For the second month in a row, Rockstar’s GTA IV was the
best-selling game in the United Stated, according to the figures release by The
NPD Group.
GTA IV is an epic story about the adventures of an
Eastern-European immigrant in Liberty City (a fictional town largely-based on New York) and it was
released on April 29.
To be more precise the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV has
maintained its first spot, with 871,300 units sold. In April, GTA IV sold 1,2
million units of Xbox 360 version.
The PS3 version of GTA IV ranked fourth, with 442,900 units,
after in April it sold 1 million units.
But, the GTA IV’s inability to boost the hardware sales was
the real surprise of May. Before the release of the game, Microsoft and Sony
were caught in a fierce marketing battle to use GTA IV as a sales vector for
their gaming hardware, but it seems they both failed.
Nintendo’s WiiFit achieved only the third place, despite the
optimistic forecasts. The game was released in the US on May 21, instead of May 19 and
several retailers reported that the game was sold out two days after its
launch.
Apparently, WiiFit sold only 687,700 units in May because
Nintendo decided to ship more units in Europe than in the US.
However, May was a good month for Nintendo, because its
racing game Mari Kart Wii gained the second spot after selling 787,400. In its opening month Mari Kart Wii sold
1,120,000. Also Nintendo dominated the gaming software top.
WiiPlay gained the fifth place with 294,600 units, followed
by Super Smash Bros. Brawl with 171,100.
The Wii version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock also
enjoyed a good month with 116,800 units sold.
Two games for Nintendo DS also made it into the Top 10:
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness with 107,000 units and Pokemon
Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time with 102,000 units.
TOP-SELLING SOFTWARE - MAY 2008
1) Grand Theft Auto IV (X360) / Take-Two / 360 / 871,300
2) Mario Kart Wii w/ Wheel (WII) / Nintendo / 787,400
3) Wii Fit w/ Balance Board (WII) / Nintendo / 687,700
4) Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3) / Take-Two / 442,900
5) Wii Play w/ Remote (WII) / Nintendo / 294,600
6) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (WII) / Nintendo / 171,100
7) Iron Man (PS2) / Sega / 130,600
8) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock w/ Guitar (WII) /
Activision / 116,800
9) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (DS) /
Nintendo / 107,000
10) Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (DS) /
Nintendo / 102,000