GTA Helps Boost Video Game Sales

US sales of video game hardware and software rose 47 per cent from a year earlier, as Take-Two Interactive Softwares Grand Theft Auto IV and Nintendos Wii console stole the show.

The popularity of Grand Theft Auto IV, however, failed to boost sales of Microsofts Xbox 360 and Sonys PlayStation 3, which both saw unit shipments fall sharply from the previous month.

US consumers bought 188,000 Xbox 360s and 187,000 PS3s in April, data from market research firm NPD showed on Thursday. That was down from 262,000 units and 257,000 units in March.

"The Easter shift from April to March this year I think had an impact on sales during the month," Lazard Capital analyst Colin Sebastian said.

"I know on the hardware side it was a little light but lets see what a month of GTA sales does for those platforms as well as a month without a holiday shift," Sebastian said.

Grand Theft Auto IV launched on April 29 and sold nearly 2.9 million copies in the United States in its first five days, NPD said.

Because the criminal action game can only be played on those two systems, Microsoft and Sony were counting on the title to convince those who hadnt bought a new gaming system to seize the opportunity.

"It was surprising not to see bigger hardware sales for the Xbox 360 and the PS3 given the release of GTA IV," NPD analyst Anita Frazier wrote in the report. "However, since the game was only in the market for 5 days during this reporting period, that sales lift could very well be evident in May data."

Sony said PS3 sales were still up nearly 130 per cent from a year earlier, and pointed to upcoming games such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and Resistance 2 as ones that would spur sales.

"For us it doesnt end after GTA ships," Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment America, told Reuters. "Weve got a great back half of the year."

Meanwhile, Nintendos Wii juggernaut rolled on, selling more than 714,000 units in a sign of unabated demand for the slim white box and its friendly, simpler games.

Gamers bought more than 1.1 million copies of Nintendos cartoony racing game Mario Kart Wii, which was the No 2 game in the month.

"It has a broad appeal that brings in a diverse audience," Cammie Dunaway, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America, told Reuters, referring to the game.

Sonys Gran Turismo 5 Prologue racing game was the No 6 game, selling 224,000 copies. Other top games included Nintendos Wii Play and Super Smash Bros Brawl, Activisions Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii and Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox.

Reuters

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