Sales-tracking firm NPD Group today issued its list of the ten best-selling pieces of PC software in the United States across the week of July 6 to July 12, 2008.

Blizzard's Diablo Battle Chest, originally released in 2003, has now appeared on the weekly charts for three weeks straight--a feat attributed to the unveiling of Diablo 3.

Completely absent from the latest list is Funcom's mature MMO Age of Conan, which was #7 last week and #5 the week before.

1. Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice / Her Interactive / $18 (Average)
2. Spore Creature Creator / EA Maxis / $10 (Average)
3. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe / EA Maxis / $30 (Average)
4. Diablo Battle Chest / Blizzard / $39 (Average)
5. The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff Expansion Pack / EA Maxis / $20 (Average)
6. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest / Blizzard / $39 (Average)
7. World Of Warcraft / Blizzard / $20 (Average)
8. The Sims 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack / EA Maxis / $30 (Average)
9. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack / Blizzard $30 (Average)
10. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare / Infinity Ward / $50 (Average)

The NPD Group today released its monthly sales results for US video game software and hardware sales across June.

Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots lead the way on the software side with nearly a million total units sold, while the Nintendo DS and Wii continued to dominate hardware sales.

According to Nintendo, today's data shows that the overall US install base for the Wii is nearly 10.9 million units, making the Wii the "new console leader in the US" and reaffirming it status as the worldwide console leader.

Taking today's figures into account, the Xbox 360 has sold a total of 10.4 million units in the United States since launch. As of April 2008, the Wii had sold 24.5 million units worldwide, while the Xbox 360 had moved 19 million.

June's best-selling console games in the U.S. were:

1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Kojima Productions, PS3) - 774,600 (Roughly 1 million including bundles)
2. Guitar Hero: On Tour (Vicarious Visions, NDS) - 422,300
3. Ninja Gaiden II (Team Ninja, Xbox 360) - 372,700... Read more

In the week following Diablo 3's announcement on June 28, Blizzard's Diablo Battle Chest compilation was the second best-selling PC game at United States retailers. Compiled by sales-tracking firm NPD, the data covers the week of June 29 to July 5.

Containing the original Diablo, Diablo II, and the Diablo II expansion Lord of Destruction, the Diablo Battle Chest hit retailers in 2003. In the week before Diablo 3's official announcement, rumors of its revelation bumped Battle Chest sales up to #10.

1. The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff Expansion Pack
2. Diablo Battle Chest
3. Spore Creature Creator
4. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
5. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
6. World Of Warcraft
7. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
8. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack
9. The Sims 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack
10. Warcraft III Battle Chest

Blizzard's Diablo Battle Chest ranked as the tenth best-selling piece of PC software at US retailers for the week ending June 28, sales-tracking firm NPD Group has revealed.

The sales spike for the action-RPG compilation--which hit in late 2003 and packs Diablo, Diablo II, and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction--came in advance of Diablo 3's official revelation, which occurred on June 28.

Following the announcement of Diablo 3, the Diablo Battle Chest was the best-selling PC title on Amazon.com as of July 3, according to Gamasutra. However, NPD has yet to issue its data, which is culled from multiple retailers, for the week following June 28.

The Battle Chest marked one of two new titles on the list over last week's data. The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff Expansion Pack represents the other new entry.

The 10 best-selling PC games for the week ending June 28 were... Read more

Sales of video games in the United States surpassed those of DVD movies during 2007, the Entertainment Merchants Association and GameSpot report.

Across 2007, the US gaming market brought in $18.85 billion according to NPD. Meanwhile, Nielsen reports that DVD sales racked up $16 billion, and the Digital Entertainment Group shows Hollywood's 2007 box office revenue at $9.6 billion.

However, as we noted last August, the claim that video games pull in more money than Hollywood is only true from a certain point of view. While games surpassed both DVD sales and box office revenue, combined, those figures appear to overshadow gaming.

Then again, those numbers don't paint a complete picture of the rivalry between Tinsel Town and games. NPD's 2007 figure for the gaming industry doesn't... Read more

EA Maxis' Spore Creature Creator ranked at #1 in PC games sold in the United States during the week ending June 21, according to data from sales tracking firm NPD.

Released two weeks ago, the utility--offered as a free trial and a $10 retail purchase--allows customers to sample the creation tool from the anticipated life sim Spore, due out September 7 on PC and Mac. Over one million creative, bizarre, and sometimes vulgar monstrosities have since been made.

