According to a boastful official announcement from Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix, the winner of the monthly music game battle was The Beatles: Rock Band, the “#2 selling title across all genres by revenue in the U.S. for the month of September.” The Xbox 360 and Wii versions sold well enough to chart in the NPD’s top ten video games for the month, with the downloadable single “All You Need Is Love” racking up over 100,000 downloads.

The Beatles: Rock Band folks further rub their victory in Activision’s corporate face by pointing out that Guitar Hero 5 shipped on an additional platform (the PlayStation 2) and even included a copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen thrown in for free.

It may have also been claimed that Scott Guthrie, president of MTV Games, could beat up Bobby Kotick, Activision CEO. Or it may not have been. Or was it? We may never know…

That’s still a long way from the more than 45 million copies the original game sold, but Wii Sports Resort, with its included Wii MotionPlus peripheral, likely won’t stop there. The game moved over 360,000 in its first week on sale in Japan, passing the 763,000 mark in the country as of last week, according to sales tracker Media Create.

Nintendo of America estimates one Wii Sports Resorts sale every 1.5 seconds, give or take a fraction, between its release on July 26 and August 3.

According to official word from EA, The Sims 3 has already moved 1.4 million copies of the PC and Mac version since its June 2nd release. And we’re talking actual sell through, not dirty, rampant pirating! Real money is being spent on The Sims 3, even on the iPhone version, which has remained the top selling paid app on iTunes since its launch.

If you’d like to be handed another official number, try this one on for size: 7 million. That’s the number of player created items for The Sims 3 that have been downloaded since launch. I predict expansion packs!

True, year-to-date the PlayStation 3 has been improving, moving a total of 2.8 million consoles this year, so just looking at one month doesn’t paint an accurate picture. And the whole PlayStation brand moved more than a million hardware units in November. And $663 million in a month isn’t bad. So there’s that!

But we’re guessing that someone’s going to take issue with the claim that the PlayStation 3 had an “unmatched holiday line-up of blockbuster first and third-party titles.” Yes, 3,552,456 games sold on the platform in November is good, but “unmatched”? Ballsy!

Even more sales numbers, percentages and bragging straight from Sony after this.

PlayStation by the Numbers November 2008

PlayStation Brand Continues Strong Sales Momentum Into the Holiday Season; PS3 Hardware Sales Grow 60% Year-to-Date

Total PlayStation Hardware Unit Sales in November 2008 Top 1 Million

The PlayStation brand began the holiday season by posting solid sales at retail across its three platforms, with more than 1 million hardware units sold in November 2008, a 93% growth from the October 2008, according to NPD.

PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) has continued its strong momentum during the holiday season with 378,071 hardware units sold in November, representing an increase of almost 100% from October. From January to November 2008, more than 2.8 million PS3s have been sold in the U.S., representing a year-to-date hardware sales growth of more than 60%.

Fueled by an unmatched holiday line-up of blockbuster first and third-party titles, more that 3,552,456 software units were sold for PS3 in November, representing a year-to-date growth of 150%.

* Top-selling exclusive games for PS3 in November included hot titles for the hardcore gamer and family alike, from the pulse-pounding first-person shooter Resistance 2, to one of the best-rated games of the year, LittleBigPlanet. Third-party must-have titles — including Activision’s Call of Duty: World at War, Midway Games’ Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and Electronic Arts Sports’ Madden NFL 09 – rounded-out the best-selling games for the platform.
* In November, the PlayStation nation continued to turn to the PlayStation®Network for entertainment content, including: new PlayStation games such Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Age of Booty; original content such as Qore: Episode 5 and Xam’d: Lost Memories, Season 2; and new blockbuster additions to the video delivery service, including Hancock and Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There are currently more than 15 million registered PlayStation Network accounts worldwide.

PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and the Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack proved to be a popular choice for movies, games and entertainment content on-the-go in November, with 420,539 units sold. This represents an increase of 118% from October.

PlayStation®2 (PS2) and the LEGO Batman: The Videogame PS2 Entertainment Pack posted solid sales in November, with 205,944 hardware units sold, a 51% increase from the previous month.

Power of the PlayStation Portfolio

The PlayStation brand generated strong sales across all three platforms, earning $663 million in November.

* Year-to-date (Jan-Nov), the PlayStation brand generated more than 5 billion in revenue, representing an 11% growth year-to-date.
* PlayStation total hardware revenue was $261 million in November, representing a year-to-date growth of 9%.
* PlayStation total software revenue in November was $352 million, representing a year-to-date growth of 16%.

