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[Dalthien]

Well, since we almost never get any Canadian NPD data here at GAF, I thought I'd put together some of the Canadian NPD data that I've collected through the past year or so.

Who am I kidding? - there prbably won't be anyone who cares about any of this, but maybe there's a fellow canuck or two out there who might have a slight interest. If nothing else, this will just be a repository for info on Canadian sales - and it will allow me the opportunity to get a lot of this info put together in one place, so that I can start deleting a bunch of these articles and reports that are starting to pile up. There isn't a lot of specific software sales numbers for individual games, but there is a ton of industry info here for the Canadian market. Anyway, considering how much time I spent putting this all together, hopefully someone will find it at least a tiny bit interesting.

In any case, I'll start off with some yearly industry numbers. (Note that some PC data is included at the end of this post). NPD launched its Canadian tracking service in 2004, with its first report being data for Dec. 2003. At that time they also gathered information going back about a year prior, and provided historical data going back to Oct. 2002. (All money is listed in Canadian currency).

Sorry about the layout of the data, but I wasn't sure what the best way was of presenting all of this stuff.

2002:

Oct - Nov total revenue - $141 million
Dec total revenue - $192 million
Oct - Dec total revenue - $333 million

Oct - Dec hardware units - 633,000 units

Oct - Dec peripheral units - 1.23 million units
Oct - Dec peripheral revenue - $37.5 million

Oct - Dec software units - 2.95 million units


2003:

Jan - June total revenue - $239 million
July - Sept total revenue - $126 million
Oct - Nov total revenue - $148 million
Dec total revenue - $226 million
Full year total revenue - $739 million

Full year hardware units (not including handhelds) - 876,000 units

Full year hardware rankings (not including handhelds): (by units)

1 - PS2
2 - GC
3 - XBX

Oct - Dec hardware units - 753,000 units

GBA = 208,000 hardware units (Oct - Dec)
PS2 = 206,000 hardware units (Oct - Dec)
GC = 166,500 hardware units (Oct - Dec)
XBox = 157,000 hardware units (Oct - Dec)
(I'm not sure what the remaining 15,500 units were - PS1 and/or GBC maybe?)

Jan - June hardware revenue - $80 million
July - Dec hardware revenue - $182 million
Full year hardware revenue - $262 million

Oct - Dec hardware revenue breakdown:

PS2 = 35.9%
XBox = 27.1 %
GBA = 19.6%
GC = 16.5%

Oct - Dec peripheral units - 1.37 million units

Jan - June peripheral revenue - $30 million
July - Sept peripheral revenue - $17 million
Oct - Dec peripheral revenue - $43 million
Full year peripheral revenue - $90 million

Jan - June software revenue - $128 million
July - Dec software revenue - $259 million
Full year software revenue - $387.1 million ($321.2 million console - $65.9 million handheld)

Oct - Dec total software units - 4 million units
Full year total software units - 8.25 million units (6.7 million console units - 1.6 million handheld units)

PS2 = 1,640,000 software units (Oct - Dec)
XBox = 800,000 software units (Oct - Dec)
GC = 680,000 software units (Oct - Dec)
GBA = 680,000 software units (Oct - Dec)
(Again, the remaining 200,000 units must have been PS1 and/or GBC software)

Oct - Dec Publisher rankings, based upon revenue:

1 - EA (23%) (Top titles for the quarter were NHL 2004, Need For Speed Underground, & Lord of the Rings - Return of the King)
2 - Nintendo
3 - Activision
4 - Sony
5 - Rockstar


2004:

Jan - June total revenue - $251 million
July - Oct total revenue - $196 million
Nov total revenue - $112 million
Dec total revenue - $217 million
Full year total revenue - $776 million

Jan - June software revenue - $149 million
July - Oct software revenue - $108 million
Nov software revenue - $61 million
Dec software revenue - $133 million
Full year software revenue - $451.1 million ($377.4 million console - $73.7 million handheld)

Jan - Nov software units - 7.85 million units
Dec software units - 2.935 million units
Full year software units - 10.785 million units (8.7 million console units - 2.1 million handheld units)

Full year software breakdown: (by units)

E-Rated games - 51% (console & PC combined)
T-Rated games - 31% (console & PC combined)
M-Rated games - 18% (console & PC combined)

Action games - 31.6%
Sports games - 15.8%
Shooter games - 11%
RPG games - 10.9%
Racing games - 10.8%
Children & Family games - 6.6%
Fighting games - 4.6%

