Nintendo Responds To April NPD Sales, Seems Pleased

With such stellar Wii and Nintendo DS sales, Nintendo has a right to gloat. Even the almighty God would look the other way if Messrs. Fils-Aime and Iwata exhibited a bit of pride today. Nintendo was so pleased with its U.S. sales performance for April—in which it sold over 700,000 Wiis and 400,000 Nintendo DSs—that it distributed its statement before NPD figures were released. That's either confidence or a desire to leave the office by 5 PM at the latest.

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America EVP of Sales & Marketing said in a statement “Our belief in appealing to a broad, diverse audience of players continues to resonate with consumers, and we look forward to continuing our outreach to an expanded audience with the launch of Wii Fit next week.” Representative mascot Duffman said, "Duffman!"

Nintendo also noted in its statement that Super Smash Bros. Brawl passed the 3 million units in sales in the U.S. last month. Gosh! People really like that Smash Bros.! Quoted statement follows.

Video Game Industry Has $1.2 Billion April, Confirms It's Made Of Money

According to the latest NPD Group sales data, April 2008 was pretty darn good for the video game industry, with $1.23 billion dollars in sales in the United States. Yes, cigars are being lit with hundreds, champagne corks are being sabered and who knows what's being snorted off what based on the news. Oh, a refreshing Coors Light may even be knocked back. That billion-plus April is a big improvement—47% to be exact—over the previous April, which saw a paltry $839 million sum from American consumers. April's billion and change take contributes to a year-to-date $5.47 billion for the industry so far. In case you're wondering that's a lot of money.

Here's how it all breaks down. Brace yourself for more millions and more percentage growth talk.

• Hardware - $426.2 million (+26%)
• Software - $654.7 million (+68%)
• Accessories - $154 million (+39%)

GTA IV Whacks The April Competition, Mario Kart Grabs Second

Wii Dominates April, PS3 & Xbox 360 In Dead Heat On GTA IV Sales

Nintendo had an amazing April, pushing over 700,000 Wiis in the United States. That's a massive difference from its "current gen high definition console" competition, as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were neck and neck, only a thousand units difference between the two. If you were expecting a big boost from Grand Theft Auto IV's release, you're going to leave disappointed. Maybe next month. Nintendo's other platform, the DS continued to impress, more than doubling sales of the PSP.

• Wii - 714,200
• Nintendo DS - 414,800
• PSP - 192,000
• Xbox 360 - 188,000
• PlayStation 3 - 187,100
• PlayStation 2 - 124,400

Mario Kart Wii Has A Golden Week

Surprise! For the fifth week in a row, Mario Kart Wii finishes first on Media Create's weekly software sales chart. Japanese gamers snapped up another 107K copies of the kart racer as new releases were put on hold for the week. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G continues to settle for second place, with Wii Fit officially passing the 2 million mark overseas. While we've seen a healthy mix of platforms on the charts over the past few months, for the week of May 5 to 11, it's simply saturated with Wii and Nintendo DS titles.

Bear down for even more sales fun throughout the day as the NPD Group releases U.S. sales data for the number starved masses. The list continues after the break.

1. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 107,000 / 1,227,000
2. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 82,000 / 1,992,000
3. Wii Fit (Wii) - 53,000 / 2,039,000
4. Link's Crossbow Training (Wii) - 49,000 / 141,000
5. Meccha! Taiko Drum Master DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken (DS) - 34,000 / 133,000
6. Pokémon Ranger Batonage! (DS) - 27,000 / 535,000
7. Deca Sports (Wii) - 22,000 / 207,000
8. Wii Sports (Wii) - 21,000 / 2,979,000
9. Boura wa Kaseki Holder (DS) - 17,000 / 102,000
10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 16,000 / 1,620,000

Microsoft: Oops, We Forgot About The Wii In Worldwide Sales

Microsoft totally won the race to 10 million in the U.S. That's for damn sure. But worldwide? They're not exactly the leader in the "current-generation console" race, at least not if you include the Wii as a "current-generation console." They may have an impressive Xbox Live user base, but 19 million Xbox 360s sold does not a current gen leader make.

When contacted for clarification about the 360's numbers versus the Wii's—which stood at 24.5 million worldwide as of March 31, according to Nintendo financials—Microsoft reps told us that "Xbox 360 has the largest global install base of any current gen high definition gaming console." That emphasis? Mine. They also apologized for any confusion this may have caused.

Hey, it happens. Even I forget I have a Wii sometimes and it's right there, mere feet from my face.

MS Still Thinks It Can Win The Console War, Xbox 360 Pushes Past 10 Million In U.S.

With a reported 9.9 million Xbox 360s sold through in the United States as of the end of March, something catastrophic would have had to happen to prevent Microsoft from reaching the 10 million mark first. Fortunately for the gang in Redmond, the company has avoided certain doom, announcing that it has reached the corporately coveted figure, beating NPD estimates by a day.