It calls November’s hardware sales “historic,” with Wii sell-through setting “a new all-time record for a non-December month.” The second highest sales total for a non-December month? The Nintendo DS, with the 1.56 million it moved last month. Nintendo put its lifetime-to-date sales in the U.S. at 15.4 million for the Wii, 24.6 million for the DS. Oh, and it also wanted to mention Wii Music, which it says is “following its long-tail trend.”

“Nintendo’s record-breaking sales demonstrate that consumers are looking for the best value not only among video games, but also among all entertainment options,” said Nintendo’s EVP of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway. Gloating fun for the whole family after this!

Wii AND NINTENDO DS SET HISTORIC NEW U.S. SALES RECORDS

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 11, 2008 – With more than 3.6 million combined systems sold in November, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ set new hardware sales records, according to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. The Wii console sold more than 2 million in November, a new all-time record for a non-December month. The Nintendo DS system sold more than 1.56 million in November, which is now the second-highest total for a non-December month in history. The Wii console has sold 15.4 million in the United States since it launched in November 2006, and Nintendo DS has sold nearly 24.6 million in the United States since it launched in November 2004.

“Nintendo’s record-breaking sales demonstrate that consumers are looking for the best value not only among video games, but also among all entertainment options,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Shoppers are looking for gifts that can be enjoyed by the whole family, and Nintendo provides an incomparable range of experiences that gets the whole family involved.”

Four games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 U.S. best-sellers for November, representing the diversity of people who play Nintendo games. These included Wii Play™ (for casual and lapsed players) at No. 3 with more than 796,000 sold, Wii Fit™ (for new gamers) at No. 4 with more than 697,000 sold, Mario Kart™ Wii (for both core and casual payers) at No. 5 with nearly 637,000 sold and Wii Music™ (for everyone) placed at No. 9 with more than 297,000 sold, following its long-tail trend.

Looking at the industry as a whole, Nintendo products continue to fuel the engine of the video game industry. In November alone, Nintendo represented 198 percent of industry growth over 2007. Nintendo systems represented 66 percent of all hardware sales in November, including 59 percent of all console sales and 79 percent of all portable hardware sales.

For more information about Nintendo, visit www.Nintendo.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.8 billion video games and more than 480 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii and Nintendo DS, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.

According to MS, the Xbox 360 is “continuing to widen its installed base lead over the PS3,” with the company pointing out that its box outsold the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 combined. It brought out the number 8.1 again, still hoisting up that record-setting software attach rate.

It also points out that Fable II sold another 184,000 in November, bringing the game’s total sales up to 974,000 in the U.S.

Senior VP Don Mattrick said Microsoft has “created the optimal line-up of experiences this holiday season for families seeking lasting entertainment value, particularly during rough economic times in the U.S. and abroad.” Kudos for working “rough economic times” in there so elegantly, Don! For more gloating, read on.

Xbox 360 Registers Its Biggest November Ever

November NPD results are in and Xbox 360 highlights include:
· Most successful November for Xbox 360 in U.S. with record games, console sales and online momentum (this follows the recent announcement of a record November in Europe)
· Continuing to widen its installed base lead over the PS3
· Outsold PS3 and PS2 combined
· Record-setting software attach rate leads the industry, now at 8.1

The Xbox 360 continues to sell at record levels this holiday season, registering the biggest Black Friday and most successful November in its history. Xbox 360 sold a record number of consoles for the month of November at 836,000 units. (November NPD data)

With $298 million in third-party game sales in November, the Xbox 360 has generated more revenue at retail for third-party publishers than the PS3 and Wii combined this generation. (November NPD data)

In addition to a 3:1 console sales lead over the PS3 during the Black Friday weekend, Xbox 360 finished the month of November with more than a 2:1 sales advantage over PS3. (November NPD data and Microsoft internal data) This momentum is happening around the world as well; Xbox 360 was the fastest-growing console in Europe for the month of November, with sales up 124 percent year-over-year, versus 43 percent for Wii and three percent for PS3. (Microsoft Internal data)

The gaming business is more than just console sales – strong software sales and a growing online community is critical to long-term success of a platform. Xbox 360 outperformed the PS3 on total software sales for November at $408 million, thanks to the best and broadest games line up. (November NPD data) Additionally, Xbox LIVE continues to outpace both competitors with more than 14 million active members online worldwide, with the average number of unique visitors rising 66% in the past year. (Microsoft internal data) As an example of its industry-leading growth, every day, more than 1.5 million transactions and nearly 4 million game sessions take place on Xbox LIVE. In total, 45 network and studio partners, as well as Netflix, offer more than 30,000 pieces of entertainment content over Xbox LIVE.

