While the NPD group usually focuses on video game and console unit sales, as far as their coverage of this market is concerned, they have recently released a report detailing the breakdown of gamers in the US.

The NPD Group put the total number of US gamers as high as 174 million, after comparing their known sales statistics with information gathered from 20 000 online participants. NPD breaks the gamers down into the following groups:

• Extreme Gamers: 3% @ 5.22 Million
• Avid PC Gamers: 9% @ 15.66 Million
• Console Gamers: 17% @ 29.58 Million
• Online PC Gamers: 14% @ 24.36 Million
• Offline PC Gamers: 15% @ 26.1 Million
• Young Heavy Gamers: 22% @ 38.28 Million
• Secondary Gamers: 20% @ 34.8 Million

Extreme Gamers, while making up a small segment of the market, are considered the ‘hardcore,’ having each bought 24 games in the last 3 months and playing for an average of 22 hours a week. Young Heavy Gamers on the other hand, the largest segment of the market, make up a third of the console owners and typically tend towards portable consoles, as six out of ten DS and PSP owners fit this category.

Other interesting titbits in the report reveal that over half of all Extreme Gamers buy additional downloadable content while a third of all Avid Gamers buy DLC. PlayStation 3 owners are the least likely segment to own any other current consoles (Xbox 360 and Wii) while only 10 percent of PlayStation 2 owners also own a PlayStation 3.

Bionic Commando Rearmed will be available to download in North America in mid-August.

This is the latest word from Capcom, who confirmed that Bionic Commando Rearmed will hit Xbox Live Arcade on the 13th of August for 800 Microsoft Points and the PlayStation Network on the 14th of August for $10.

For now the release dates are for North America “for sure,” so it looks like Capcom is not yet certain whether the game will be released across PAL land on the same dates.

Bionic Commando Rearmed is GRIN’s remake of the 1988 NES original. The game will retain its 2D side scrolling gaming but will feature reworked graphics and introduce co-op and competitive multiplayer modes.

According to Capcom’s Kramez it is “one of the best digital games you will ever play” and “you’re more than going to get your money’s worth out of this particular title.” There you have it, straight from the horses mouth.

The US video game industry continued to prosper in June, boasting total sales of $1.69 billion, 53% higher than June 2007. Hardware was up 54% at $615.1 million while software also experienced a bumper month with $872.6 million.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier commented “The video games industry continues to perform in the face of an ever-increasingly difficult economic environment as many turn to more in-home entertainment. Even if growth slows over the back half of 2008, the industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues of over $22B for the year.”

The Nintendo DS was the best-selling console in the US for the month of June, selling 783 000 units and placing it well ahead of the Wii in second place with 666 700 units.

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Yesterday Nintendo announced that Kirby Super Star Ultra would be arriving on North American shores on the 29th of September.

Kirby’s latest adventure will take place on the Nintendo DS and will re-imagine the mini-games from the original Kirby SuperStar. Kirby will run, float, copy enemies and use Helpers to fight the evil King Dedede and Meta Knight.

The game will feature new graphics as well as fully rendered animated cut scenes. It also includes new modes such as Revenge of the King and Meta Knight Ultra as well as classics including The Great Cave Offensive and Milky Way Wishes.

Gamers can also look forward to three new mini-games that are controlled by the touch screen and can be played with up to three friends via DS Download Play. You can also use local wireless to play Kirby with a friend.

If you are new to the Kirby franchise, head over to our review of Kirby Power Paintbrush to see what makes essentially a pink ball one of the most popular Nintendo characters to this day.

Microsoft believes that Xbox 360 games are outselling and outplaying the competition. If they had added outwit they could have joined the next Survivor cast.

Their response to the May NPD results was to boast sales of the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV, which beat the other platform (the PS3 if you are not keeping up) version by 2:1 with 871 000 copies sold in May.

Microsoft went on quote a report by Nielson which stated that “among 10 – 26 year olds, Xbox 360 gets on average over twice the game play as the Wii with younger gamers, likely due to a record software attach and a blockbuster gamers library.” The report went on to state that gamers spend roughly 75 hours playing games per month in comparison to 35 hours for the Wii and 53 hours for the PS3 for the same time period.

The Xbox 360 install base is now more than 19 million worldwide, with 187 000 units sold in the US in May and a software attach rate of 7.7. Total consumer spending on the 360 for May resulted in $214 million worth of game sales while life-to-date sales on the 360 tops $9.9 billion.

