The official sales figures have been released by NPD for the month of June, they show that Microsoft has taken control of the month once again with strong console sales tallying over 500k units during the month. These numbers show the extended dominance that the console has had in the North American market where the company is outselling its competition by double. The Xbox 360 is in the midst of it’s biggest runaway success since the console launched six years ago.
Microsoft which has had a very strong first half of 2011, will likely have continued success going forward in the year with their biggest games still yet to come this Fall. The console exclusive titles Gears of War 3, Forza Motorsport 4, Dance Central 2, and Halo Combat Evolved are due out this fall, which will likely give the console another jolt to propel and secure it’s lead for the year.
Microsoft has issued statement on the latest numbers and reiterates the data that was released by the NPD.
Halfway through 2011, Xbox 360 maintains its lead in the U.S. console market, selling more units in the U.S. than any other console for 12 of the past 13 months. Even while console and software sales across the industry have slowed, as often happens in the summer, Xbox 360 continues growing, staying on track to have the biggest year in Xbox history in the sixth year of its lifecycle.
June 2011 NPD highlights include:
· Holding 48% share of the overall current-generation console market share, Xbox 360 sold 507,000 units in June, selling nearly twice as many units as other current-generation platforms and maintaining the number-one console spot in the U.S. for 2011. Additionally, Xbox 360 was the only console in the U.S. to show year-over-year growth in the month of June. (Source: NPD Group, June 2011)
· Total retail spend on the Xbox 360 platform in June (hardware, software and accessories) reached $350 million, the most for any console in the U.S. (Source: NPD Group, June 2011)
· During the month of June, three of the top ten console game titles were for Xbox 360 including: “L.A. Noire,” “Duke Nukem Forever,” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops.” (Source: NPD Group, June 2011)
With the holiday season and major launches just around the corner, the second half of 2011 promises to make Xbox 360 history. The size of the Kinect games portfolio will triple by the end of the year and Xbox will bring new partnerships like UFC and Disney to the platform as well as blockbuster games, movies, music and TV together in one place. We expect Xbox 360 to maintain its lead and to be number one worldwide by the end of the year, selling more hardware units than PlayStation and Wii.
