Microsoft breaks down NPD Results for April (alias GTA month)

[Huh?]

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has sold 10.1 million units in the U.S., making it the first current generation gaming console to break the 10 million barrier in the U.S., and contributing to global sales of over 19 million. (April NPD data)

By the numbers: Xbox 360 is the most significant contributor to industry spending and growth

• · 188,000 Xbox 360 consoles were sold in April. (April NPD data)
• · Xbox 360 has a record-setting attach rate of 7.6 games per console, the highest attach rate in history for a console at this point in its lifecycle. (April NPD data)
• · Consumers have spent more than $9.7 billion on the Xbox 360 experience. (April NPD data)
• · Xbox 360 titles accounted for $186 million of all third party game sales this generation, or 53% of share. (April NPD data)
• · Xbox 360 games accounted for three of the top ten games in April, and secured the #1 spot with “Grand Theft Auto IV.” (April NPD data)
• · Not only are we selling more games, games play better on the Xbox 360. Xbox 360 has 91 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher, compared to just 50 for PS3 and 22 for Wii.
• “Grand Theft Auto IV” on Xbox 360 snags top spot in April, boosts LIVE memberships to over 12 million
• · In its first five days on the market, the Xbox 360 version of “Grand Theft Auto IV” sold 1.8 million units, outselling the other platform’s version by nearly 2:1 in the U.S., and making it the top selling game in April. (April NPD data)
• · Gamers eager to experience “Grand Theft Auto IV” online helped boost Xbox LIVE global membership totals to over 12 million this month. Fueled by an unparalleled combination of access to friends and family, the best online gaming features and the best entertainment content, the Xbox LIVE service has doubled in membership in only one year’s time.
• · Microsoft sales data shows Xbox 360 consoles saw a 54% lift week-over-week as a result of “Grand Theft Auto IV,” and retailers are reporting that roughly four out of every 10 Xbox 360 consoles sold included the sale of a copy of “Grand Theft Auto IV.” (Microsoft internal data)
• · Beginning this fall, Xbox LIVE will be the only place gamers can go for exclusive “Grand Theft Auto IV” episodes.
• “Grand Theft Auto IV” marked the beginning of what promises to be another landmark year for the Xbox 360 platform, with an all-star games line up in 2008 including “Gears of War 2,” “Fable 2” and “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise.” Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months.

Linky winky: http://www.thebitbag.com/2008/05/15/...l-npd-results/

I don't think even the most harcore fans would think the Xbox 360 version of GTA would outperform the PS3's by such a long shot.

[Aeryal]

Sony's statement on April NPD:

“Clearly, the tremendous legacy of Grand Theft Auto on PlayStation, combined with the blockbuster launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue packed a one-two punch with consumers at retail this month."

- Jack Tretton

[Two4DaMoney]

Linky winky: http://www.thebitbag.com/2008/05/15/...l-npd-results/

I don't think even the most harcore fans would think the Xbox 360 version of GTA would outperform the PS3's by such a long shot.

The 360 has more units out there than the ps3.

[360DiedOnMe]

i love the way PR twists so much **** around, i hate companies.

[Huh?]

The 360 has more units out there than the ps3.

Think Devil May Cry. Brand identification make it sell nearly as much on PS3 than on Xbox 360. With GTA, the story was totally different. Microsoft really hit the nail with downloadable content, marketing or whathever made the consumer indentify the game as an Xbox 360 title as well.

i love the way PR twists so much **** around, i hate companies.

Twist? Why would they need to twist anything? NPD numers where overwhemingly in favor fo the Xbox 360 in the software front and a virtual tie in hardware.

[360DiedOnMe]

Think Devil May Cry. Brand identification make it sell nearly as much on PS3 than on Xbox 360. With GTA, the story was totally different. Microsoft really hit the nail with downloadable content, marketing or whathever made the consumer indentify the game as an Xbox 360 title as well.



Twist? Why would they need to twist anything? NPD numers where overwhemingly in favor fo the Xbox 360 in the software front and a virtual tie in hardware.

I'm not talkign about the NPD, reread the article.