Jan - June hardware revenue - $68 million
July - Nov hardware revenue - $93 million
Dec hardware revenue - $71 million
Full year hardware revenue - $232 million

Full year hardware units - 1.45 million units (902,000 console units - 550,000 handheld units)

Full year hardware rankings: (by units) (not including handhelds)

1 - PS2
2 - XBX
3 - GC

Jan - June peripheral revenue - $34 million
July - Nov peripheral revenue - $44 million
Dec peripheral revenue - $15 million
Full year peripheral revenue - $93 million

Full year peripheral units - 3.3 million units


2005:

Jan - Oct total revenue - $460 million
Nov total revenue - $94 million
Dec total revenue - $211 million
Full year total revenue - $765 million

Jan - Oct software revenue - $263 million
Nov software revenue - $47 million
Dec software revenue - $126 million
Full year software revenue - $436 million

Jan - Nov software units - 8.5 million units
Dec software units - 2.9 million units
Full year software units - 11.4 million units (8.5 million console units - 2.9 million handheld units)

Full year software rankings (by units):

1 - PS2
2 - XBX
3 - GBA
4 - GC
5 - PSP
6 - DS
7 - X360

Jan - Nov hardware revenue - $173 million (but # of units is 2% less than same time frame in 2004)
Dec hardware revene - $72 million
Full year hardware revenue - $245 million (full-year handheld hardware revenue is up 78% from 2004)

Full year hardware units - 1.35 million units (679,000 console units - 671,000 handheld units)

Full year hardware rankings (not including handhelds): (by units)

1 - PS2
2 - GC
3 - XBX
4 - X360

Jan - Nov peripheral revenue - $71.3 million
Dec peripheral revenue - $13 million
Full year peripheral revenue - $84 million

Full year peripheral units - 3.1 million units



Software Sales Charts:

Yearly Charts:

2004 (Full year):

1 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (320,000 units)
2 - XBX - Halo 2 (+ Limited Edition) (305,000 units)
3 - PS2 - NHL 2005 (99,000 units)
4 - PS2 - Need for Speed: Underground 2
5 - PS2 - NHL 2004
6 - XBX - Fable
7 - XBX - Need for Speed: Underground 2
8 - GBA - Pokemon FireRed w/ADP
9 - XBX - NHL 2005
10 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
11 - GBA - Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
12 - PS2 - Need for Speed: Underground
13 - XBX - Halo
14 - PS2 - Spiderman: The Movie 2
15 - GBA - Pokemon Leaf Green w/ADP
16 - PS2 - Gran Turismo 3: Greatest Hits A-Spec
17 - GC - Super Smash Bros. Melee
18 - GC - Mario Kart: Double Dash
19 - GC - Super Mario Sunshine
20 - PS2 - Socom II: Navy Seals

2005 (Full year):

1 - PS2 - NHL 2006
2 - PS2 - Gran Turismo 4
3 - GBA - Pokemon Emerald
4 - XBX - NHL 2006
5 - XBX - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
6 - PS2 - Star Wars: Battlefront II
7 - PS2 - Madden NFL 2006
8 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
9 - PS2 - WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006
10 - XBX - Star Wars: Battlefront II


Monthly Charts:

October 2004: (by units)

1 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

November 2004: (by units)

1 - XBX - Halo 2
2 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

December 2004: (by units)

1 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
2 - XBX - Halo 2

January 2005: (by units)

1 - GC - Resident Evil 4
3 - GBA - The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

February 2005: (by units)

1 - PS2 - Gran Turismo 4
2 - GBA - The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
3 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

May 2005: (by units)

1 - GBA - Pokemon Emerald
2 - PS2 - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
3 - XBX - Forza Motorsport
4 - XBX - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
5 - PS2 - Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition
6 - PS2 - Gran Turismo 4
7 - PS2 - God of War
8 - XBX - Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition
9 - XBX - Jade Empire
10 - PSP - Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
16 - PS2 - Lego Star Wars
19 - GBA - Lego Star Wars

June 2005: (by units)

1 - XBX - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

August 2005: (by units)

1 - PS2 - Madden NFL 2006
2 - XBX - Madden NFL 2006
3 - GBA - Pokemon Emerald
4 - XBX - Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike (Tom Clancy's)
5 - GC - Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life
7 - DS - Nintendogs
9 - DS - Nintendogs
12 - DS - Nintendogs

