Kotaku
Bungie's Halo 3 was once again master chief of the sales charts, despite a 92% drop in sales from its 3.3 million seller debut in September. Activision and Red Octane's Guitar Hero III also had a good month, pushing 1.4 million units across multiple platforms. While the lead platform goes to the Xbox 360 this month in individual SKU terms, with the Wii version far behind, over 500,000 copies of the PlayStation 2 version were sold last month, across the standalone and guitar bundled editions.
The top ten games sold in the U.S. for the month of October are below, with additional numbers after the jump.
01. Halo 3 (Xbox 360) - 433,800
02. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (Xbox 360) - 383,200
03. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (Wii) - 286,300
04. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ guitar (PS2) - 271,100
05. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) - 262,800
06. Wii Play (Wii) - 239,700
07. The Orange Box (Xbox 360) - 238,400
08. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) -231,700
09. FIFA Soccer 08 (PS2) - 129,700
10. Brain Age 2: More Training In Minutes A Day (DS) - 116,900
Total video game software sales checked in at $513.9 million, up 39% from the previous October's at $369.3 million. Of that $513.9 million, $412.5 million was spent on console software, with $101.5 million dedicated to portable game software. Both are also up from the previous October.
Anita Frazier, analyst at the NPD, commented on Guitar Hero III's sales, saying "Very few games sell in excess of 1 million units in their first month in market, but Guitar Hero III did easily with combined sales of 1.4 million units in only 6 days. Since it has broad appeal, it's also the type of game that should continue to do very well throughout the holidays."
Guess that means a sequel is likely.
Comments
im assuming the second ps2 is the ps3 version. im wondering what this month is gonna be creed vs galaxy i cant wait!
Halo 3 still going strong. Not bad!
Wow no GHIII PS3 in the top 10
No ratchet? Shame. People! Buy games for your PS3 please.
@eternalplayer2345:
Well the second one is the one without the guitar (for those who already have it from 1 or 2).
So technically speaking the PS2 version sold 502,800.
Jesus christ.
Guitar Hero sucks, why does everyone like it so much?
*grabs the Almighty +10 Flameshield*
Ouch, PS3 GH3 didn't even sell 100k. That's freakin terrible. Also @Eternalplayer2345: The second PS2 version is the PS2 version without the guitar controller and the first one is the PS2 version with the guitar controller.
@Netnavi: In order to buy games for their PS3, people would have to own one
wow, ps3 version didnt even make the cut
The PS3 GH3 must have made the list!! I cal shananagans!!
I bought GHIII for the PS3. Sadly it looks like no one else did.
It would be interesting to see a ratio of individual total game consoles owned to individual games purchased. The numbers from this list could be over inflated because more people own an Xbox 360 than a Wii or PS3.
Guitar hero III for ps2 was the best seller of this month not halo 3....but well, technically you re right ...
now my question is , all halo 3 versions counts as one, but guitar hero III not ?, i dont understand how they do this sales charts...
GHIII for Ps2 beign the best seller is good publicity for the game and for the cosole, so its kind of sad to see this kind of things
na uh orange box did not really get beat by wii play right?
@okenny :):
*call even!
The PS3 has to step it up next month... If it doesn't push 500K at least next month, it's going to be hard to justify its viability as a platform. I swear they should have came out swinging with HOME, LBP, and MGS4 this holiday. People will be broke and in school this spring. Sony! *slap across the face* get a grip man!
If GHIII broke 1000000 combined units in 6 days, it'll definitely continue strong through November and christmas. Damn.
How does Wii Play sell 240000 units? Must be people picking it up for "$10" after the WiiMote pack in.
that's nice that the orange box sold so many copies. A lot of people are enjoying the HL2 story for the first time. I think that's a game that, although pretty popular in it's own right, could use an expansion of its user base..... because it is a masterpiece.
FIFA at 9?
You continue to both surprise and amaze me, America.
@LemonproX: I'd like to see how it did on the PC as well. Also I wonder which version did better.
@ludwigk:
That's why I bought it ;-)
Way to kick ass GH, I remember when you were just a neat game with an awesome controller, now you're a full fledged pop culture phenomenon...
They grow up so fast... *sniff*
@mariogalaxyman: I own one!!!! YEARGH!!!
It really is a great system. Maybe it's the "kiddy" graphics or maybe since it was so widely received on PS2 that people are just done with the series? Wich is stupid because it gives variety to the gaming scene. I'm giving my 360 a break for now. Too much PGR, Forza and Lost Planet (my friends play it waaay too much. TYhough it is agood game)
R&C provides a good break from the monotiny. Actually a lot of PS3 exclusives do. Heavenly sword was great and so was Warhawk. Gave me alittle Crimson skies vibe when you fly. Still haven't mastered the game yet.
Hmm, Guitar Hero III for Wii didn't do as bad as I thought... Maybe I'll pick it up too.
I read a lot of people cant find a copy of GHIII for the PS3, maybe they made a lot less, so when they sold out, that was it. So the numbers arent that good even though they sold a crap ton, just not as much as the other systems.
R&C not even 75K. :(
Poor Insomniac.
