Microsoft Boasts Sales Numbers Amid NPD Report Changes
posted Sunday Oct 17, 2010 by Nicholas DiMeo
The NPD has recently decided to limit the sharing of game sales numbers to the press. We will still receive comparison across manufacturers and a top ten list of software, but how much hardware or software sold will no longer be disclosed. Also, with that top ten, we will only see sales figures for the top five. We will also no longer be privy to digital subscriptions, mobile games or rentals sold for a specific time period.
This means we now have to rely on the gaming manufacturers to give us somewhat accurate figures to report to our readers and listeners. As of right now, only Microsoft has decided to boast how awesome they are, while Nintendo and Sony haven't said a peep or tweet.
To see what Microsoft had to say, check after the break.
Microsoft may be the only one who has said anything so far because they seem to be doing pretty well.
Xbox 360 enters the holiday season with four consecutive months as the #1 console in the US, with 484,000 units sold during the month, up 37 percent from last September, a stark comparison to the other console platforms.
They also mentioned that Halo:Reach hit 3.3 million copies sold in one month.
NPD did however share some information and praise. NPD analyst Anita Frazier spoke highly of the company.
Xbox 360 hardware sales were up versus last year, and this month marks the best month of unit sales for the platform yet in 2010, which says a lot considering sales are up 34 percent on a year-to-date basis.
Microsoft was also willing to share that its top accessory sold was the 1,600 MS Point Card.
NPD has now changed the way manufacturers are measured. These game companies can either be forthcoming with good and bad information, skew the numbers to only make them look good or not say anything at all. NPD's new reports do not give anything remotely fulfilling to us, which now puts the values and ethics onto the companies. This could be good or bad. It does speak volumes that Sony and Nintendo chose not to say a word.