[Scape]

Twist? Why would they need to twist anything? NPD numers where overwhemingly in favor fo the Xbox 360 in the software front and a virtual tie in hardware.

pverwhemingly? some of you need to look a little deeper then the surface. how come 360 has several million more users in the US over PS3, but only sold 800k more copies of GTA?

im not bashing 360, just stating that a much much higher ratio of PS3 owners bought GTA then 360 owners. it surprises me as i thought they should have at least outsold PS3 version 3:1

[Silver&black_Attack]

pverwhemingly? some of you need to look a little deeper then the surface. how come 360 has several million more users in the US over PS3, but only sold 800k more copies of GTA?

im not bashing 360, just stating that a much much higher ratio of PS3 owners bought GTA then 360 owners. it surprises me as i thought they should have at least outsold PS3 version 3:1

Why? they don't have a 3-1 advantage in hardware, they did come close to outselling the PS3 version 2-1 though which is pretty close to the hardware advantage they do have.
Also historically the GTA franchise has made it's name on a Sony console not a Microsoft one.

[taxman]

Its just PR. Right now, i am pretty sure that MS and Sony are looking at the Wii numbers and wondering what the fk happened. Its GTA month and yet the hardware numbers are really low. As much as MS wants to emphasis on Software numbers (granted that its something Sony cannot do), its the hardware that matters to them.

But in a way, it is MS fault for having just a 50$ price drop in its 1st 2.5 years. If they price dropped on nov 2006 just before PS3/Wii hit or had a 100$ drop before halo or atleast one last month, they really wouldnt be in such a bad state. But then they would rather take the paltry profits from hardware and live subscription right now than get more marketshare.

I just hope MS and Sony do not follow the Wii route next time around. I dont care who wins the hardware race in the end as long as its not Wii(though highly unlikely)

[The Sith]

pverwhemingly? some of you need to look a little deeper then the surface. how come 360 has several million more users in the US over PS3, but only sold 800k more copies of GTA?

im not bashing 360, just stating that a much much higher ratio of PS3 owners bought GTA then 360 owners. it surprises me as i thought they should have at least outsold PS3 version 3:1

That's odd several members on this forum swore that the ps3 would outsell the 360 regardless of install base.
Saying gta4 would sale because brand recognition.

[SymphonyX]

I wish giant corporations wouldn't have the right to PR. Anyways congrats to Microsoft

[maltrophstitan]

pverwhemingly? some of you need to look a little deeper then the surface. how come 360 has several million more users in the US over PS3, but only sold 800k more copies of GTA?

it most likely sold what was shipped for the numbers counted during april, on each console.

[Carsonal]

I wish giant corporations wouldn't have the right to PR. Anyways congrats to Microsoft

The only reason they do it is because there are ass lickers out there who actually buy into it.

[arthur56k]

both software and hardware matter, if you sell hardware, you can always sell software to the customers, and with software comes the need for added accessories.
but you cannot also sell hardware with no software, they are interrelated, anyone saying they need one more than the other is nuts

[DayWalker]

Twist? Why would they need to twist anything? NPD numers where overwhemingly in favor fo the Xbox 360 in the software front and a virtual tie in hardware.

yeah... you can't make that claim based on 5 days of data...

the 360 install base 2.5x larger than the PS3 install base (NA)

in the first 5 days GTA was available:

25% of the PS3 install base got it
20% of the 360 install base went and got it.

and correct me if I am wrong... but didn't both consoles' sales plummet from last month...
I doubt we are seeing any effect of GTA4 on console sales based on 5 days...

that's not overwhelming at all...

[F34R]

pverwhemingly? some of you need to look a little deeper then the surface. how come 360 has several million more users in the US over PS3, but only sold 800k more copies of GTA?

im not bashing 360, just stating that a much much higher ratio of PS3 owners bought GTA then 360 owners. it surprises me as i thought they should have at least outsold PS3 version 3:1

Why does it ALWAYS matter that there are more 360's out there ? They took advantage of being out first, and it is paying off for them. Is this going to be the same argument until, well IF, the PS3 catches up in hardware ? Every time the 360 sells more of a multiplat game, the "attach ratio" is always mentioned.

How about the attach ratio of games per console owner ? That also shows that more people are buying games for the 360 than they are for the PS3. That is completely independent of hardware numbers out there.

