Jack Tretton responds to March NPD numbers
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Apr 18th 2008 at 12:15AM }
Jack Tretton added his thoughts on March NPD figures. "Our sales momentum continues to defy what is traditionally a sluggish sales month. PS3 continued the strong momentum with a year-over-year sales growth of over 98%. It is proof that, in these economically challenging times, consumers recognize the long-term value of our platforms and the tremendous heritage of our brand in delivering the best entertainment experience."
For the official NPD numbers, click past the break.
- Wii: 721K
289K (40%)- DS: 698K
110.4K (15.8%)- PSP: 297K
53.9K (18.1%)- Xbox 360: 262K
7.4K (2.8%)- PS3: 257K
23.8K (9.3%)- PS2: 216K
135.8K (62.9%)March Software
1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 2.7 million
2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Xbox 360) - 752.3K*
3. Army of Two (Xbox 360) - 606.1K
4. Wii Play w/ remote (Wii) - 409.8K
5. God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) - 340.5K
6. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) - 301.6K
7. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) - 264.1K
8. Major League Baseball 2K8 (Xbox 360) - 237.1K
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) - 237K*
10. Army of Two (PS3) - 224.9K
* - Includes bundles and special editions
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kspraydad @ Apr 18th 2008 12:25AM
Sadly Hot Shots Golf sold 36k.
Please buy HSG...we need more people in the lobby.
XanthouS @ Apr 18th 2008 12:31AM
It should help when the demo is released. HSG is the type of game that can really pull you in after a round.
JAH75157 @ Apr 18th 2008 9:41AM
what the hell is hsg?
HektikLyfe @ Apr 18th 2008 12:27PM
"Sadly Hot Shots Golf sold 36k.
Please buy HSG..."
H.S.G.
never$$hort @ Apr 18th 2008 2:27PM
Just bought it last Sunday! ;)
And I hate sports games by the way especially Tiger Woods, but my friend got HSG a month ago and he convinced me to try out a round. My girl and I both played it and now both of us are hooked! This was the last game I ever saw myself purchasing until I tried it. Those taunts in multi-player are RIDICULOUS!!!
dan @ Apr 18th 2008 12:43AM
I bet it has more to do with the axing of the 80GB model
Barndo111 @ Apr 18th 2008 7:38AM
I agree. I'm really waiting until MGS4 comes out so that i can purchase the bundle. Every store I go to only has 40gb systems and I really need BC. And the fact that the MGS4 bundle will have rumble controllers? It only adds to fact that it's worth waiting for. The only downside is that I have to hear everyone ramble on about GTAIV for two months. Grr...
Sony, you coulda had my money....
Nintendo is Fail @ Apr 18th 2008 12:34PM
Just give it up. The PS3s already had its 2 months of fame, now it's over and once again Sony is back in last place
dan @ Apr 18th 2008 1:24PM
Nintendo:
What are you saying? I see no counterpoint in your argument, which leads me to believe you are a fanboy, just trying to stir the pot. Although you are using correct punctuation, so I think you must be a ringleader or something. Or have a really good grammar/spellcheck program.
Go back and re-read M$'s responses to why their numbers were not on par during the last two months... They make up facts. and whine about those made up (excuses) facts.
Sony is using this lack of sales almost as an advertizing point. They are reminding people of the great things they have to come... Why piss and whine about whats already done, don't let people dwell on that and tell them what is to come...
Nintendo is Fail @ Apr 19th 2008 10:34AM
Just saying it like how it is, dan. Thats great Sony isn't using a excuse, because the truth is they don't HAVE an excuse. I don't care about MGS4, SOCOM, Killzone 2 or Resistance 2 because they're all just shooting games (like we don't have enough of those) and GTA IV kicks their ass
leiwei @ Apr 18th 2008 12:54AM
gah the dreaded scripts on this page.
leiwei @ Apr 18th 2008 1:48AM
Anyway, the 5k difference isn't that bad considering the 360 has a larger library of games, and there wasn't really any noteable "big" game out the month of March. Add to that, GT5p just came out in America and there wasn't really any big advertisement going on to promote the game or the system. Compare that to the mass marketing campaign done for Halo 3. The last I remember Sony ever doing a huge marketing campaign was for FF7 and MGS. That was way back in PSone era. I don't recall anything else from Sony that embedded itself into my mind permanently besides those two.
