NPD February 2011 – 360 and Black Ops tops again
NPD has released its figures for the month of February 2011, and it finds hardware climbing and the top 10 software listings not changing all that much over January.
Hardware up 10 percent in February
Hardware sales were up 10 percent to $466.9 million with Xbox 360 the top selling console for the month, moving 535,000 units and making it "the biggest non-holiday month of console sales in the history of Xbox," according to NPD.
For the second month in a row Xbox 360 was the number one console in the US, maintaining its lead as the top selling console for the year, and the eleventh month on top overall. The 250GB version bundled with Kinect was the biggest seller out of the various SKUs offered by Microsoft.
Xbox 360 console sales were up 27 percent year-over-year for the month, making it "the fastest growth of any current generation console on the market," per NPD. Total retail spend for the platform including hardware, software and accessories reached $475 million.
During the month, four of the top ten console game titles were on Xbox 360 including: Call of Duty: Black Ops, Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Bulletstorm, and NBA 2K11.
Globally, Kinect continues to be a factor in the overall Xbox 360 momentum with Microsoft announcing yesterday it has sold 10 million units of Kinect and more than 10 million standalone Kinect games worldwide. Additionally, Kinect has been awarded by Guinness World Records as the fastest-selling consumer electronics device in a 60-day period.
Microsoft said in an industry letter that it "expects the momentum to continue throughout 2011 as Xbox 360 owners look forward to the arrival of Kinect-enabled Netflix and Hulu Plus, Avatar Kinect as well as a diverse catalog of new games."
Nintendo responded to the NPD figures tonight noting that Wii moved over 454,000 units for the month of February, which is up over 14 percent yoy, thus pushing the console over the 35 million sold mark in the US "faster than any other console in US history."
According to NPD, each console saw a sales increase over February 2010 as well as an increase in sales over January.
Regarding the figures for February, SCEA's senior director of corporate communications, Patrick Seybold, stated: "February numbers illustrate continued growth of the entire PlayStation 3 ecosystem, including increases in hardware, software and peripheral sales.
"PlayStation’s exclusive titles, combined with stereoscopic 3D and precision motion controlled gaming, continue to resonate with consumers, and we look forward to furthering the momentum with MotorStorm Apocalypse and SOCOM 4 next month."
Analysts revealed later that PS3 moved 403,000 units for the month.
Software down 5 percent, Black Ops wins again
Software sales declined 5 percent to $601.4 million for the month yoy with $633.6 million reported during the same period in 2010.
For the month, Black Ops retained the coveted spot on top of the list, making it the "best-selling game of all time in the US," according to NPD and bringing the US sales total to 13.7 million units since it released on November 9. Broken down, that means the title moved approximately 3.9 million units each month for the past three and a half months on offer.
Debuts for the reporting period of January 30-February 26 saw Marvel vs Capcom 3 hitting second place while Bulletstorm debuted in seventh and Killzone 3 in eighth. It must be noted that the later two titles were both out for less than a week during NPD's reporting period.
Dead Space 2 remained on the chart along with NBA 2K11, and Zumba Fitness. Ubisoft's two dance offerings stayed on the list in February as well, claiming the third and ninth slots with Just Dance and Michael Jackson: The Experience, respectively. Nintendo noted in its NPD response that Just Dance sold over 554,000 units for the month.
Nintendo also noted that in February, Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii crossed the 2 million mark while New Super Mario Bros. Wii, crossed the 8 million sales mark.
On the portable side, Pokémon SoulSilver on DS crossed the 2 million sales mark in February, while the New Super Mario Bros. game, which launched in May 2006, passed the 9 million sales milestone.
The full top ten for software for February 2011 is below:
- Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3/360/Wii/DS/PC)
- Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (PS3/Xbox 360) - 790,000 units per Doug Creutz
- Just Dance (Wii) - over 554,000 per Nintendo
- NBA 2K11 (PS3/360/Wii/PSP/PS2/PC)
- Dead Space 2 (PS3/360/PC)
- Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (PS3/360/Wii)
- Bulletstorm (PC/PS3/Xbox 360) - 279,000 units per Doug Creutz
- Killzone 3 (PS3)
- Michael Jackson: The Experience (Wii/DS/PSP)
- Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
MSP cards move accessories up 22 percent
It seems consumers were ready to spend money again, as total industry sales were up 3 percent to $1.36 billion for the month.
Accessories saw the largest growth again in February with a 22 percent climb to $256.9 million, which can partially be attributed to Kinect and Move sales.
"This is the 18th consecutive month of double-digit increases in both dollars and units for PS3 accessory sales, and the sixth consecutive month of double-digit increases in both dollars and units for the 360," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in her industry note.
Frazier also said sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360 points cards, particularly the 1600 points offering, were up 55 percent and represented 22 percent of the accessory market overall.