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Canada posts record year for gaming

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Jan 17, 2007 12:43 pm PT

Great White North's C$933 million industry-wide sales jump 22 percent over the previous year; NHL 07 tops sales charts.

Last week the industry-tracking NPD Group released its US retail sales figures for 2006, showing record revenues for non-PC gaming hardware, software, and accessories. The industry fared similarly well north of the border, according to Canadian Press reports on NPD Group's Canadian retail tallies.

"It was a beauty year for gaming, eh?"

For 2006, Canadian stores sold a record C$933 million ($796 million) on gaming, up 22 percent from 2005's C$765 million ($652 million) take. On the hardware side, the Nintendo DS topped all systems with sales of 374,000 units, followed by the PlayStation 2 (327,000 systems sold) and the Xbox 360 (252,000 systems sold). Of the newly released systems, Nintendo sold 84,000 Wiis, while Sony moved 45,000 PS3s. The Wii nearly doubled the PS3's total units sold, but Sony's system beat Nintendo's offering in December sales as both products bumped up against supply constraints.

As for games, the cultural differences between the US and Canada were reflected in the sales charts. According to the Canadian Press report, the best-selling game of the year in Canada was Electronic Arts' NHL 07 on the PS2 instead of the US chart-topper Madden NFL 07 for the PS2. New Super Mario Bros. on the DS and Gears of War on the Xbox 360 took second and third place on both charts, but the Canadian top 10 sported some prior years' releases, like Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Gran Turismo 4 on the PS2, as well as Super Mario 64 DS.

Combining the NPD data with current population projections, Canadians spent C$28.27 ($24.10) per capita on gaming in 2006, while the average American spent $41.50 on gaming for the year.

148 Comments

  • PIKA740

    Posted Aug 4, 2007 6:07 am PT

    Yay?

  • maverickexe

    Posted Jan 22, 2007 7:31 am PT

    lol, of course NHL tops the charts.

  • RealXBoxKiller

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 4:10 pm PT

    onderful game development crews in the world. Like Ubisoft Montreal, EA Blackbox

    i would hardly call EA a "wonderful" company. The only game I' ve enjoyed of theirs in the last 15 years is LoTR: Third Age on my Cube.

    When you look back, they've put out alot of crap over the years. Oh and btw, I say "aboot" and "eh" alot myself. :-p

  • thorsen-ink GameSpot staff member

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 3:51 pm PT

    Uh, the guy who wrote this article is from Ontario. Apparently our posters from the north forgot the Canadians' famous sense of humor.

  • vanhalendlrband

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 11:05 pm PT

    Its funny how americans think our country ,which has a larger land mass then theirs, all has the same accent all across. Just funny thought.

    And yea i'd be more impressed if 2K7 was up there, but i guarantee you that NHL by EA Sports has been the number one selling game in Canada since it first came out in 91. Too bad we're buying a game that takes hand me downs from the previous years madden as its highlights. I switched to 2K from EA in 2002 after i got sick of EA's constant detour to arcade style hockey. It was always about sim in '96 but they alienated me big time by 2002.

  • metroid_dragon

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 7:28 pm PT

    I'm in Canada as well, and I say both madden and NHL EA games suck, however I'd still much rather play an NHL game.

    Now if you'll excuse me, Warioware calls.

  • stewart24

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 5:01 pm PT

    Hey Im up here in Canada to and heck Im Madden all the way, I get hockey when its in the blow out bin.

  • wonkisjones

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 3:23 pm PT

    No wonder videogames are raising up!
    would it be the same in my country someday soon? =?

  • firefruze

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 12:53 pm PT

    YEAH GO CANADA!!! but seriously NHL 07 was the top seller? There must be more to those stats. Or maybe I have to face that I am part of the minority that could care less about professional hockey.

  • HammerBro88

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 12:47 pm PT

    As a Canadian, I am disgusted that EA crap topped the bestsellers list.

  • vgkid7

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 12:12 pm PT

    Hir0_N i stronlgy agree with u. I am a canadian aswell (Ottawa). And i luv soccer but every single damn canadian loves hockey (stupid sport)

  • datniccah187

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 11:20 am PT

    Big year for gaming, do it up, the more money that goes into the industry, the better games that will come out for our enjoyment.

  • Frags-o-Plenty

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 11:06 am PT

    The Americans wouldn't be saying we're horrible if Jean Cretien was still in power. That guy could scare the crap out of anyone and anything.

    But yeah, that you GS for that completely unbiased picture describing all of Canada. Thanks. Really.

  • dQuarters

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 10:17 am PT

    NHL 07!?!

    They made that ish up just to pick on us. And if it's actually true, stop buying into that damned EA franchise. Full of crappy new gimmiks every year, and no true improvements worth the money. And 2K is just way better for hockey.

    And fellow hosiers ... Support your local Ubisoft and Bioware this year. Oh, and Sillicon Knights too (if they ever release another game).

  • Hir0_N

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 10:11 am PT

    Canada sucks so much at Futbol(soccer). And pretty much every other sports except Hockey.

    This is coming from a Canadian. Not by blood though.

  • fahad2mail

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 9:39 am PT

    hehe. its happening all over the world.

  • blamder-drag

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 9:32 am PT

    pshhh america pwns canada

  • HighlyToxic

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 7:19 am PT

    When are they going to make Grand Theft Auto: Winnipeg????

    Now that is a GTA game I would almost pay to play. I can just see it now, tearing away from the cops and just when you think you have made a clean getaway you hit the mother of all potholes.

    ------

    Think about it: After you pull off a job at the beer store, you dogsled-jack a ride, and lead your team of huskies through the wood, battling the RCMP and timberwolves, until you make your way to your crib of an igloo. Instant classic.

  • gatsbythepig

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 7:06 am PT

    they love their videogames

  • axillia

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 6:07 am PT

    Yay canucks!

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