I see the numbers ARE in favor of the 360 when it comes to GTAIV sales, regardless of how many consoles out there. That's one of the advantages of being first to the market. Microsoft capitalized on that.

[arthur56k]

yeah... you can't make that claim based on 5 days of data...

the 360 install base 2.5x larger than the PS3 install base (NA)

in the first 5 days GTA was available:

25% of the PS3 install base got it
20% of the 360 install base went and got it.

and correct me if I am wrong... but didn't both consoles' sales plummet from last month...
I doubt we are seeing any effect of GTA4 on console sales based on 5 days...

that's not overwhelming at all...

regardless of the install base, people on the 360 have been doing great at purchasing games compared to their ps3 counterparts, and while i agree that GTA effect cannot be felt in 5 days, it seems to be the same in europe if anything coming out of the big retailers is anything to go by

[DayWalker]

25% of the PS3 install base got it
20% of the 360 install base went and got it.

regardless of the install base, people on the 360 have been doing great at purchasing games compared to their ps3 counterparts, and while i agree that GTA effect cannot be felt in 5 days, it seems to be the same in europe if anything coming out of the big retailers is anything to go by

overall true.

i was speaking specifically about GTA4... which they are pretty much neck-n-neck after 5 days...

[arthur56k]

how can 1.85 and 1 mil be neck and neck?

these companies look at the overall picture, and it says that the 360 version is doing better, that is regardless of the install base advantage, or where the game came or which platform it started from.
anything else is spin, you and i both know that

[DayWalker]

how can 1.85 and 1 mil be neck and neck?

these companies look at the overall picture, and it says that the 360 version is doing better, that is regardless of the install base advantage, or where the game came or which platform it started from.
anything else is spin, you and i both know that

25% of the PS3 base bought it...
20% of the 360 base bought it...

that's what I am referring to as far as neck and neck does...

and of course they do...

but don';t you think they would notice if 90% of the PS3 base bought their game... versus 50% of the 360 base.

I am not trying to spin anything.
I am just pointing out that the difference after 5 days of data is pretty insignificant...

[arthur56k]

25% of the PS3 base bought it...
20% of the 360 base bought it...

that's what I am referring to as far as neck and neck does...

and of course they do...

but don';t you think they would notice if 90% of the PS3 base bought their game... versus 50% of the 360 base.

I am not trying to spin anything.
I am just pointing out that the difference after 5 days of data is pretty insignificant...

for the fans it makes sense, but go and ask MS, they will tell you they want as many people to get it on the 360 as possible, it goes well with third party developers to have a console shift as much software as possible.

ask Sony, they will tell you they would rather have differently, this game was for long veiwed as a Sony franchise, and they have been massively outsold.

bottom line is that to developers, attach rates are what matter, these guys look at what is doing better sales for them in the market.

anything else is spin, the talk of the headstart and install base, those really are neither here nor there

[Cuguy]

What does it matter anyway? We have people here in the forums posting VGchartz numbers and the rallying cry is the VG is crap. Then the NPD numbers that people love to cling to so dearly come out and back up VG's numbers and now the users here switch to PR mode and start working the numbers to berate MS.

It is so damn silly. These forums need a financial section to get this crap out of the gaming forums.

[DayWalker]

for the fans it makes sense, but go and ask MS, they will tell you they want as many people to get it on the 360 as possible, it goes well with third party developers to have a console shift as much software as possible.

ask Sony, they will tell you they would rather have differently, this game was for long veiwed as a Sony franchise, and they have been massively outsold.

bottom line is that to developers, attach rates are what matter, these guys look at what is doing better sales for them in the market.

anything else is spin, the talk of the headstart and install base, those really are neither here nor there

well of course they do...

ok... lets say its a month later and 4 million people bought the game for the PS3 and 6 million bought it for the 360...

how can R* or Sony be disappointed with that???

it's certainly not bad news for them...

[Agriel]

never knew we had so many analysts on these forums. in all real things in gaming none of this means much to the gamers

[Cuguy]

never knew we had so many analysts on these forums. in all real things in gaming none of this means much to the gamers

Precisely... at the end of the day if you are playing a game and having a good time, who cares if the box outsold PS3 by 800k units.