September 2005: (by units)

1 - PS2 - NHL 2006
2 - XBX - NHL 2006
3 - XBX - NHL 2K6
4 - PS2 - NHL 2K6
5 - PS2 - Madden NFL 2006
6 - GC - NHL 2006
7 - PS2 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006
8 - GC - WWE Day of Reckoning 2
9 - GC - Mario Superstar Baseball
10 - XBX - Burnout Revenge

October 2005: (by units)

1 - PS2 - NHL 2006
2 - PS2 - Socom 3: Navy Seals
3 - XBX - NHL 2006
4 - GC - Pokemon Colosseum XD: Gales of Darkness
5 - PSP - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
6 - PS2 - NHL 2K6
7 - GC - NHL 2006
8 - PS2 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006
9 - PS2 - Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
10 - PS2 - Shadow of the Colossus
11 - XBX - NHL 2K6
19 - PS2 - The Warriors

November 2005: (by units) - (X360 Launch month)

1 - PS2 - Star Wars: Battlefront II
2 - XBX - Star Wars: Battlefront II
3 - PS2 - WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006
4 - PS2 - NHL 2006
5 - GC - Mario Party 7
6 - DS - Mario Kart DS
7 - PS2 - Need for Speed: Most Wanted
8 - PS2 - Ratchet: Deadlocked
9 - PSP - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
10 - XBX - NHL 2006
11 - X360 - Call of Duty 2
14 - X360 - Project Gotham Racing 3
20 - X360 - Perfect Dark Zero

December 2005: (by units)

1 - PS2 - NHL 2006
2 - PS2 - Need for Speed: Most Wanted
5 - XBX - NHL 2006
7 - GC - Super Mario Strikers
17 - X360 - Call of Duty 2


January 2006: (by units)

1 - PS2 - NHL 2006
2 - X360 - Dead or Alive 4
3 - PS2 - Need for Speed: Most Wanted
4 - X360 - Call of Duty 2
5 - XBX - NHL 2006

March 2006: (by units)

1 - X360 - Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Tom Clancy's)
2 - PS2 - Kingdom Hearts II
3 - X360 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
14 - PS2 - Gran Turismo 4
16 - PS2 - God of War
(Note that there were 3 X360 titles in the Top 5)

April 2006: (by units)

1 - PS2 - Kingdom Hearts II
2 - PS2 - Gran Turismo 4
3 - DS - Brain Age
4 - DS - Metroid Prime Hunters
5 - PS2 - God of War
6 - X360 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
10 - X360 - Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Tom Clancy's)

May 2006: (by units)

1 - DS - New Super Mario Bros.
2 - PS2 - Kingdom Hearts II
3 - DS - Brain Age
4 - PS2 - God of War
5 - PS2 - Gran Turismo 4
8 - PS2 - 2006 FIFA World Cup
(Note that there were 11 PS2/PSP titles in the Top 20, 7 GC/DS/GBA titles in the Top 20, and 2 XBX/X360 titles in the Top 20)
(Note that 4 of the 7 GC/DS/GBA titles in the Top 20 were Super Mario titles)

June 2006: (by units)

1 - DS - New Super Mario Bros.
2 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
3 - DS - Brain Age
4 - PS2 - 2006 FIFA World Cup
5 - X360 - Hitman: Blood Money
6 - PS2 - Hitman: Blood Money
10 - DS - Mario Kart DS

July 2006: (by units)

1 - DS - New Super Mario Bros.
2 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
3 - DS - Brain Age
4 - X360 - Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II
5 - DS - Mario Kart
(Note that Nintendo published 6 of the Top 10 this month, with 5 of those being DS titles, and the other title belonging to either the GC or GBA)

August 2006: (by units)

1 - X360 - Dead Rising
2 - DS - New Super Mario Bros.
3 - PS2 - Madden NFL 07
4 - PS2 - Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
5 - X360 - Madden NFL 07

September 2006: (by units)

1 - PS2 - NHL 07
2 - X360 - NHL 07
3 - XBX - NHL 07
4 - X360 - Saints Row
5 - PS2 - Madden NFL 07
6 - PS2 - Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
13 - XBX - NHL 2k7
15 - GC - Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
19 - X360 - Dead Rising
20 - X360 - Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

October 2006: (by units)

1 - PS2 - NHL 07
2 - X360 - Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Tom Clancy's)
3 - PS2 - Scarface
4 - PS2 - NHL 2k7
6 - XBX - NHL 07
8 - X360 - NHL 07



Hardware Launch Numbers:

DS - 28,000 units (Nov 2004) - 5.9% of US launch
PSP - 31,500 units (Mar 2005) - 5.1% of US launch
X360 - 32,100 units (Nov 2005) - 9.8% of US launch
DSL - ~15,000 units (first 2 days of launch) - 11% of US launch

It is worth noting here that the DS and PSP both had fairly typical launches relative to their US performance, but that the X360 and DSL both had very strong launches in Canada relative to their performance in the US.

