer to game on my PS3 and 360.

  • jackrocks123

    Posted Jul 23, 2008 3:00 am PT

    its funny how nintendo has the worst consoles but they are winning, but ps3 has the best console and they are losing, only time will tell ps3 it catching up with 360.

  • REBEL2100x

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 1:49 pm PT

    Woo MGS4!!!

  • Zerosumgame

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 1:10 pm PT

    You want something made by Mircrosoft that is reliable? are you for real?

  • darkride66

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 12:36 pm PT

    Yuck_Too said "You're not anti-360? You just like to go on and on about how many you broke, why XBL is not worth the money, and why there has been nothing for the 360 since Halo-3."
    That's right, I'm not anti-360. I think the 360's a remarkable console but when you have a bad experience you tend to tell people. On top of that, XBL isn't worth the money in my opinion. Still I love my 360. I like the controllers, the games are great. If the system had been more reliable I'd still be using it as my primary console. Because of that I haven't bought a game for it since Halo 3, not because of a lack of games. That doesn't make me in the slightest anti-360. I still tell friends that although I think the PS3 is a better value you can't go wrong with the 360. I just have a personal preference. If I'm anti anything, I'd have to say I'm a little anti-Wii, but it may just be that I haven't given it much of a chance yet. I have a few Wii games but can't bring myself to spend time with them. I rather dislike the Wii-mote, but maybe it'll grow on me. Time will tell. I keep telling myself that I owe it to myself as a gamer to give it a fair chance.

  • SkullXero

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 11:39 am PT

    And you can chalk this story up with other ps3 stories. As well as the many xbox 360 failure stories.

    Happens with hardware. All hardware. Just I dont see it happen as much to the ps3 as it did the 360, but it does happen. And it def doesnt happen at the same rate of the wii. I barely know anyone whose had Wii hardware issues.

  • darkride66

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 10:28 am PT

    Yuck_Too asked "Hey dark...how does it really feel to live in such a constant state of fear like you do about the 360?"
    I couldn't tell you. Sitting on it's shelf on my entertainment console I don't find it particularly frightening. I guess if I was moving furniture and too lazy to take it out of it's hole first it may fall out and hit my foot, but I'm not really in a constant state of fear of that happening or anything. Actually I find the 360 exciting again for the first time since Halo 3. I'm really looking forward to Fable 2 and Gears 2, plus if the DLC looks good I may buy Fallout 3 on my 360 vs my PS3. I've missed that excitement of looking forward to 360 games and now it's back for me.
    Why do you insist on leaping to the conclusion that just because I like the PS3 and like to dispel the many incorrect assumptions regarding the system, that somehow that makes me anti 360? I'm not. I don't like paying for XBL and, because I have a choice of XBL or PSN I don't play it, and I've been burned by faulty 360 hardware in the past (I understand you've had some PS3 hardware issues yourself). That in no way makes me anti 360. I've been a vocal critic of the PS3 as well. I don't like the Home delays, I wish the features currently available were available at launch, I hated that the Dualshock weren't available at launch, I don't agree with removing BC from the consoles. All of these issues I've been very vocal on to the point where I've been referred to as a Xbox fanboy on more than a few occassions. I'm not. I'm just an opinionated gamer who happens to own all three consoles but prefer my PS3. I used to prefer my 360, hands down. Now that's changed. I'm not hard to figure out.

  • Yuck_Too

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 9:06 am PT

    --darkride66 --
    Hey dark...how does it really feel to live in such a constant state of fear like you do about the 360?

  • darkride66

    Posted Jul 22, 2008 7:24 am PT

    sieg6529 said "Hey, how about some more good 1st party exlusives? I'm won't be satisfied with the PS3 until there are enough of those to equal the unit cost I paid ($500)."
    Now I don't know how many are 1st party exclusives vs third party, but here goes. Ok, Warhawk, MGS4, Heavenly Sword, MLB-The Show, Resistance, Uncharted, Motostorm, Ratchet and Clank, Eye of Judgement, Folklore, Pixeljunk Monsters, Gran Turismo 5 - P, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ridge Racer 7, Singstar, Tekken. There. All highly rated, a little something for everyone, all can only be played on the PS3 and that should about equal your $500 target. Of course there are more, depending on what kind of games you like and more on the way. These titles listed here should keep most gamers busy for a good 6 months. But why only focus on exclusives? The nice thing about mulitconsole titles is that Sony doesn't think you should have to pay subscription fees to play online so once you buy your game, that's it (COD4 is fantastic! GTA4, Burnout, DMC4 - there are so many great multiconsole titles). No more fees to play 100% of the game as the developer intended. On top of that you don't have the restriction of worrying "If I play longer than 2 hours, is my system going to die?" That's a nice feature. And if you have a HD tv, just for the hell of it why not throw a Blu-Ray in and check it out?

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