More third party games are sold for the Xbox 360 than any other console with $110 million in games sales recorded for May. 59% of third party games sold have been for the Xbox 360 this generation. In addition of the top 25 top selling third party frnachises, 21 are best-sellers on the Xbox 360.

Microsoft ended off by citing their line-up of games including Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Banjo & Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Viva Piñata 2 and Too Human. “We still have quite a few aces left up our sleeve; see you at E3 next month!”

Sony was quick to point out that the PS3 again eclipsed sales of the Xbox 360 for the month of May in the US. According to Sony sales of the PS3 grew 155% year-over-year, recording sales of 208 709 units which was 22 106 units more than the Xbox 360 sold.

Sony reported that 1.26 million software units were sold for the PS3 in May, noting the sales for GTA IV and PS3 exclusives SingStar and Haze. This figure shows a 234% increase from May 2007.

Sony touted GTA IV sales figures for May (442 910 copies) as well as the life-to-date sales of 1.4 million copies of the PS3 version for the US. Over 32% of PS3 owners in the US have bought GTA IV leading to a 6% higher attach rate than the Xbox 360.

Sony expects the momentum of PS3 sales to continue in June due to PS3 exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot and the special edition Metal Gear Solid PS3 bundle. P33 owners downloaded over 20 million pieces of content from the PlayStation Store in May, 11.6 million of that belonging to North American gamers.

The PSP sold 182 310 units for May and Sony expect the God of War: Chains of Olympus PSP bundle launched in June to further boost sales. Despite NPD no longer reporting the sales of the PS2, Sony pointed out that 132 708 units were sold in May, up 6.7% from April, with life-to-date sales of the PSP now reaching 42.2 million.

The PlayStation brand generated $331.6 million in sales in May while the year-to-date figure (January to May) stands at $2.27 billion in revenue. This is incidentally 46% higher than Microsoft and 17% more than last year. Breaking this down, hardware sales for PlayStation reached $133 million in May (98% higher than Microsoft) and software sales $159 million.

Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America commented “The dual platform release of the much anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV title reaffirmed its legacy on the PlayStation platform with a 6 percent higher attach rate than Xbox 360, reinforcing consumer choice of PS3.”

“Poised for continued momentum, PS3 is delivering on its breadth and depth of exclusive titles to its gaming fans with today’s prized exclusive title launch of Metal Gear Solid 4. The media have hailed 2008 as the year of the PS3, and with solid sales and growth opportunities ahead, we feel consumers are saying the same.”

Nintendo’s response to the May NPD results has focused on Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit.

Nintendo noted that the NPD figures show healthy sales and a strong consumer response to these two Nintendo games which are designed to appeal to both novice and expert gamers. Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit finished in second and third place on the software chart, “demonstrating continued consumer response to new controls and experiences.”

“The Wii Wheel and Wii Balance Board accessories make game play fun for new gamers while presenting new challenges for those who have been playing a long time,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The diversity of the seven Nintendo games represented in NPD’s top 10 for May demonstrates how Nintendo has something for everyone.”

According to NPD data the Wii and Nintendo topped hardware sales in the US with 675 089 and 452 608 units sold respectively. The Wii took 63% of current generation consoles sold in May while the Nintendo DS took 71% of the portable market. Nintendo pointed out that lifetime sales of the Wii now stand at nearly 10.2 million while lifetime sales of the Nintendo DS are over 20 million.

Wii Play continues to perform well, recording sales of over 295 000 in May and life-to-date sales of over 5.8 million. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness sold over 208 000 copies combined in May with life-to-date sales reaching over 613 000 copies.

19 of the top 30 best-selling games of May were made for Nintendo systems including third party titles such as Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision), We Ski (Namco Bandai), Game Party (Midway) and Boom Blox (EA).

NPD analyst Anita Frazier commented “Coming in at number 12 on the top-sellers list, We Ski from Namco, which utilizes the Wii Fit balance board, was able to captilize on Wii Fit’s cross-promotions in circulars and at retail.”

Nintendo didn’t point out that seven of the top ten software titles were for Nintendo platforms with six of those titles being published by the factory that made Mario. We suppose they didn’t have to, but still this non-gloating response is like a breath of fresh air.

The video game industry in the US recorded revenue of $1.12 billion, up 37% from $816.3 million in May 2007. Hardware sales were up by 34% year-on-year at $428.6 million. $536.9 million was recorded for software sales, up 41% from last year while accessories saw a 30% increase to $150.8 million.

Hardware sales

The Wii and Nintendo DS claimed the top two spots in terms of hardware sales for a fourth month in a row. The Wii crossed the finishing line first with 675 100 units followed by the Nintendo DS with 452 600 units.

