NPD Number Crunch: DS, Wii & Halo 3 top sales charts for December '07

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NPD Number Crunch: DS, Wii & Halo 3 top sales charts for December '07

Leo Chan - Friday, January 18, 2008 7:32pm (PST) 0 Favourite (0)

Calender year 2007's industry sales hit a colossal $17.94 billion USD

The NPD Group's monthly sales report for December 2007 has arrived after much justifiable anticipation thanks to its additional sales roundup for the whole of last year. For starters, we learn that North American video games industry sales hit a whopping $17.94 billion USD during calender year 2007, up 43 percent from 2006. Software sales accounted for $8.64 billion USD, while console and handheld hardware sales together contributed $7.04 billion USD to the total.

Nearly all the major consoles easily hit over 1 million units in sales during December 2007, with the major exceptions being the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation 3. DS sales hit a cool 2.47 million units to once again become number one, while the PS3 sat on the opposite of the spectrum with "only" 797,600 units in sales. To be sure, the PS3's holiday season sales were its best yet.

According to Nintendo's own press release, the company's consoles accounted for 52 percent of the total hardware sales last year. Additionally, about half of the top thirty home console games for 2007 were either made for or ported onto Nintendo systems. The handheld software sales market proved more decisive for Nintendo; 25 of the top 30 titles were made for the DS, and another 2 exclusively for the GameBoy Advance. The Mario Factory breaks out its calculator and concludes that it alone was responsible for 60 percent of (calender year) 2007's 43 percent growth in sales for the video game industry compared to 2006.

While Halo 3 didn't break the top 10 during December 2007, the massive damage it delivered during its launch day in September alone practically guaranteed it would still secure its position as the bestselling console game for calender year 2007. Amazingly, the Wii Play/Wiimote bundle wasn't all too far behind the Master Chief; its persistence in The NPD Group's sales charts throughout 2007 proves there is merit in Nintendo's steady (even if not necessarily chart-topping) sales strategy for casual gaming titles. Unfortunately, Super Mario (you know, the OTHER flagship gaming mascot) couldn't hope to beat the Master Chief this year, but the Italian Stallion still managed to get himself onto 2007's top ten... twice; once with Super Mario Galaxy, and again in Mario Party 8. He's also in December 2007's top ten alongside his arch-nemesis Sonic the Hedgehog in "Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games".

Activision meanwhile was quick to tout The NPD Group when it claims top dop status for 2007's most successful games publisher, thanks to a top ten games lineup including Call of Duty 4 and (of course) Guitar Hero II and III. Curiously, the bestselling version of GHIII was for the PS2.

December 2007 US Hardware Sales