Guitar Hero III for PS3 did some 106K after Neogaf data leaked from NPD ...so it missed the Top Ten by a couple some 10K units .Maybe it was 11 or 12 .
@Plunkett: I think you can thank American parents for that. See, American football requires expensive equipment, and baseball doesn't wear kids out enough. Soccer saps away all that annoying child energy on the cheap. It might not be a popular spectator sport in America, but parents here love it.
@LemonproX: Yeah I know, it sucks. A lot of people don't seem to be interested in the Orange Box. It's too bad really, The Orange Box has some interesting games, like Team Fortress 2 and Portal.
Ratchet was officially released the 30 although some stores broke the official data ...but even with this in mind it should have sold more.
@Plunkett: Now you know how we feel when SingStar makes number 1.
Do people actually realize the amount of torque needed to spin some of the things they say?
Say what you will about PS2 exceeding GH3 software sales of the 360, but you conviently leave out the part that its install base is 10:1 compared to 360's.
Where's PS3's great hope, Ratchet& Clank and GH3 sales? Quickly now, I need a good chuckle...
@Iberianpower: One day? come on :D ! It should register next month then. People seem to really like that game and it has a lot of positive buzz.
Don't freak out people R&C had a whole day worth of sales on this chart (right?). It will sell just fine.
@Toasticus: What's weird is that Soccer/Football has been fairly popular among the under 15 set here for literally decades, but so few of those kids continue to be Soccer fans (or at least enough so that they make it a viable "big" sport) into adulthood. Maybe its starting to change a bit, I do know a few people who keep up with FIFA and international football, but it is really a little odd to me.
I never got into it myself, never had great coordination with my size 18s ;)
I wonder how many of the 262k Wii Play sales were free standing, and how many were bought at the same time/store as the purchaser's new Wii? I think thats what keeps it on this list month after month, but thats just a guess.
@Plunkett: Oh. Wait. You mean at number 9 as opposed to number 1, then?
@DaiMacculate: It seems like people pretty much quit soccer after high school. I think that if there were substantially more collegiate support for the sport it'd garner quite a bit more spectator attention. Currently, basketball and American football take over everyone's sports interests during the college years.
People are still buying Wii Play? FFS, why?
@drewdvorak: Yea my best buy had no copies of the PS3 version of Guitar Hero 3 in stock. Whats that about? I haven't seen any PS3 versions around.... perhaps trouble producing enough?
@JimElNino: Yea it was only one day of sales, but still whats not good then is that large portion of its launch number is taken off and wont appear next month, making it look like it didn't sell that well. Releasing a game at the end of the month is generally not the best idea in the sense of showing NPD data as it looks bad for the game. Release the games earlier, and have them build up sales so they chart higher on a monthly sales chart.
@Kyle81:
I'm pretty sure 95% of potential R&C owners either don't know what NPD is or don't give a shit :-)
Don't worry man, all will be well.
@ereusch: For the controller that comes with it, I'd imagine.
I couldn't find Guitar Hero III for Wii :( I try three store and they sold all out. Next time it'll be mine!!
Also sad that Toys R' Us here isn't carrying Ace Attorney: Trial and Tribulation...which is what I was planning to buy with the 25 dollar card.
The gaming Gods are againts me since I couldn't get those two games I wanted!! ARGH!!
@Ignatius: Because it doesn't.
For all the people talking about how Rachet and Clank didn't hit until the 30th: Remember that Phantom Hourglass came in second for September sales even though it wasn't supposed to be released until October 1st. So, just because it was released on the 30th doesn't mean it's selling like crazy now.
@daknight:
Had to buy on it ebay cause it was sold out everywhere ! Still waiting for it ... 117$ Canadian including shipping, not bad !
@ereusch: cuz every month close to a million people want to try out their new system with an extra controller I'm guessing. That... or someone has discovered some sort of secret amazing game code deal in Wii Play that NONE of us have heard of.
it's nice to see the orange box still cranking out decent numbers every month...
what the hell? i couldnt find any GH3 for ps3 here in this town, all they had was the 360 version.
What, no Zak and Wiki? Maybe if it was called SpongeBob and Patrick more existing Wii owners would actually buy it.
It will be interesting to see what effect Rock Band has on GH3 sales for the 360 and PS3. Though GH3 will have a 20 day head start for November's sales numbers.
I have a feeling RB may be able to knock GH3 down quite a bit, especially with all of the support the game is getting right out of the gate in terms of expanded content.
@sinny: I totally agree with you. Not combining the PS2 SKUs for GH III is complete and utter BS when the NPD has been combining all of the SKUs for Halo 3 the past two months. Complete and utter shenanigans right there. Therefore, the true champion of this month is GH III on the PS2.
(Also...I am assuming since it does not say otherwise that the NPD is also combining the two SKUs of Wii Play, w/ and w/o the controller. Consistency much?)
@KidU: Er, does anyone buy Wii Play without a controller? :) Surely the 'nearly free with a controller' thing is the only reason it sells...
I had to go to 6 stores just to get a copy of GH3 for PS3. It sold out everywhere in my city, but also, most stores got stacks of the xbox360 version, and only 5 or 6 for PS3. Malarkey.