The PS3 overtook the Xbox 360, selling 208 700 units in comparison to 186 600. NPD analyst Anita Frazier commented “The continued success of GTA IV is not translating into big hardware sales for either the PS3 or the 360 but there may yet to be a lift in June due to gift-giving for Father’s Day and Graduations.”

The PSP recorded sales of 182 300 units, coming in last place on the hardware chart due to the PS2 data being discontinued in May, the first month that the PS2 has been excluded since 2000.

Software sales

Take Two’s Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 once again topped the software side of things with 871 300 copies sold. Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii was not far behind with 787 400 copies while despite being supply constrained Nintendo’s Wii Fit came in third with 687 700 copies.

The PS3 version of GTA IV finished fourth with 442 900 copies. Interesting to note that according to Frazier “GTA IV has now generated combined sales of 4.2 million units, making it the top-selling title of the year.” Nintendo’s Wii Play secured fifth place with 294 600 copies while Super Smash Bros. Brawl was at number 6 with 171 100 copies.

Sega’s movie tie-in Iron Man muscled into seventh with 130 600 copies and Activision’s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the Wii was next with 116 800 copies. Nintendo’s Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness and Time for the Nintendo DS were at numbers 9 and 10 with 107 000 and 102 000 copies respectively.

“The U.S. video games industry has generated $6.6B in sales so far this year which exceeds total 1997 annual revenues. The industry is on pace to achieve revenues in the $21-$23B range for 2008” commented Frazier.

If you missed it, make sure you check out the NPD results for April.

Hardware Sales for May 2008

• Wii – 675 100
• Nintendo DS – 452 600
• PS3 – 208 700
• Xbox 360 – 186 600
• PSP – 182 300

Top Ten Software Sales for May 2008

• Grand Theft Auto IV (Take Two, Xbox 360) – 871 300
• Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel (Nintendo, Wii) – 787 400
• Wii Fit with Balance Board (Nintendo, Wii) – 687 700
• Grand Theft Auto IV (Take Two, PS3) – 442 900
• Wii Play with Wii Remote (Nintendo, Wii) – 294 600
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo, Wii) – 171 100
• Iron Man (Sega, PS2) – 130 600
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision, Wii) – 116 800
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (Nintendo, DS) – 107 000
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (Nintendo, DS) – 102 000

US Game Industry Totals for May 2008

Below is a list of the category, followed by the total and the change in brackets.

• Video games - $1.12 billion (+37%)
• Video games hardware - $428.6 million (+34%)
• Video games software - $536.9 million (+41%)
• Video game accessories - $150.8 million (+30%)

Source: NPD

Last week European gamers threw their hands up in delight when the playable demo of Ninja Gaiden 2 landed on Xbox Live Marketplace.

However, much gnashing of teeth followed when it was revealed that the demo was not available in Germany, India, Canada and the US. You will be happy to know that it is now alive and kicking on Xbox Live in the US and Canada.

Ninja Gaiden 2 was released across Europe this past Friday. It is already out in the US and Canada.

Gears of War fans will be happy to hear that Epic Games’ popular third person shooter will be discounted in the US and Canada from today.

According to Gamerscoreblog.com, the Xbox 360 version will drop to $39.99 while the Games for Window version will drop to $29.99.

A special two disc version of the Xbox 360 version of Gears of War will be available on the 24th of June for the same $39.99 price. Disc One will contain the Gears of War game disc while Disc Two will contain Gears of War Map Packs 1 & 2, Emergence Day and Bare your Teeth theme, Emergence Day, Crimson Omen and Gears of War Gamer Pics as well as trailers for Duel and Assault.

The two disc special edition contains “Annex mode and the ability to earn an extra 250 gamerscore (for a total of 1250) from a previous title update.” However, “the 360 version will not contain the PC-exclusive Timgad level, so no console Brumak battles.”

Gears of War 2 is expected to arrive on the Xbox 360 this November. The game is shaping up nicely by the look of the latest screenshots.

If you have not yet kicked ass and saved the world, let us convince you to do so in our review of Gears of War.

Sony unveiled a new Deep Red PSP colour back in February. Bundled in the God of War PSP Entertainment Pack, the limited edition Deep Red PSP has Kratos’ image silkscreened on the back.

The wait is over for God of War fans as the new bundle is now available across North America. The God of War Entertainment Pack includes the Deep Red PSP, a copy of God of War: Chains of Olympus, the popular movie Superbad on UMD as well as a PSN voucher to download Syphon Filter: Combat Ops. It retails at $199.99.

