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Nintendo outsells competition nearly 2 to 1 in May

While sales are soft overall, Nintendo is a bright spot in the video game landscape. Nintendo consoles and software outsold the competition by nearly 2 to 1 in May 2009.

Dave Rosenberg Co-founder, MuleSource
Dave Rosenberg has more than 15 years of technology and marketing experience that spans from Bell Labs to startup IPOs to open-source and cloud software companies. He is CEO and founder of Nodeable, co-founder of MuleSoft, and managing director for Hardy Way. He is an adviser to DataStax, IT Database, and Puppet Labs.
Dave Rosenberg
2 min read

Video game sales were down by 23 percent in May, according to the latest data from NPD Group. The bright spot of the report is the ongoing domination by Nintendo, whose hardware and associated games outsold the competition by nearly 2 to 1.

As CNET's Lance Whitney reported, "NPD blamed most of the decline on the lack of blockbuster games rather than the weak economy. The report noted that last year's sales were boosted by the launch of popular software titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV. Nintendo's Wii Fit also was a hot commodity in 2008."

While there are a wealth of new games coming in 2009, including what appear to be some winners for PS3 and Xbox, Nintendo platform games made up just shy of 50 percent of the top 10 sales in May:

  1. UFC 2009 Undisputed(THQ) Xbox 360 - 679,600
  2. Wii Fit(Nintendo) Wii - 352,800
  3. EA Sports Active(EA) Wii - 345,800
  4. UFC 2009 Undisputed(THQ) PS3 - 334,400
  5. Infamous(Sony) PS3 - 175,900
  6. Pokemon Platinum(Nintendo) DS - 168,900
  7. Mario Kart(Nintendo) Wii - 158,300
  8. Punch Out!!(Nintendo) Wii - 156,900
  9. X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged(Activision) Xbox 360 - 120,700
  10. Wii Play(Nintendo) Wii - 109,800
Total Nintendo software: 1,292,500
Total other vendor software: 1,310,600

Nintendo also remains strong in the console business, with sales of the Nintendo DS and Wii nearly doubling the competition.

  • Nintendo DS: 633,500
  • Wii: 289,500
  • Xbox 360: 175,000
  • PlayStation 3: 131,000
  • PlayStation 2: 117,000
  • PSP: 100,400

New games, including a few blockbusters, would certainly alter the scenery a bit.

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