I should also note that I had a report (which I have since lost) which gave revenue figures for the X360 for Dec 2005. If I assume that the core/premium ratio is the same as Nov 2005, then I believe that the total X360 sales through the end of Dec 2005 were about 58,000. However, I am just going by memory for that number, so take it with a grain of salt.



Hardware LTD Performance:

It is worth noting that the LTD performance has matched that of the yearly performance. The GBA was not mentioned in the article, so this discussion only concerns the standalone consoles. At the end of 2003, the LTD rankings were 1-PS2, 2-GC, 3-XBX. By the end of 2004, the XBX had overtaken the GC, and moved into 2nd overall. However, by the end of 2005, the GC had once more surpassed the XBX. Therefore, at the end of 2005, the LTD rankings are 1-PS2, 2-GC, 3-XBX.

It should be noted that the report was not clear whether or not NPD is counting the LTD numbers only from the first official report in Oct 2002, or if they have collected information in order to allow them to determine full LTD numbers for each system going right back to each system's launch.

In any case, it was a surprise to see that the GC outsold the XBX in Canada for 2005. That is very different from the US results for 2005, where the XBX outsold the GC by more than 30%, and clearly the two systems were much closer in sales in 2004 in Canada than they were in the US, where the XBX almost doubled the GC sales in 2004.




As a final bit of info:

PC Gaming:

2003 software revenue - $137.5 million
2003 software units - 4.1 million units

2004 software revenue - $139.1 million
2004 software unit sales - 4.6 million units

2004 software breakdown: (by units)

E-Rated games - 51% (console & PC combined)
T-Rated games - 31% (console & PC combined)
M-Rated games - 18% (console & PC combined)

Strategy games - 26.2%
Shooter games - 18.7%
Family & Children games - 11.4%
RPG games - 10.9%
Sports games - 9.4%
Adventure games - 7.3%
Racing games - 4.8%



2004 Top 20 Software Titles (by units):

1 - Sims 2
2 - Half-Life 2
3 - World of Warcraft
4 - Sims Deluxe
5 - Doom 3
6 - Battlefield Vietnam
7 - NHL Hockey 2004
8 - WarCraft III: Battle Chest
9 - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
10 - Call of Duty
11 - Far Cry
12 - Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
13 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004
14 - Need for Speed: Underground
15 - Call of Duty: United Offensive Expansion Pack
16 - Unreal Tournament 2004
17 - MS Flight Simulator 2004: Century of Flight
18 - Counter Strike: Condition Zero
19 - MS Age of Mythology
20 - Sims Mega Deluxe

 

[mckmas8808]

I said wow.

 

[Firestorm]

I haven't even read all of it yet but I've been hoping to see Canadian NPD data forever now.
Please have my babies.

EDIT: btw, have any concrete LTD numbers for the systems?

 

[DopeyFish]

PSP launch in canada was in line with the states launch... not in march 2006 :lol

 

[Grayman]

lot of info but why don't they just do numbers for all of NA? we get launches the same day and pay very similar amounts with exchange rates(just got bad lately as prices haven't dropped)

 

[-Rogue5-]

GOOD JOB on posting this info! It's nice to see our own numbers.

 

[Firestorm]

Anyone else think Nintendo's crazy for not making Mario Hockey? I know I'd buy it. And these sales charts (Look at September 2005!) prove that everyone else in the country would too >.>;

 

[RaijinFY]

What's the PS2 LTD?

 

[Mrbob]

Do you have total hardware units for the PS2 and Xbox in Canada?

 

[Dalthien]

PSP launch in canada was in line with the states launch... not in march 2006 :lol

Ha ha - yeah, I knew I'd have a typo or two with that much data. If that's the only one, I'll be very happy.

Anyway - fixed.

 

[Grayman]

Anyone else think Nintendo's crazy for not making Mario Hockey? I know I'd buy it. And these sales charts (Look at September 2005!) prove that everyone else in the country would too >.>;

I'd play this if it was the quality of other mario games!

