Nintendo Wii Still Undefeated

By Alexander Toldt
11:52, June 14th 2008

The video game industry seems to be doing spectacularly well in 2008, as sale numbers have already reached $6.6 billion. According to the lastet report released by the market research firm NPD Group, by the end of the year, sales could go up to $21 billion to $23 billion. In 2007, console and game sales brought in nearly $18 billion.

During the previous month console sales have slightly changed, although some surprises were expected to occur.

The launch of Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) failed to boost the PlayStation3 or the Xbox 360 console demand and the first place went to Nintendo’s Wii with 675,100 units. Obviously, one of the reasons for this was the May 19 launch of Wii Fit and the Aprli launch of Mari Kart Wii.

“The Wii Wheel and Wii Balance Board accessories make game play fun for new gamers while presenting new challenges for those who have been playing a long time,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.

Nintendo also got second place with its DS console, which sold 452,600 units. The next two places went to the PS3 with 208,700 units sold and to the Xbox 360, with 186,600.

The software sales chart includes pretty much the same companies but differently arranged. The best-selling game was Grand Theft Auto IV or GTA IV (Xbox 360) with no less than 871,300 units. Microsoft was happy to see that the Xbox 360 version is selling that well and its post-NPD report press release noted that we could expect some surprises at E3.

A close second was Mario Kart Wii (Wii), which sold 787,400. Third place went to Nintendo’s Wii Fit, which totaled 687,700 units.

At the beginning of the year NPD warned it was unlikely for the 2007 trend to remain the same in 2008.

"While I wouldn't count on similar growth in 2008, I would expect to see ... more growth proportionately coming from software sales," NPD analyst Anita Frazier said. "While we will continue to see strong hardware sales, particularly if prices come down again, the spotlight now turns from hardware to software." It seems she was right.