Spore Creature Creator beat out EA Maxis' The Sims 2 Double Deluxe and Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, respectively placed in second and third. An official tally of units sold was not made available by the NPD.

The week's top 10 best-selling PC games are viewable below... Read more

Following up on NPD's unveiling of May's U.S. console and game sales figures, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo were quick to respond to the data which showed the game industry raking in $1.12 billion—a 37% increase over May of last year.

Microsoft celebrated Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, 360) as the top selling title two months running, noting that the Xbox 360 version of the game accounted for 871,000 of the total 1.31M units sold in May. The company added that the Xbox 360 leads competitors in software attach rates, with a "record-breaking" attach rate of 7.7.

Meanwhile, Sony boasted 1.26M software units sold last month, representing a 234% year-over-year increase over last year's figures. The company added that it expects hardware sales momentum to continue in June, propelled by the launch ... Read more

The NPD Group has released its U.S. sales figures for May, revealing the Xbox 360 version of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV as the month's top-selling console game with the Nintendo Wii ranking as the best-selling hardware.

The game industry as a whole amassed $1.12 billion across the month, marking a 37% leap over last year's May figures. Despite its $90 price point, Nintendo's Wii Fit sold 687,700 units and clocked in as the month's third best-selling game.

For the first time since its November 2007 debut, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare failed to place among the month's ten best-selling titles.

May hardware sales in the United States were as follows:

1. Wii - 675,100 units
2. Nintendo DS - 452,600 units
3. PlayStation 3 - 208,700 units
4. Xbox 360 - 186,600 units
5. PSP - 182,300 units

Meanwhile, May's best-selling console games in the U.S. were:

1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar, X360) - 871,300 units
2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 787,400 units
3. Wit Fit (Nintendo, Wii) - 687,700 units
4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar, PS3) - 442,900 units
5. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 294,600 units
6. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo, Wii) - 171,100 units
7. Iron Man (Sega and A2M, PS2) - 130,600 units
8. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Vicarious Visions, Wii) - 116,800 units
9. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (Chunsoft, NDS) - 107,000
10. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (Chunsoft, NDS) - 102,000 units

"The continued success of GTA IV is not translating into big hardware sales for either the PS3 or the 360 but there may yet to be a lift in June due to ... Read more

Sales-tracking firm NPD Group has released its U.S. sales figures for April, showing Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV as the month's top-selling console title and the Wii as the month's best-selling hardware.

While the Xbox 360 version of GTA 4 sold 850,000 more copies than the PlayStation 3 edition, the hardware race between the two consoles was far closer--the 360 outsold its shiny black competitor by a mere 900 units.

April hardware sales in the United States were as follows:

1. Wii - 714,200
2. Nintendo DS - 414,800
3. PSP - 192,700
4. Xbox 360 - 188,000
5. PlayStation 3 - 187,100
6. PlayStation 2 - 124,400

Meanwhile, April's best-selling console games in the U.S. were:

1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar, X360) - 1,850,000
2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo, Wii) - 1,120,000
3. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar, PS3) - 1,000,000
4. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 360,000
5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo, Wii) - 326,000
6. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (Polyphony Digital, PS3) - 224,000
7. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (Chunsoft, NDS) - 202,000
8. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (Chunsoft, NDS) - 202,000
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Vicarious Visions, Wii) - 152,000
10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, X360) - 141,000

"It's unusual for three games to exceed the 1-million mark in a non-holiday month which just goes to prove that great content can succeed regardless of when it is launched," noted NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Console manufacturers Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all chimed in on NPD's sales figures for March, which saw Nintendo's Wii once again outsell both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 in North America, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl taking the top spot in software sales with 2.7M units sold.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 broke the PlayStation 3's two-month winning streak for the #2 spot in hardware sales, moving 262,000 consoles in March. Microsoft again suggested that shortages played a hand in the total numbers for the month.

"Going into March, some key U.S. retailers were still experiencing the trickle down effect of Xbox 360 console shortages," a Microsoft representative said. "By the end of March, supply issues had improved and we expect retailers to be fully stocked with Xbox 360 consoles in time for the Grand Theft Auto IV launch."

The company went on to tout a 7.5 software attach rate for the Xbox 360 in March, describing the data as "a record for any game console".