Side note: I really hate the comments system on this page. Now it's affecting Firefox and telling me that I did it and to check my e-mail. =T Bah!
Jove @ Apr 18th 2008 1:13AM
thank god he didnt use the 'wer short on supply' excuse... that seens to be a pretty good one whenever your short on sales.
Ninjakamster @ Apr 18th 2008 2:41AM
They need to release more colors here. Didn't I hear that the FCC was given a white PS3 to sample? Shouldn't it come out here soon then?
I wish they could bring back the 60gb's hardware compatability. But I guess it was best in the end as the newer ones save them manufacturing costs and its time to move on to the current gen. : )
2Perfect @ Apr 18th 2008 3:39AM
Yeah I heard about that too. But what I really want is new colors for the DualShock 3. I probably wont buy a whole new console just for the color, but a different looking controller would be nice. Without the added price and shipping cost of play-asia.
HektikLyfe @ Apr 18th 2008 12:30PM
I would get it in any color as long as it had an anti-dust anti-static coating. It could be camouflaged for all I care. That damn thing, I just can't keep it clean. I clean it more often than I turn it on.
youngrizo @ Apr 18th 2008 3:08AM
Okay so I just spotted the strangest thing. Metal Gear Solid 4 related.
A Young Snake/2nd Snake in the Metal Gear Solid 4 Gameplay Video.
Watch at about 10minutes 32seconds in, when Snake is using the solid eye, he zooms to the top of a building just in-time to catch a glimpse of what looks to be Snake going prone.
I put it in Frame by Frame on my PS3, starting at 10:30 by halfway through the 10:31 timeframe, it's clear enough to see it's Snake - and I know that is no other character than Snake. He has very unique gear after all.
I just wanted to share what is possibly the biggest clue/easter egg in that video, possibly relating to the story.
marklar @ Apr 18th 2008 11:40AM
hmmm... you obviously have no life
2Perfect @ Apr 18th 2008 3:28AM
Considering many things, blah blah blah... it doesn't really matter. Xbox 360 beat us this month.
In the words of Call of Duty's post-game screen: We'll get 'em next time. (Which we obviously will, IMO. No new exciting exclusives for X360, but GT5:P already out this month, and MGS covering June. Not that they directly increase console sales, but they probably do.)
Tranando @ Apr 18th 2008 3:32AM
Anyone else find it funny how the Xbots (and Microsoft) are cracking open the champagne by winning 5k units over a console they were calling dead a few months back.
Pathetic...
BowserUSC @ Apr 18th 2008 3:48PM
It's a little more than just looking at the hard numbers. Microsoft's sales went up 3 percent and sony's dropped 9. When you consider the number of sales as well then microsoft definitely did better this month than sony. It really is just simple statistics no matter which side you support.
doc j @ Apr 18th 2008 3:35AM
Sort of disheartening to see the XBox360 (with its rather lackluster release schedule so far this year) outselling the PS3. I mean I am a total fanboy with the rest of you, but no matter how you spin it this isn't a great thing.
The only real defense is that the PS3 still has a strong lead in yearly sales, and (one would imagine) the sales will take off in the next two months.
If I were Sony, though, I would be worried about all my heavy-hitters landing in the fall (with the exception of MGS4). That's also when all the other platforms will be releasing their big dogs, and the benefits to buying a PS3 will be mitigated. Here's to hoping people realize that the PS3 will offer the best value and best variety in the future - and also to hoping that Sony delivers on that promise. (Seriously, KZ2 was announced 3 years ago. White Knight, 2 years ago. Afrika, 2 years ago. Eight Days, 2 years ago. - I'm starting to think that 2 years of hype hurts any game that isn't Final Fantasy.)