Do you have total hardware units for the PS2 and Xbox in Canada? Canada is xbot nation it seems.

I'm not so sure, in real life everyone I know owned a ps2. I've only seen 3 xboxes.

 

[Dalthien]

Do you have total hardware units for the PS2 and Xbox in Canada?

Surprisingly - Canada was not a stronghold for XBox.

The GC outsold it in 2003 and 2005, and the Cube had a slightly higher LTD at the end of 2005. Although XBox software sold better than GC software.

And to no one's surprise, PS2 dominated both the Cube and XBox. Although the GBA pretty much matched the PS2 one-for-one in hardware sales.

As for specific numbers, I have partial hardware numbers here and there - which I've tried to provide above. I know it's a mountain of info, but the Canadian sales data is so hard to come by, and I've literally collected all of this stuff from several dozen different articles and reports. That's why I just wanted to get it all put together in one place. And if someone combines the partial info, with the hardware revenues for each year, it becomes possible to get a pretty good picture of how each system performed.

 

[Foil]

I'd play this if it was the quality of other mario games!


I'm not so sure, in real life everyone I know owned a ps2. I've only seen 3 xboxes.

Where the heck do you live then? lol
I see an equal amount of Xbox's and PS2's wherever I go. GCN is the loan one I have only seen at 2 other places than my own. In College our dorms were filled Xbox's and PS2's.

 

[Chairman Yang]

You know, in comparison with Europe, Japan, and the US, Canadians' taste in games isn't all that bad.

 

[Firestorm]

Where I live, and among my friends, It was PS2 = GCN > Xbox. I know tons of people with PS2s and GCNs. PS2 for the RPGs (Final Fantasy mostly) and GCN due to cheap price, nostalgia, and party games. But I think it's relatively rare. Not every area is like that. Not too surprised to find that Xbox doesn't sell that great though. I think Xbox' largest fanbase is in Toronto. I live in Vancouver.

 

[Danthrax]

This is awesome, keep this up. Dalthien = Canadian buttocks on a train

 

[black_13]

Thanks fellow Canadian brother.

 

[starship]

Awesome work, thanks Dalthien

 

[Mithos Yggdrasill]

A lot of informations. Thanks.

 

[Stitchy]

I think Xbox' largest fanbase is in Toronto.

You are correct. All of my friends have a PS2 and/or an X-box.

I'm the only person that I know in Toronto with a Gamecube.

Edit: I thought of one other person that has one while I was showering.

 

[Scotch]

1 - PS2 - NHL 2006
2 - XBX - NHL 2006
3 - XBX - NHL 2K6
4 - PS2 - NHL 2K6
5 - PS2 - Madden NFL 2006
6 - GC - NHL 2006
7 - PS2 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006
8 - GC - WWE Day of Reckoning 2
9 - GC - Mario Superstar Baseball
10 - XBX - Burnout Revenge

:lol :lol Awesome.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

I feel ashamed when i see EA's Hockey games outselling the 2k series



but atleast its not madden

 

[Stench]

:lol :lol Awesome.

We do enjoy our hockey.

 

[daemonic]

My friends and I have talked about Canadian numbers before and wondered whether they compare to that of the US. . Thanks for taking the time to post this. At least now I have a good source to check back on.

 

[pr0cs]

I feel ashamed when i see EA's Hockey games outselling the 2k series

NHL 2K6 sucked, possibly one of the worst hockey games EVER.


Thanks to the OP for posting this info, it's nice to see how the Canadian market differs... I appreciate your effort.

 

[koam]

Canada has always been Nintendo county. The N64 outsold the PSX here. Ps2 is just unstopable though

Wii will do great here.

As for the NHL games doing so well.. we prefer hockey, americans prefer football That's why hockey dominates our charts and madden the american ones.

 

[Stet]

You are correct. All of my friends have a PS2 and/or an X-box.

I'm the only person that I know in Toronto with a Gamecube.

Edit: I thought of one other person that has one while I was showering.

I know four, and one of them is me!

