The NPD isn’t what it used to be, but we can still utilize their data to gain some idea of which games are making an impact at retail.
There aren’t a lot of surprises here, but I was personally shocked to see Epic Mickey come in sixth in overall sales for December. Going by these numbers from the New York Times, it looks like the game sold approximately 1.3 million units in December alone. Looks like Wii exclusivity might not have been such a bad idea after all.
I have few friends who got the game for Christmas, and they’ve all told me that they love it. These are people who only own a Wii, but have never played a 3D Zelda or Mario game, let alone Okami. Due to their lack of experience with some of the best games ever made, they probably have pretty different standards than me (and probably you) when it comes to 3D action/adventure platformers.
Anyway, enough out of me. Check out the rest of the story to see a few other surprises and notables, like much better than predicted Wii sales, a slump for the PS3, and some impressive showings for Donkey Kong, Assassin’s Creed, and World of Warcraft.
NPD December 2010 – Hardware and Software Sales Detailed [Ripten]
Hardware
Nintendo DS – 2.5 Million
Wii – 2.36 million
Xbox 360 – 1.86 million
PS3 – 1.21 millionDecember 2010 Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl.)
01. Call of Duty: Black Ops** (360, PS3, Wii, NDS, PC) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
02. Just Dance 2 (Wii) UBISOFT
03. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (PC) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
04. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood** (360, PS3) UBISOFT
05. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) NINTENDO
06. Disney Epic Mickey** (Wii) DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
07. Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP) ELECTRONIC ARTS
08. Michael Jackson The Experience** (Wii, NDS, PSP) UBISOFT
09. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2, PC) TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
10. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (360, PS3, Wii, PC) ELECTRONIC ARTS**(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)
Annual 2010 Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC)
01. Call of Duty: Black Ops** (360, PS3, Wii, PC, NDS) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
02. Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP) ELECTRONIC ARTS
03. Halo: Reach** (360) MICROSOFT
04. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) NINTENDO
05. Red Dead Redemption (360, PS3) TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
06. Wii Fit Plus** (Wii) NINTENDO
07. Just Dance 2 (Wii) UBISOFT
08. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2** (360, PS3, PC) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
09. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood** (360, PS3) UBISOFT
10. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC) TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
