The much anticipated God of War III took the top sales spot last month according to recent NPD numbers. In close second was Pokemon Soul Silver, followed by Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3. That said, if you tabulate the numbers of both Pokemon titles sold in March you’ll get a combined total of 1.78 million units. Meaning, the true winner of March was actually the Pokemon franchise. However, individually (which is what the NPD tracks) Kratos takes it. Speaking of Final Fantasy, the 360 version of FFXIII sold only half as well as its PS3 counterpart – no doubt due to reports of a less-than-stellar port.

On the hardware side of things, the DS remained on top – despite the forced announcement of the 3DS. No doubt these numbers were also helped by the launch of the DSiXL. The Wii followed in second, with the Xbox 360 coming in third. As for the PS3, despite heavy sales of both GoW3 and FFXIII, the console saw a decline in sales primarily due to hardware shortages.

Full software and hardware numbers after the break.

Hardware:
DS: 701,000 (+14%)
Wii: 558,000 (+40%)
360: 338,000 (-20%)
PS3: 314,000 (-13%)
PSP: 120,000 (-10%)
PS2: 118,000 (+16%)

Software:
01. God of War 3 (PS3) – 1.10 million
02. Pokemon Soul Silver (DS) – 1.02 million
03. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) – 828,200
04. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (360) – 825,500
05. Pokemon Heart Gold (DS) – 761,200
06. Final Fantasy XIII (360) – 493,900
07. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) – 457,400
08. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PS3) – 451,200
09. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – 429,600
10. MLB 10: The Show (PS3) – 349,200

via Joystiq

The NPD Group released some additional data with their December report. Notably a list of the 10 top-selling U.S. titles for 2009. Unsurprisingly Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the 360 came out on top, despite being released in mid-November. What’s more, it’s become the fourth best-selling game of all time. “OF ALL TIME” as Kanye would say. The Playstation 3 version made it to number 8 on the list.

The full list of top-selling U.S. games for 2009 is as follows:

01. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360)
02. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
03. New Super Mario Bros. (Wii)
04. Wii Fit (Wii)
05. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
06. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
07. Wii Play (Wii)
08. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)
09. Halo 3: ODST (360)
10. Pokemon Platinum Version (DS)

Finally, overall revenue for the industry was down 8% from the previous year: $19.66 billion vs. $21.4 billion in 2008 (which incidentally was a record breaking year – despite a recession). That said, December 2009 was the industries best sales month ever. 2010 should be interesting, as many delayed titles finally make their debut in the first and second quarter.

via Gamasutra

Despite declining sales over the last year, Nintendo made a healthy recovery during the Holiday season. Almost 4 million Wiis were sold in America over the course of December 2009, giving the system back the number one spot with an overall increase of 200%. The DS was no slouch either, selling 3 and a half million units. In fact, just about everything Nintendo came out on top. New Super Mario Bros. Wii was the highest selling title with a little under 3 million units. Followed by Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort. Amazing to think there are still people in America without Wiis or DSs.

The Playstation 3 beat the 360 by 50,000 units, taking back third place. Both consoles moved well over a million units each – nothing to sneeze at. Finally, Modern Warfare 2 continued to be the number one title for non-Nintendo based consoles, moving a little under 3 million units across both the PS3 and 360.

Full software and hardware numbers after the break.

Hardware:
Wii: 3.81 millon (+202%)
DS: 3.31 million (+95%)
PS3: 1.36 million (+92%)
360: 1.31 million (+60%)
PSP: 655,000 (+123%)
PS2: 333,000 (+64%)

Software:
01. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) – 2.82 million
02. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – 2.41 million
03. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – 1.79 million
04. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360) – 1.63 million
05. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) – 1.12 million
06. Wii Play with remote (Wii) – 1.01 million
07. Mario Kart with wheel (Wii) – 936,100
08. Assassin’s Creed II (360) – 783,100
09. Left 4 Dead 2 (360) – 728,000
10. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS) – 656,700

via Joystiq

To no one’s surprise, Modern Warfare 2 took November’s top spot in sales, moving well over 6 million units on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Likewise, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was no slouch, moving 1.4 million units since its launch. Noticeably absent from the software party was last months top sellers, Uncharted 2 and Borderlands. Oh, and the newly released Tony Hawk’s Ride. A game no one likes. Except Tony Hawk.

Likewise, hardware sales saw some healthy holiday-shopping-season-fueled growth as well. The DS took back its number one spot from the Wii this month. The Xbox 360 also enjoyed a healthy boost to third place (no doubt with help from Modern Warfare 2). Sony, despite coming in fourth, still moved well over 700,000 units – nearly doubling its already stellar performance from last month.