 

[Symytry]

Its really nice not to see 5 of the top 10 yearly spots filled with EA games every year. And its VERY nice to see a lack of Madden sales in this country

 

[starship]

We know the gap between Xbox and GC in the US is about 3.25m and GC is ahead of Xbox in Canada so in NA the gap is even lower than that number.
In Japan GC is ahead by more than 3.5m units.
In Europe I think France and Germany (and even maybe Spain) favors GC over Xbox and the gap in the UK is about 1m.
So in reality I don't think the gap between these 2 systems is as big as some people think, its more likely about 1m - 1.5m

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

We know the gap between Xbox and GC in the US is about 3.25m and GC is ahead of Xbox in Canada so in NA the gap is even lower than that number.
In Japan GC is ahead by more than 3.5m units.
In Europe I think France and Germany (and even maybe Spain) favors GC over Xbox and the gap in the UK is about 1m.
So in reality I don't think the gap between these 2 systems is as big as some people think, its more likely about 1m - 1.5m

I know shipped != sold, but there is a 4 million shipped difference, and I doubt there are 2.5 million shipped but unsold Xboxes still.

 

[Firestorm]

Canada has always been Nintendo county. The N64 outsold the PSX here. Ps2 is just unstopable though

Holy crap. Source on the numbers? I'd like to see those =o

 

[snatches]

Do you have June 2006 numbers? Or a complete list of May 2006? I need them for something I am working on right now....

 

[koam]

Holy crap. Source on the numbers? I'd like to see those =o

There should be an old thread on gaf about it (dated about a year ago), i'll let you do the searching though.

 

[Zombie James]

Canada has always been Nintendo county. The N64 outsold the PSX here.

Umm... numbers please? I have a hard time believing that.

 

[Robinspain]

KIA in Spain GC is "well behind" Xbox. GC has sold around 300.000 since launch (PS2 is around 4 millions. No specific Xbox numbers.)

 

[Il Comodino]

how many X360 totaly in Canada?

 

[Dalthien]

I know shipped != sold, but there is a 4 million shipped difference, and I doubt there are 2.5 million shipped but unsold Xboxes still.

There's no way to know for sure, but I suspect that Kia is right when he suggests that the difference between the Cube and XBox is probably a bit closer than the shipment numbers indicate. The US and Japan basically cancel each other out, and the XBox is ahead in Europe, but I seriously doubt that it is ahead by 4 million units in Europe.

I'm not sure because I haven't checked in a while, but I seem to recall MS reported fairly high shipment numbers (like 2 million units or something) for the XBox in Asia-Pacific. I'm sure someone can verify the actual numbers, but I seem to recall it being quite a bit higher than their sales in Japan. If that is the case, then they either have a buttload of unsold XBox's still lying throughout the Asia-Pacific region, or they actally sold a lot of consoles throughout Asia even though they didn't sell much in Japan. I tend to believe that they simply overshipped the region as a whole, because it is hard to believe that they bombed in Japan, and yet found great success in the neighbouring regions. But I suppose it is possible.

In any case, jarrod also brought up a good point: (this is from several months ago, before Nintendo established an in-house Korean branch)

Nintendo doesn't have a Korean arm like SCE does, they license out hardware to other distributors for the region (SEGA did this too). Daiwon CI is Nintendo's current Korean partner. Nintendo does this for other Asian markets too, they only handle Japan and China (iQue) themselves... meaning we probably aren't getting Asian figures for any Nintendo hardware. Chances are GC, DS and (especially) GBA's overall totals would probably swell a bit if we knew them. Nintendo actually reports iQue (China) sales seperately too... I'd like to know how well iQue and GBA sold over there.

I'm not sure if Nintendo counts the sales in the Asia-Pacific region or not, but it seems likely that they don't considering that their shipment numbers for Japan for the Gamecube are almost identical to the sell-through numbers. So it is clear that Nintendo does not include the neighbouring regions in their Japan numbers. I'm not sure if they count them in their 'Other' numbers or not. But considering that those regions are licensed out to other firms, I suspect that those sales are not included in Nintendo's shipment totals, whereas MS does include those regions. That would make the actual difference between the Cube and XBox closer than the shipment numbers suggest.

In any case, this issue should become less of a problem in the future now that Nintendo is setting up their own in-house Korean branch.

KIA in Spain GC is "well behind" Xbox. GC has sold around 300.000 since launch (PS2 is around 4 millions. No specific Xbox numbers.)

I don't know the actual numbers in Spain, but this Screen Digest graph is from 2004, and it seems to show the Gamecube holding its own, and even a bit ahead of the XBox in Portugal/Spain as of 2004. And considering that 2004 was the XBox's best year in most markets, and the Cube still held its own with it, I suspect that the Cube is probably not "well behind" the XBox in Spain.