BowserUSC @ Apr 18th 2008 3:50PM
Thanks for not being a raging fanboy and looking at the situation logically.
StevenRafael @ Apr 18th 2008 5:39AM
No worries here. 5K is nothing, considering this is just the US here. Counting Japan and the rest of the world, March is technically still a win for Sony.
eugene @ Apr 18th 2008 6:26AM
Well, what's interesting is that March wasn't a win for the 360 because it sold better per se, but rather that sales for the PS3 dropped considerably.
BowserUSC @ Apr 18th 2008 3:51PM
Exactly.
Bishop99999999 @ Apr 18th 2008 7:33AM
Forget the hardware sales, look at the software sales. That's what Microsoft is celebrating. Army of Two got beat out by a 360 game that has been out for months, and is multi-platform. And the 360 version? Beat the PS3 version by nearly 400k!
This month, I think, is just a fluke. PS3 should be back on top in hardware sales by next month. The problem is the software sales. These numbers just aren't competitive. We can all sing and dance about MGS4 and FFXIII all we want, but until companies start making more money from the PS3 versions of their games than the 360, at least in North America, there isn't that much to celebrate.
Aozora @ Apr 18th 2008 9:00AM
MS can be as pleased as they want to be but they can't outsell the PS3 on a global scale and that's what really matters. I'm sure that most developers won't ignore the PS3 userbase in Japan and Europe.
eugene @ Apr 19th 2008 10:34AM
Well, considering the top game was a wii game... and outsold #2 by nearly 3:1, I think it's safe to say wii is kicking everyone's ass.
CLupula @ Apr 18th 2008 7:39AM
I predicted this was going to happen as soon as the Metal Gear bundles were announced. I know a few people who wants PS3's, but are waiting until June to get them. First and most importantly, they want the backwards compatibility that the 80 gig offers and, second, they want Metal Gear.
Anybody else make the connection that sales went down right around the time the bundle was announced? I think sales will continue to be sluggish until around June, when they will go back ahead of the 360.
must provide a name @ Apr 18th 2008 8:12AM
Yep. Not even crazy about the MGS4 game but I'm still waiting for the 80GB bundle for backwards compatibility and extra card slots. Should of pulled the trigger on the Motorstorm bundle after x-mas. Oh well.
Seems like all the bundles disappeared as soon as Sony announced outselling MS at the beginning of the year.
Local stores don't even carry the 399 - 40GB Spiderman deal anymore
Guess Sony will have to wait till June for better sales numbers.
dadanman @ Apr 18th 2008 8:37AM
This is to the guy who said Sony does not market and the last time they did was the PSONE.
Look closely my friend, the PS2 is still not far behind the 360 and is still on top for the most consoles ever sold. The PS3's enemy is the PS2.
chris.westermann @ Apr 18th 2008 9:36AM
I think a few people have hit it on the head here, the people are just waiting for the MGS bundle now that its officially announced and dated. Its the problem with announcing upcoming hardware, you're going to get a lull in sales until its released. Lets see what sales figures are like once the MGS bundle is released!
jpneiswi @ Apr 18th 2008 10:02AM
Was army of two really that good of a game? From the videos I watched it looked kinda boring...but I'm not really too much into coop play...anywhoo...point very well made about the MGS4 bundle being announced as sales drop. I wouldn't have gotten a ps3 if it didn't have BC and I am lucky to have gotten a Motorstorm one after X-mas...also, because this is only the US, I wouldn't worry about it too much...I'd like to see the worldwide sales...The Wii is still doing ridiculously well (I just picked one up for my wife), but I don't mind the wii fanboys ;-)...here's hoping to a good summer and year for the ps3!
Devin @ Apr 18th 2008 11:04AM
Well, until I can justify spending $400 on it, I'm not budging....