Despite Nintendo stamping the 19th of May as the official launch date of Wii Fit in the US, it is being reported that retailers will not have stock of the game until the 21st of May.

Nintendo’s highly anticipated fitness game launched across Japan in December last year, followed by Europe on the 25th of April and South Africa on the 5th of May.

According to GameSpot, the confusion over the US launch began when Nintendo started a nationwide advertising campaign stating that Wii Fit would go on sale on Wednesday the 21st of May.

Apparently this was done due to delays in shipments but the launch date was confirmed by a Nintendo representative to be the 19th of May. Yesterday Nintendo held a Wii Fit launch in New York City but only a select few were lucky enough to get a copy of the coveted Wii Fit.

Nintendo later announced that the May 19th launch date only applied to the Nintendo World Store in New York City, where the game is reported to have sold out in under an hour yesterday.

Numerous retailers have confirmed with GameSpot that the game only goes on sale tomorrow. Nintendo has not yet commented on the confusion surrounding the launch date and reports that stock shortages will plague North Americans wanting to get Wii Fit.

For more information on Wii Fit, check out El33tonline’s progress in the Wii Fit 25 day Challenge.

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 has sold over 10 million units in the US. This makes it the first current-generation gaming console to break the 10 million mark in the US. The Xbox 360 has sold 19 million units worldwide.

“This year will be the largest in the history of the video game industry, with Xbox 360 leading the charge in the U.S. and abroad,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.

“History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry.”

Released late in April, Grand Theft Auto IV has boosted the Xbox Live global membership to more than 12 million this month.

According to Microsoft, the Xbox 360 has the highest software attach rate and boasts over 16 titles that have sold over 1 million units, (including Halo 3, Gears of War, Call of Duty 4 and Guitar Hero III) giving it twice as many platinum-selling titles as the Wii and a 16:2 lead over the PS3.

The latest NPD figures show that US video game sales totaled $1.23 million in April, up from $838.6 million in April 2007. Software sales reached $654.7 million, up 68% from the previous year while hardware saw an increase of 26% to $426.2 million.

The boost in software sales was largely attributed to Rockstars’ Grand Theft Auto IV. Released at the end of April, GTA IV sold 2.85 million copies on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in its first five days of release. The Xbox 360 version of GTA IV sold 1.85 million copies to secure the number 1 position on the software chart, trailed by the PS3 version which finished third with 1 million copies.

Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii separated the two GTA IV games in second place, selling 1.12 million copies, while Nintendo’s Wii Play continues to perform well in fourth with 360 000 copies. Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl is at number 5 with 326 000 copies followed by Sony’s Gran Turismo 5: Prologue with 224 000 copies.

Nintendo’s Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games for the DS occupied numbers 7 and 8 with 202 000 copies each followed by Activision’s Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty 4 at numbers 9 and 10 with 152 000 and 141 000 copies respectively.

The hardware side of things looked much the same as March’s results. The Wii was the best-selling console with 714 000 units followed by the Nintendo DS which experienced a sales drop from last month’s 698 000 units to 415 000 units. The PSP sold 193 000 units, the Xbox 360 188 000 and the PS3 187 000 units. Next month GTA IV will no doubt boost the hardware sales of both the Xbox 360 and PS3.

If you missed it, make sure you check out the NPD results for March.

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Nintendo’s downloadable game service WiiWare launches across the US today.

WiiWare will enable Wii owners to download new games from a wide range of developers including large publishers and indie houses. The service aims to “reduce the barriers that make console game development prohibitively expensive” by allowing developers to “experiment with big ideas and small budgets.”

Head to the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel to download a WiiWare game. Simply choose your game and pay for it using Wii Points then start the download. So far the games range in price from 500 to 1 500 Wii Points. The WiiWare service will be updated with new games on Mondays.

Gamers will be able to use the new Nintendo Channel to view videos and information about WiiWare games as well as check out players opinions of the games.

Greatest games of the past - and the future

For more WiiWare information, head over to Nintendo’s WiiWare website. Here you will find a few short video clips of LostWinds, Dr Mario Online RX, Defend Your Castle, Critter Round-Up and Final Fantasy Chystal Chronicles: My Life as a King.

“WiiWare is to the video game industry what independent films are to Hollywood,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.

“WiiWare lets developers experiment with new ideas and experiences. Combined with our collection of classic Virtual Console games, Wii provides one-stop shopping for the greatest games of the past - and the future.”

Here is the line-up of WiiWare games (descriptions as per Nintendo):

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