 

[starship]

I know shipped != sold, but there is a 4 million shipped difference, and I doubt there are 2.5 million shipped but unsold Xboxes still.

FYI there is not 4m difference (24m vs 21m)

 

[starship]

There's no way to know for sure, but I suspect that Kia is right when he suggests that the difference between the Cube and XBox is probably a bit closer than the shipment numbers indicate. The US and Japan basically cancel each other out, and the XBox is ahead in Europe, but I seriously doubt that it is ahead by 4 million units in Europe.

I'm not sure because I haven't checked in a while, but I seem to recall MS reported fairly high shipment numbers (like 2 million units or something) for the XBox in Asia-Pacific. I'm sure someone can verify the actual numbers, but I seem to recall it being quite a bit higher than their sales in Japan. If that is the case, then they either have a buttload of unsold XBox's still lying throughout the Asia-Pacific region, or they actally sold a lot of consoles throughout Asia even though they didn't sell much in Japan. I tend to believe that they simply overshipped the region as a whole, because it is hard to believe that they bombed in Japan, and yet found great success in the neighbouring regions. But I suppose it is possible.

In any case, jarrod also brought up a good point: (this is from several months ago, before Nintendo established an in-house Korean branch)



I'm not sure if Nintendo counts the sales in the Asia-Pacific region or not, but it seems likely that they don't considering that their shipment numbers for Japan for the Gamecube are almost identical to the sell-through numbers. So it is clear that Nintendo does not include the neighbouring regions in their Japan numbers. I'm not sure if they count them in their 'Other' numbers or not. But considering that those regions are licensed out to other firms, I suspect that those sales are not included in Nintendo's shipment totals, whereas MS does include those regions. That would make the actual difference between the Cube and XBox closer than the shipment numbers suggest.

In any case, this issue should become less of a problem in the future now that Nintendo is setting up their own Korean branch.


I don't know the actual numbers in Spain, but this Screen Digest graph is from 2004, and it seems to show the Gamecube holding its own, and even a bit ahead of the XBox in Portugal/Spain as of 2004. And considering that 2004 was the XBox's best year in most markets, and the Cube still held its own with it, I suspect that the Cube is probably not "well behind" the XBox in Spain.

I saw a similar report in mid 2005 and according to it, GC and Xbox were pretty even in Spain.

 

[lethial]

Interesting information, thanks!

 

[Dalthien]

Do you have June 2006 numbers? Or a complete list of May 2006? I need them for something I am working on right now....

No - I gave you what I have for May 2006, and I'm still waiting to get some data for June.

The only info I have for June so far is that the DSL sold ~ 15,000 units in its first two days on sale, which is a great number for Canada when you compare it to its performance in the US.

For 2004 (total hardware units sold)

Canada - 1.45 million
US - 19.281 million
Ratio = 7.52%

For 2005:

Canada - 1.35 million
US - 20.681 million
Ratio = 6.53%

You can see that for the past two years, Canada sold 7.5% and 6.5% of the total # of hardware units sold in the US.

But looking at the DSL sales in the first two days, it sold 15,000 / 136,500 = 11% of the US sales. If it was able to keep up that ratio throughout the launch month of June (which I have no idea whether it did or not, but the fact that it started so strong bodes well), then that would put the DS sales in Canada (DS+DSL) somewhere around 65,000 units for the month of June (assuming that the DSL made up the bulk of DS sales for the month) - which would be a tremendous number.


As for the sales chart for May - I listed what I know for the month. Please note the comments at the bottom of the sales chart and you can begin to fill in some of the missing data. The two XBX/X360 games are almost certainly Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and GRAW.

May 2006: (by units)

1 - DS - New Super Mario Bros.
2 - PS2 - Kingdom Hearts II
3 - DS - Brain Age
4 - PS2 - God of War
5 - PS2 - Gran Turismo 4
8 - PS2 - 2006 FIFA World Cup
(Note that there were 11 PS2/PSP titles in the Top 20, 7 GC/DS/GBA titles in the Top 20, and 2 XBX/X360 titles in the Top 20)
(Note that 4 of the 7 GC/DS/GBA titles in the Top 20 were Super Mario titles)

The 4 out of 7 DS/GC/GBA games being Super Mario games is a bit trickier to figure out. The article referred to them as 'Super Mario' games specifically - so going by that reasoning, it is difficult trying to think of 4 titles that would make the Top 20 for May. Obviously NSMB (the #1 game) is one of them. But what else? Maybe Super Mario Strikers, Super Mario 64 DS and Super Mario Sunshine? It's just strange thinking of all of those games still being in the Top 20 in May/06. Of course, it is possible that they referred to Mario Kart DS as a 'Super Mario' title, and I could see Mario Kart DS possibly making the Top 20.