Update: You’d think the numbers below indicate a good month for the game industry. In fact, quite the opposite. We’ve just learned that overall software sales were down 7.6% from the same period last year. As for hardware sales – down a whopping 13%. Sadly, this makes November 2009 the 8th loss for the industry in the last 9 months. Let’s all blame Tony Hawk for this one.

Full software and hardware numbers after the break.

Hardware:
DS: 1.7 million (+262%)
Wii: 1.26 millon (+149%)
360: 820,000 (+228%)
PS3: 710,000 (+121%)
PSP: 294,000 (+78%)
PS2: 203,000 (+72%)

Software:
01. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360) – 4.20 million
02. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) – 1.9 million
03. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) – 1.4 million
04. Assassin’s Creed II (360) – 795,000
05. Left 4 Dead 2 (360) – 720,000
06. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – 720,000
07. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – 679,000
08. Assassin’s Creed II (PS3) – 448,000
09. Dragon Age: Origins (360) – 362,000
10. Mario Kart (Wii) – 315,000

via Joystiq and GameSpot

Sony continues to enjoy its healthy sales spurt – despite selling significantly less from the previous month. Likewise, the Wii picked up some momentum as well, overtaking the DS and reclaiming the number one spot. Overall hardware sales were down 17%, however, with Christmas around the corner, expect those numbers to about-face.

Software-wise, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was the big winner with over 512,000 units sold. The title continues to do well in this month, as Sony just announced its passing of the 1 million units sales mark. Gearbox’s Borderlands came in at number 3, despite rampant shortages of the title throughout the month. Noticeably absent from last month’s stats are EA’s Brutal Legend and Activision’s DJ Hero. Both came with tons of hype (one was sued to take advantage of it) and lots of star-power (Jack Black and Jay-Z to name a few). Yet, both failed to spark an interest with consumers. According to GameSpot, Brutal Legend moved 216,000 units (across two consoles), while DJ Hero only moved 123,000 (across four). Suffice it to say, not great for either franchise.

Full hardware and software numbers after the break.

Hardware:
Wii: 507,000 (+10%)
Nintendo DS: 458,000 (-13%)
Playstation 3: 321,000 (-35%)
360: 250,000 (-29%)
Playstation Portable: 175,000 (-8%)
Playstation 2: 118,000 (-19%)

Software:
01. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) – 537,000
02. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – 441,000
03. Borderlands (360) – 418,000
04. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – 314,000
05. NBA 2K10 (360) – 311,000
06. Halo 3: ODST (360) – 271,000
07. NBA 2K10 (PS3) – 213,000
08. Forza Motorsport 3 (360) – 175,000
09. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS) – 169,000
10. FIFA Soccer 10 (360) – 156,000

via Joystiq and GameSpot

Sony must be very pleased with themselves these days. For a second month in a row their newly retooled PS3s has been selling like hot cakes.  According to new hardware numbers released by the NPD Group, PS3 sales are a stunning 134% over the previous month, overtaking the Wii by 29,000 odd units. The DS continues to remain the number one seller overall, moving over 500,000 units. This month was also a bit of a watershed for the industry. Many analysts predicted that September would be the month to revive the slumping video game industry – they were sort of right. Thanks to Halo ODST and various console price cuts, overall revenue grew by one percent when compared to the same period last year. Not exactly monumental, but it bodes well for the rest of the year.

On the software side of things, Halo 3 ODST was the big winner in September; outselling Madden 10, Wii Resort and Guitar Hero 5. Altogether ODST has already shipped 1.5 million units in its first month. Madden 10 has seen similar success, shipping 1.9 million units across all platforms. The big surprise was the performance of Beatles: Rock Band. Despite some very poor sales early on, the title finally outsold Guitar Hero 5 taking the 5th spot. Full hardware and software numbers after the jump.

Hardware:
Nintendo DS: 524,200 (-5%)
PlayStation 3: 491,800 (+134%)
Wii: 462,800 (+67%)
Xbox 360: 352,600 (+64%)
PlayStation Portable: 190,400 (+36%)
PlayStation 2: 146,000 (+38%)

Software:
01. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360) – 1,520,000
02. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – 442,900
03. Madden NFL 10 (Xbox 360) – 298,600
04. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS) – 258,100
05. The Beatles: Rock Band (Xbox 360) – 254,000
06. Madden NFL 10 (PS3) – 246,500
07. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (Xbox 360) – 236,000
08. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3) – 212,500
09. Guitar Hero 5 (Xbox 360) – 210,800
10. The Beatles: Rock Band (Wii) – 208,600

via Joystiq and Gamasutra