“We’ve created the optimal line-up of experiences this holiday season for families seeking lasting entertainment value, particularly during rough economic times in the U.S. and abroad,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “We have the largest library of games, TV and movie content and the most expansive and rewarding social experiences. We’re confident Xbox 360 will continue to drive record sales around the world this holiday and beyond.”

The Best New Content for the Broadest Audiences

Xbox 360 titles continue to dominate the industry’s top software spots, with three of the top ten games in November living on Xbox 360 (November NPD data).

· Xbox 360-exclusive “Gears of War 2″ was this month’s #1 selling game with 1.6 million units sold. (November NPD data)
· “Call of Duty: World at War” for the Xbox 360 held the #2 spot, while “Left 4 Dead” rounded out the top 10 list at #8 (November NPD data)
· Xbox 360-exclusive “Fable 2″ was honored to receive the Game of the Year Award during G4TV X-Play’s Best of 2008 Awards this week. In November, “Fable 2″ sold 184,000 units, bringing its life to date sales to 974,000 units in the US. (November NPD and Microsoft internal data)

But the figures for Valve’s other games — which similarly don’t include games sold via Steam — Counter-Strike, The Orange Box, Half-Life 2 and more, are just as impressive. According to a report from Gamasutra, the original Half-Life has amassed 9.3 million sales over the past decade. The sequel, released just four years ago alongside its digital distribution platform, added another 6.5 million to Valve’s retail sales.

The impressive sales for the original Half-Life are at least due in some part to the enduring popularity of free mod Counter-Strike. Even with that option, however, over 4 million gamers snapped up copies of the standalone, less expensive Counter-Strike package.

Valve didn’t disclose its Steam numbers, probably saving those for PowerPoint presentations for publishers interested in signing on to its digital download service. But if the drop between Half-Life and Half-Life 2 sales is an indication of the number of folks who went for the Steam version, we’d say the business is probably a success.

Last year’s collection The Orange Box topped 3 million, with Gamasutra estimating that the recently released Left 4 Dead will beat that by a good 600,000. Impressive.

For more number fun, hit up the original report.

Analysis: Valve’s Lifetime Retail Sales For Half-Life, Counter-Strike Franchises [Gamasutra]

Trade organisation ELSPA has been counting the beans and both Wii titles have been selling like hot cakes made of chocolate-coated crack with porn sprinkles – making them eligible for ELSPA’s coveted Diamond sales award.

The two games join other Diamond-rated games such as Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training and New Super Mario Bros. Only platform-exclusives are eligible for Diamond status, so GTA IV had to make do with a mere Double-Platinum despite selling about a bajillion copies in its first weekend.

Mario Kart and Wii Fit Hit Over 1M [EDGE]

The Africa-set first-person shooter for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC has been getting pretty good marks here and elsewhere. Seems like most Far Cry 2 players like it for its fire effects, not so much its extended driving sequences.

And while Nintendo rarely needs to manipulate numbers to put a positive spin on the performance of the Wii and Nintendo DS, it decides to point out that the Wii enjoyed the “biggest monthly unit sales increase with 234,000 more units” in September compared to August. And that’s a fact!

The theme for Nintendo’s reponse is “unique controls” with executive VP of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway reminding us that “The four Wii games in the top 10 all feature controls just not possible on other video game systems” and that “Consumers have truly responded to this variety of entertainment options.” The whole thing is just really swell.

Nintendo News: Unique Controls Put Wii at No. 1 for September NPD; Nintendo DS at No. 2

Backed by a variety of unique interfaces, Nintendo’s Wii™ console topped the U.S. video game hardware sales charts with nearly 687,000 units sold in September, according to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. Nintendo DS™ was the No. 2 best-selling system, with nearly 537,000 sold.

Wii enjoyed the biggest monthly unit sales increase with 234,000 more units sold in September than August. Wii also saw a year-over-year increase of more than 37 percent over September 2007.

Four games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 best-selling games of the month, including Wii Fit™ at No. 2 with nearly 518,000 sold, Mario Kart™ Wii at No. 4 with more than 353,000 sold, Wii Play™ at No. 7 with nearly 243,000 sold and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for Wii at No. 8 with more than 223,000 sold.

“The four Wii games in the top 10 all feature controls just not possible on other video game systems,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The Wii Balance Board and Wii Wheel give players new ways to interact with their games, while the Wii Remote controller transforms into a pool cue, table tennis paddle or lightsaber. Consumers have truly responded to this variety of entertainment options.”