I'd be interested if anyone else has any ideas of what the 4 'Super Mario' games could be. Maybe I'm missing something obvious.

 

[Mrbob]

Wow even NHL 2006 on GC places in the top 10? Crazy.

 

[Dalthien]

Wow even NHL 2006 on GC places in the top 10? Crazy.

I was just doing a quick check of EA's NHL 2006 sales in the US, and they did a little less than 200k (all platforms combined) in the first 2 months in the US.

Based on the Canadian charts, EA's NHL series sells ~350k per year. (all platforms combined).

So essentially, the NHL series sells as well (if not better) in Canada as it does in the US, which is pretty amazing considering that the Canadian gaming industry is about 1/15 the size of the US industry. In fact, Canada's sales are probably the primary reason that the hockey games get as much developer attention as they do each year. The US sales alone probably wouldn't justify much effort at all from EA.

And as others already mentioned, it is also interesting to note the lack of Madden on the Canadian charts. It didn't even make the Top 20 chart at all for 2004, and only the PS2 version managed to make the bottom half of the Top 10 chart for 2005.

Anyone else think Nintendo's crazy for not making Mario Hockey? I know I'd buy it. And these sales charts (Look at September 2005!) prove that everyone else in the country would too >.>;

Yeah - I think a Mario Hockey game could be a lot of fun. A special unique power shot for each character, a special hip-check for each character, a special set of fighting moves for each character for when they drop the gloves. I actually think hockey would be a perfect fit for the zany style of the Mario sports titles. Probably a better fit than basketball, soccer, or baseball.

But the lack of interest in hockey in the US probably discourages Nintendo from putting the resources into a hockey title. Hockey does have a good following in Europe though, (although Germany would probably be the only major market with a real interest in hockey), and Canada would probably be good for a quarter million in sales. Probably won't happen though.

 

[Firestorm]

They could do it like Super Mario Strikers. SMS was made at Blackbox games or something here in Vancouver. I know a Vancouver studio would likely love to do a hockey game. We have loads of game companies here and the city is big on hockey. EA Canada is the one that does the NHL series.

 

[jordan0386]

EA Canada spends more resources on Live, to me

 

[Ranger X]

how many X360 totaly in Canada?

All of them.

 

[Popstar]

.

 

[Dalthien]

how many X360 totaly in Canada?

I don't really have much info yet for 2006. My best estimate right now would be somewhere around 175-185k through June.

They could do it like Super Mario Strikers. SMS was made at Blackbox games or something here in Vancouver. I know a Vancouver studio would likely love to do a hockey game. We have loads of game companies here and the city is big on hockey. EA Canada is the one that does the NHL series.

Yeah - there are a fair number of games made up there in your area. I lived out in Vancouver briefly a few years ago. Gorgeous city. Actually, the fact that Super Mario Strikers was made in Canada is the only reason that I know that it was the #7 game for Dec/05. It's sales were mentioned in an article discussing Canadian developers.




By the way, did anyone else notice the crazy-ass sales for Gran Turismo 4 up here. The damn thing was still #14 in Mar/06, #2 in Apr/06, and #5 in May/06 - all well more than a year after release. I guess we really love our Gran Turismo up north. God of War also had a similar (although slightly less excellent) performance, but that was somewhat expected because it also sold very well in the US once the price dropped. But I don't remember Gran Turismo 4 getting anywhere near the Top 10 in the US in 2006.

And another interesting number was seeing the Cube version of Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life placing at #5 for the Aug/05 chart. It's just strange seeing a Harvest Moon title make the Top 5 of a sales chart.

 

[Firestorm]

Agh. I can't find the N64 outselling PSX topic. If anyone has a link, show me please? And yeah, I was close enough. I knew they were somehow related to Blackbox =P

 

[Dalthien]

I just added the June chart to my original post:

June 2006: (by units)

1 - DS - New Super Mario Bros.
2 - PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
3 - DS - Brain Age
4 - PS2 - 2006 FIFA World Cup
5 - X360 - Hitman: Blood Money
6 - PS2 - Hitman: Blood Money