Just Dance 2, FIFA 2012, and Monster Hunter take out territorial software charts
In the first nine months of 2011, each of the three traditional games industry markets returned very different sales results.
As part of its semi-annual investor briefing, Nintendo released top 20 software charts for Europe, Japan and the US, drawing on data from MediaCreate, Gfk International and NPD.
Europe
The PlayStation maintained its lead among the HD consoles, bringing home seven chart positions as opposed to the Xbox 360's three.
Nintendo's consoles clearly took home the prize though; the Wii took six places and the DS three.
FIFA 12 on PS3 was the best selling game, also charting on the Xbox 360 - and, astoundingly, FIFA 11 also took a spot.
Japan
Portable multiplayer experiences were a strong presence on the Japanese charts, topped by Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. The HD re-release on PS3 also made it in.
Despite releasing just weeks before the end of the charted period, Dark Souls snuck into the charts. Namco Bandai also scored a major win by netting second position with Tales of Xilia.
The perennial Wii favourites remained strong but there was little new in Nintendo's offerings; Square Enix's re-release of the first three Dragon Quest games scored a chart position.
Two of Tecmo Koei's Warriors games charted, including Samurai Warriors 3 Z, which has not been granted a Western release; only the Wii original is available.
On the US side, the Xbox 360 unsurprisingly dominated, taking out ten chart positions. Mortal Kombat was the only multiplatform release to sell more on the PlayStation 3 than the Xbox 360.
US
The DS remained strong in the US, with both Pokemon releases charting highly, as well as New Super Mario Bros. The Wii took top spot with Just Dance 2, and two other dancing games charted; the only core Wii game to chart was New Super Mario Bros.
Call of Duty: Black Ops charted on both major consoles, despite releasing in November 2010.
The charts, replicated in full below, cover January through September 2011; you can expect to see a fair shake up as the final quarter unleashes some serious heavy-hitters, not least among them, the Great Shooter Showdown of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
- Europe Software Top 20 Jan-Sep 2011
- FIFA 12 (PS3)
- Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
- Pokemon White (DS)
- Pokemon Black (DS)
- Zumba Fitness (Wii)
- Wii Party (Wii)
- Just Dance 2 (Wii)
- FIFA 12 (Xbox 360)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)
- Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
- Mario Kart (Wii)
- LA Noire (PS3)
- FIFA 11 (PS3)
- Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)
- Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)
- LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)
- Killzone 3 (PS3)
- New Super Mario Bros (Wii)
- LA Noire (Xbox 360)
- New Super Mario Bors (DS)
- Japan Software Top 20 Jan-Sep 2011
- Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (PSP)
- Tales of Xillia (PS3)
- Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional (DS)
- Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)
- Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (PSP)
- Dynasty Warriors 6 (PS3)
- Wii Party (Wii)
- Wii Sports Resort with Wii Remote Plus (Wii)
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)
- Super Robot Wars Z II Hakaihen (PSP)
- Donkey Kong Country returns (Wii)
- Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3)
- Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD Version (PS3)
- NES & SNES Dragon Quest I, II, III (Wii)
- Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (PSP)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (PS3)
- Dark Souls (PS3)
- Danbouru Senki (PSP)
- Layton Kyoujyu To Kiseki No Kamen (3DS)
- Samurai Warriors 3 Z (PS3)
- US Software Top 20 Jan-Sept 2011
- Just Dance 2 (Wii)
- Pokemon White (DS)
- Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)
- Pokemon Black (DS)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360)
- Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Wii)
- Madden NFL 12 (Xbox 360)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)
- Madden NFL 12 (PS3)
- New Super Mario Bros (DS)
- Michael Jackson the Experience (Wii)
- NBA 2K11 (Xbox 360)
- LA Noire (Xbox 360)
- Dance Central (Xbox 360)
- Mortal Kombat (PS3)
- Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360)
- Homefront (Xbox 360)
- Kinect Sports (Xbox 360)
- NCAA Football 12 (Xbox 360)
- New Super Mario Bros (Wii)
Thanks, Gamasutra.