Don Mattrick, the *deep breath* Senior Vice President of the Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment and Devices Division, said in a statement that "History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle." Microsoft also points out that it leads worldwide, with a 19 million strong install base and 12 million Xbox Live users.

Impressive numbers? Absolutely. Expect to hear "But we got there fastest, not first!" and/or "Not my problem!" any second now.

Ain't No Stopping Mario Kart Wii In Japan

Nintendo's mascot racin' funfest Mario Kart Wii cannot be toppled, even by the crossbow powers of Link. Zelda's constant savior aimed for third on the Japanese sales charts with Link's Crossbow Training, Mario Kart Wii and Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G still holding tight at numbers one and two for the fourth week in a row.

Wii Fit and Monster Hunter for PSP are on the cusp of hitting the 2 million mark, just as Wii Sports prepares to ship its 3 millionth copy in Japan. Impressive. For the rest of the best sellers for the week of April 28 to May 4, keep on kartin'.

01. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 173,000 / 1,120,000
02. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 102,000 / 1,909,000
03. Link's Crossbow Training (Wii) - 93,000 / NEW
04. Wii Fit (Wii) - 52,000 / 1,986,000
05. Meccha! Taiko Drum Master DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken (DS) - 42,000 / 98,000
06. Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage (DS) - 31,000 / 508,000
07. Boura wa Kaseki Holder (DS) - 27,000 / 84,000
08. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) - 24,000 / 102,000
09. Deca Sports (Wii) - 24,000 / 186,000
10. Wii Sports (Wii) - 22,000 / 2,959,000

NYT: GTA IV's Sold 6 Million Copies, Made $500 Million

UK Gamers Snap Up Nearly 1 Million Copies Of GTA IV First Week

Grand Theft Auto IV broke records in its debut week in the UK, with sales watchers Chart Track calling the "biggest All Formats" number one title ever, with 926,000 units solid in just five days on sale. On day one, Chart Track estimates over 630,000 copies sold. It replaces Wii Fit as the best-selling title in the UK.

According to further details from GamesIndustry.biz, 514,000 of those copies were of the Xbox 360 variety, 413,000 copies for the PlayStation 3, with hardware sales up for both consoles at about the same ratio. We should have Canadian and U.S. GTA IV sales data soon, courtesy of the NPD group, for maximum press release boasting material. We can't wait!

GTA IV Rewrites Record Books [Chart Track]

PlayStation 3 Outsells 360 In Europe

During his keynote speech at Sony PlayStation Day London '08, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe head David Reeves announced that the PS3 had officially overtaken the Xbox 360 in European sales.

I am delighted to be able announce today that we have sold more PlayStation 3s throughout Europe than Xbox 360 - even though they launched sixteen months before PS3.

These numbers are a testament to the strength of the PlayStation brand throughout our region, the ever-increasing number of titles being launched, the rich content on offer and its appeal to different demographics and cultures.

PS3 has outsold Xbox 360 in Europe [Eurogamer]

Mario Kart Wii Holds Fast On Japanese Charts

Nintendo's justification for the Wii Wheel holds on to first place in the sales race this week, repeating the same Mario Kart Wii and Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G chart dominance we've seen two times previous. Sega's Valkyria Chronicles makes a strong debut in Japan for the PlayStation 3, but we'll see if it has any sales legs soon.

There were a baker's dozen of new software entries, including Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 and Frontlines: Fuel of War, for the week of April 21 to 27. See how the Western games charted after the jump!

01. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 152,000 / 947,000
02. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 93,000 / 1,807,000
03. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) - 77,000 / NEW
04. Meccha! Taiko Drum Master DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken (DS) - 56,000 / NEW
05. Summon Night (DS) - 38,000 / NEW
06. Wii Fit (Wii) - 37,000 / 1,934,000
07. Boura wa Kaseki Holder (DS) - 22,000 / 58,000
08. Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage (DS) - 20,000 / 477,000
09. DS Bimoji Training (DS) - 18,000 / 167,000
10. Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin (PS2) - 15,000 / 322,000

Microsoft Slashes Xbox 360 Prices Through Asia

Microsoft, apparently having some difficulty infiltrating Asian markets, has reduced prices of the Xbox 360 in many areas. The biggest price reduction (20 percent to $366) happened in Singapore, though Taiwan's price drop wasn't far behind (17 percent to $340). Hong Kong and Korea both received smaller price reductions as well.

I'm not positive that increasing Xbox sales in Asia is as predictable as the rest of the world where the drop price, grow sales technique reigns supreme. But, you know, it probably won't hurt.

Microsoft Cuts Xbox 360 Prices in Four Asian Markets [Bloomberg via Gamasutra][image]

Blockbuster Video Gunning For GameStop?

"We are committed to offering a full assortment of everything gamers want in our stores — hardware, accessories and retail and rental games across all platforms — including Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS," said Rod Murray, vice-president, games merchandising, Blockbuster Inc.