Nintendo is continuing to sell its Wii console at a record pace, according to the latest sales numbers released tonight by the NPD Group.
Despite the very public launching of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29, the house that Mario built had an extremely good month selling 714,000 Wiis in addition to 414,800 DSs. The Xbox 360 and PS3 sales pale in comparison, selling 188K and 187K, respectively.
On the software side, Mario Kart Wii even managed to outsell the PlayStation 3 version of GTA IV (1 million units), earning the #2 spot in software sales for April with 1.12 million units sold.
Staying on the software side, the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV won the top spot in sales for the month moving 1.85 million units, with Wii Play and Smash Bros. Brawl rounding out the top five.
Overall, industry sales total $1.23 billion, up 47 pecent from this time last year.
Company reactions, in their own words:
Sony: “Clearly, the tremendous legacy of Grand Theft Auto on PlayStation, combined with the blockbuster launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue packed a one-two punch with consumers at retail this month. The proof is in the numbers and, in April, PlayStation 3 hardware sales experienced a 127% increase over April of last year. PS3 momentum is fueled by enthusiasm for Blu-ray as the definitive high def standard and the growing number of consumers gearing up for some of the most anticipated titles of the year, exclusively for PS3, including the June release of Metal Gear Solid 4, and other great exclusives in the second half on the year, such as Resistance 2, SOCOM: Confrontation and LittleBigPlanet to name a few. With exciting PlayStation Network innovations and our strongest console-driving titles of the year still on the horizon, PS3 remains on pace for a breakthrough year.”
- Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America
Microsoft: Check back soon…
Nintendo: “Wii sales were buoyed in part by the strong launch of Mario Kart Wii, which sold more than 1.1 million units,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Our belief in appealing to a broad, diverse audience of players continues to resonate with consumers, and we look forward to continuing our outreach to an expanded audience with the launch of Wii Fit next week.”
Hardware Sales for April:
1. Wii 714.2K
2. Nintendo DS 414.8K
3. PSP 192.7K
4. Xbox 360 188.0K
5. PlayStation 3 187.1K
6. PlayStation 2 124.4K
Software Sales for April:
1. 360 GTA IV 1.85mm
2. Wii Mario Kart w/ wheel 1.12mm
3. PS3 GTA IV 1.00mm
4. Wii Play 360K
5. Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl 326K
6. PS3 Gran Turismo 5: Prologue 224K
7. DS Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness 202K
8. DS Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time 202K
9. Wii Guitar Hero III 152K
10. 360 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 141K
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