14 DAY TRIAL // The NPD Group data for December was released at the end of last week and it showed the PlayStation 3 selling better than Xbox 360 for the month, although by a slim margin. Still, the 1.36 million units sold in one month is a good result for Sony and points to a 2010 when Microsoft and Sony will struggle to get the second position in the home console battle.
Sony put out an official statement saying that December was the “single highest selling month for PS3 hardware and software in the U.S.” The increase for the PlayStation 3 home gaming console itself was of 87%, which is due to both the price cut that brought its tag in line with that of the rival Xbox 360 and to the redesign that resulted in the smaller, less energy-hungry Slim version.
The Japanese console maker is also keen on pointing out that the PlayStation brand, which also includes the PSP, the PSP Go and the older PlayStation 2, has generated some 5.1 billion dollars in overall revenue, which is 26% of the overall money brought in by the gaming industry, according to internal data from Sony.
The figure declines when compared to 2007, when it was 6.2 billion and accounted for 35%, and to 2008, when the number was 6.4 billion and was 30%. The company is certainly hoping for a better 2010 as it aims for its console division to actually turn a profit in March 2011.
Sony is also saying that the PlayStation Network is attracting more and more buyers, managing to increase revenue by 155% over the same period in 2008. Final Fantasy VIII, which was re-released on the platform, was the biggest seller in December followed by PixelJunk Shooter from Q Games, while Call of Duty: World at War map packs were the biggest sellers for the entire year.