Sony needs to get the ball rolling on a new SKU that includes a HW revision, a DS3 controller and either a small price drop or bundle a game or two (Heavenly Sword &/or Drakes, maybe?).
They also need to get more games/apps out (Echochrome, Elefunk, Wipeout, Home, etc.) to help add more value.....(which I know are coming soon and will be released when they are ready)
Right now I feel Sony is trying to milk the Blu-Ray win along with brand loyalty (which they've lost of momentum to X360). They need to market like they did before Xmas (all I've seen the last few months have been PSP ads) and they need to inform their fanbase on games such as (KZ2, LBP, FFXIII, Infamous) to keep them excited and not just waiting in the unknown (maybe they'll announce stuff at E3, but still that's so far away)....it's just frustrating as I really want a PS3, but no way can I justify spending money on one atm...... they need to refresh their lineup again with BC as well because that is only hurting them right now....
bobo385 @ Apr 19th 2008 10:35AM
I own both consoles and just think about the shortage of 360's finally ending in march. Personally I had a RRoD in early February + Best buy warranty plan.
How many people, like myself, do you think purchase a new console with the warranty money, that has got to be inflating the 360's numbers one would assume.
HektikLyfe @ Apr 18th 2008 12:31PM
Army of Two the best seller on PS3? Oh man. Things better start looking up soon.
The Sound @ Apr 18th 2008 3:13PM
5K=Margin of Error
Seriously. NPD numbers only get about 60% (anyone wanna confirm?) of ALL retailers.
Besides, what's with the 'Sony are trouble?' posts? It was by chance that the ps3 won the last two months in a territory that is/was dominated by the xbox. Remember, last year at this time, the PS3 was 'dead in the water', now look.
It'll come in due time...
Watcher @ Apr 18th 2008 4:32PM
I don't understand why everyone gets worked up about the NPD. PS3 is STILL outselling Xbox world wide month after month by a considerable margin. The N.A. Market is 360's last bastion of defense and it looks like both consoles are going to trade the NPD winner's spot month after month this year, so yeah, it’s all good in the PS3 camp.
xGOLDEN_ONEx @ Apr 19th 2008 10:25AM
i dont get it. do people listen? All i ever hear is xbox beat sonyps3 again. I listen to peopl and what they say when they are talking about what it is that makes there diss on which console to buy. ITS THE NETWORK SONY!!!! THEY dont have lagg issues over there. You ever see a xbox guy get on ps3 on cod4 for example, they can only say wow the lag...da sony its not your titles we all know what you have and whats coming, if sony had a network like xbox , there would be no dissions to make,It would be ps3 all the way...Sony quit tryin to get people over here on just the titles comeing, cause with the games uv showin us so far, they have not been that great network wise, games were great but the net kills em . always some problem...and its only going to get worse if more come over here. Dont get me wrong i own a ps3, 2, psp and always havew been sony, i dont like xbox, never really play it but when i have the network was awsome. I understand people pay for the network on xbl but id rather pay than deal with peoples stupid, shit, cheapass, connection, 19.99 roadrunner. barely have enough bandwith to get online .....lol ..Give us some servers or something and. i promise you if the network could be reliable and work with no lag issues than watch people drop the xboxs in the toilet were it belongs..No more ps3 lost by 10k, that 10k bought it cause of the network thay have....thats all get with it, ur peer to peer suckssss
xGOLDEN_ONEx @ Apr 19th 2008 1:02AM
I posted but it didnt go, so if it does sorry on the double post. Anyways sony in a nut shell, i think if the network got better, xbox would die, thats all they have on us..XBL....fix that and watch the 5k turn to us. this peer to peer sucks guys, tomany people have 19.99$ roadrunner with barely any bandwith and think they can host. lol. plz servers .
xGOLDEN_ONEx @ Apr 19th 2008 1:04AM
not to mention the router and the lack of knowlage to set them up right.....