In its response to the data, hardware manufacturer Sony noted that the 257,100 PlayStation 3s sold in March represent a 98% year-over-year growth in sales, while 1.9M software units sold marked a 139% increase over... Read more

Sales-tracking firm The NPD Group today revealed that Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl has topped the North American software sales charts for the month of March with a staggering 2.7M units sold, knocking Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare off a four-month reign at number one.

In terms of hardware, the Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, followed by the Nintendo DS in close second. March hardware sales for the North American market were as follows:

1. Wii - 721,000
2. Nintendo DS - 698,000
3. PSP - 297,000
4. Xbox 360 - 262,000
5. PlayStation 3 - 257,000
6. PlayStation 2 - 216,000

"Nintendo systems represented 58 percent of all video game hardware sold in March in the United States," said Nintendo marketing VP Cammie Dunaway. "We expect our momentum to continue with big upcoming game launches like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit."

North America's top-selling console titles during March were:... Read more

A report issued today by stat-tracking firm The NPD Group claims that 72% of United States residents aged 6-44 years played some sort of video game across 2007, representing an 8% jump from 2006.

According to the firm, 40% of United States residents aged 2 years or higher played an online game in 2007, with that figure expected to rise 2% in 2008. A whopping 90% of those who played online in 2007 reported using a PC to do so, with NPD describing the PC as "the driving force in online gaming."

Though the exact reasons were not specified, the high ratio of online PC gamers is most likely due to the abundance of massively multiplayer online games and free web-based casual titles available on the platform. Shacknews attempted to confirm this with NPD, but was told that information is not available to the media.

Renowned game designer Peter Molyneux recently commented on the shifting PC market, claiming that "the PC is just reinventing itself" and is "being owned more and more by casual gamers."

Only 19% of online players stated that they played online with a console, with the Xbox 360 accounting for half of that figure. Interestingly, Xbox 360 owners were reported to spend the most time gaming online per week, respectively followed... Read more

Console manufacturers Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all chimed in on NPD's sales figures for February, which saw Nintendo's Wii once again outsell both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 in North America.

As in January, the PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360, which Microsoft again attributed to supply issues. Both Sony and Microsoft expressed high expectations for Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360), which arrives on April 29.

"Xbox 360 remained in a supply constrained situation," stated a Microsoft representative, who once again reaffirmed that Microsoft is not in talks to bring Blu-ray movie playback to the Xbox 360.

"The [supply] situation is improving," Microsoft continued, "and we are confident consumers will soon be able to find the Xbox 360 SKU they seek, in time for the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV, which we expect to be one of the biggest titles of the year with huge impact on the Xbox 360 platform."

Referring to 2008 as "the year for PS3," Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO Jack Tretton trumpeted the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray... Read more

Sales-tracking firm The NPD Group today revealed that the Xbox 360 edition of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has topped the North American sales charts for the fourth month in a row, ranking as the best-selling console title in February.

In terms of hardware, the Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with the Nintendo DS reigning as the month's best-selling system. February hardware sales for the North American market were as follows:

1. Nintendo DS - 587,600
2. Wii - 432,000
3. PlayStation 2 - 351,800
4. PlayStation 3 - 280,800
5. Xbox 360 - 254,600
6. PSP - 243,100

"Xbox 360 remained in a supply constrained situation [during February]," Microsoft stated. "The situation is improving and we are confident consumers will soon be able to find the Xbox 360 SKU they seek...we expect [Grand Theft Auto IV] to be one of the biggest titles of the year with huge impact on the Xbox 360 platform."

North America's top-selling console titles during February were: ... Read more

Though fewer mature-rated console games were released in 2007 than the previous year, revenue for those titles far exceeded those sold in 2006, Next-Gen reports.

An examination of data provided by the sales tracking firm NPD reveals that the number of released titles stamped with an M for Mature rating fell 14% in 2007 versus the previous year. Revenue from those sales, meanwhile, jumped from $800 million in 2006 to $1.4 billion in 2007.

Three key titles explain the boost in sales: Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed (PS3, X360), Bungie's Halo 3 (X360) and Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC, PS3, X360). Together, the games sold a combined 11.7 million units in 2007 across all platforms, accounting for a minimum of $700 million in revenue for the year.

The report suggests that if it wasn't for those three titles, revenue for M-rated games may have dropped below 2006 figures. Only one M-rated title placed within the top 10 of 2006's best-selling console games by revenue: Epic Games' Gears of War, which ranked 7th.

While 2008 boasts some very important M-rated console releases such as Epic Games' Gears of War 2 (X360), Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) and others, the industry will likely continue to rake in the majority of its revenue from E- and T-rated console titles, which accounted for roughly 78% of sales in 2007.

Research firm iSuppli estimates that Sony's PlayStation 3 will exceed sales of the Wii and Xbox 360 by 2011, reports Reuters.

iSuppli reckons that strong momentum of the system will build during 2008, estimating that Sony will sell roughly 10.2 million PS3s worldwide through the year and double its install base to over 20 million users. Sustained growth will propel the PS3 to some 38.4 million users by 2011, which the firm suggests will position Sony as the "industry leader" in installed units.

The Wii is projected to maintain its lead through 2008, selling 12.2 million hardware units and putting it on top for the year at over 30 million users worldwide. iSuppli's estimate of the Wii's total market share in 2011 was not provided, but the firm's projection that the PS3 will lead at 38.4 million units by 2011 seems to indicate that it believes the Wii will sell less than 8.2 million units over three years.

January hardware sales figures reported by sales-tracking firm NPD yesterday show that the PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360 for the first time since the system launched in November, 2006.

The North American console market pulled in $1.18 billion in January 2008, reports sales-tracking firm The NPD Group. Of that figure, $377.8 million was related to video game hardware, with $610.6 million spent on software and $191 million on accessories.

According to NPD, the month's top-selling console titles in North America were:

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 330, 900
2. Wii Play (Nintendo, Wii) - 298,100
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Vicarious Visions, Activision, Wii) - 239, 600
4. Rock Band Special Edition Bundle (Harmonix, MTV Games, X360) - 183,800
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Neversoft, Activision, X360) - 182,700
6. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo, Wii) - 172,000
7. Burnout Paradise (Criterion, Electronic Arts) - 140,000
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, PS3) - 140,000
9. Mario Party DS (Nintendo, Nintendo DS) - 138,500
10. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega, Nintendo DS) - 133,000

In terms of revenue, the Xbox 360 version of Harmonix's Rock Band (PS2, PS3, X360) was the month's top performer, bringing in over $30 million thanks to... Read more

Sales-tracking firm The NPD Group has issued its analysis of North American console hardware sales across January 2008, showing the Wii and PlayStation 3 outselling the Xbox 360.

1. Wii - 274,000
2. PlayStation 3 - 269,000
3. Nintendo DS - 251,000
4. PSP - 230,000
5. Xbox 360 - 230,000

Totaling $377.8 million, hardware sales were down 25% compared to the last January. "Given the huge number of hardware systems sold in December, inventory shortages could be the biggest contributor to the softer than expected sales," analyst Anita Frazier reasoned.

In related news, a Microsoft representative told Shacknews that the Xbox 360 is currently experiencing shortages. "Xbox 360 is selling as fast as [retailers] can restock," the rep stated. "We are working as quickly as we can to replenish inventory."

The firm also released figures highlighting the month's best-selling software.

The sales-tracking NPD Group will soon begin reporting on game-related subscriptions in North America, the firm announced today.

Issued quarterly, the Video Game & PC Game Subscriptions Report will be based on data collected from over 3 million survey participants aged 13 and older. Among other details, it will chart the market size and title shares of subscription-based massively multiplayer games, sites, and services such as Xbox Live.

At present, it is unknown what portion, if any, of the Video Game & PC Subscriptions Report will be released to the public. Though NPD releases some of its collected data to the public--mostly in the form of monthly console sales, top-ten software lists, and year-end industry reviews--the bulk of its information is reserved for paying clients.

While NPD has yet to begin tracking digital distribution, today's news marks the beginning of its attempts to better understand the changing PC gaming... Read more

An NPD analyst says that the $60 million drop in PC software retail revenue from 2006 to 2007 reflects the industry's movement towards digital distribution, GameDaily reports.

Analyst Anita Fraisure notes that the data, which currently does not account for digital downloads or subscriptions, is no cause for concern.

"As we've seen from a number of our studies, the PC continues to be a top platform in terms of total game playing time," said Fraisure. "I don't think this slight decline in retail sales is anything more than a reflection of a shifting of distribution channels."

The latest numbers reveal that PC sales accounted for only 14% of total revenue for game software sales in 2007. But without a comprehensive perspective of online activity, Fraisure says, the implications of the gap remain unclear.

"Video games software sales, and even just the console portion of that figure have been greater than PC retail sales every year that we've tracked. Yes, the (console and portable) video games retail sales have really exploded, but again, until we can get a measurement of dollars spent online, we won't have the true picture."