November NPD: Modern Warfare 2 sells 6 million, DS dominates hardware

by Randy Nelson on Dec 10th 2009 8:35PM

The US games industry's performance numbers are out for November and, as expected, software sales were ~~lead~~ dominated by Activision / Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox 360 and PS3. The game sold 4.2 million copies during the month on Microsoft's console, while the version for Sony's machine sold 1.9 million. Coming in an extremely strong second was New Super Mario Bros. Wii at 1.4 million copies, proving that 1) people still love the plumber and 2) if a Wii game is published by Nintendo, it sells like crazy (well, unless it also has "Wii Music" in its title).

Nintendo lead in hardware sales, with the number of DS units sold skyrocketing by 262% to 1.7 million units -- that's better than the same month last year. Wii sold over two million last November; this year it hit 1.26 million for the month, indicative of the year-long decline in sales the console's been experiencing. Its competitors, Xbox 360 and PS3, sold 820 thousand and 710 thousand units, respectively.

-DS: 1.7M

1.2M (+262%)
-Wii: 1.26M

753K (+149%)
-360: 820K

570K (+228%)
-PS3: 710K

389K (+121%)
-PSP: 294K

119K (+76%)
-PS2: 203K

85K (72%)

Check out the software sales chart after the break.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Xbox 360 - Activision - 4.20M
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - PS3 - Activision - 1.9M
New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Wii - Nintendo - 1.4M
Assassin's Creed II - Xbox 360 - Ubisoft - 795K
Left 4 Dead 2 - Xbox 360 - Valve - 720K
Wii Sports Resort* - Wii - Nintendo - 720K
Wii Fit Plus - Wii - Nintendo - 679K
Assassin's Creed II - PS3 - Ubisoft - 448K
Dragon Age: Origins - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts / BioWare - 362K
Mario Kart w/ Wheel - Wii - Nintendo - 315K

Tags: DS, hardware, microsoft, nintendo, npd, npd-monthly, sales, software, sony, Wii, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (259)

Wow, those PS3 MW2 numbers are disappointing. Maybe due to Uncharted still... or something else.
And MW2 sold 6 million.

Really? MW2 sales looks to me like every other 360 to PS3 ratio.

Dangermouse....had you said every other FPS I would have agreed....but there have been a number of games that were not THAT huge of a gap...usually just a few hundred thousand....

How would uncharted stop MW2 sells?
I don't know, if two big games come out around the same time, usually people tend to lean towards the one that comes out first. Now, they don't want to spend 60$ on MW2.

Because PS3 gamers understand over-hype.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

PS3 Sales for Online MP/MP (multiplyer and multiplatform) games will always be dwarfed by Xbox 360 sales, because Xbox Live just plain works better than PSN. Everytime I have to update a game on PSN my system locks up and I effectively can't play multiplayer. It sucks. I just get the game on 360 cause it always works on Xbox Live.

My 2 cents.

casey your so full of shit i cant stand it

The ratio doesn't surprise me especially when you consider that this game was basically marketed as a 360 only game.

Assasin's Creed 2 was marketed as a PS3 only game (in the same sense as MW2 as an Xbox 360 game) and the 360 version OUTSOLD it.

I think its simple "I want to play with my friends online" and "I paid for this service so I am going to use it" when it comes to multiplayer games. I knew a few people who have both systems and bought it for the 360 for those reasons.

I am just saying...

@Chris

Yes, it's a few hundred thousand most of the time because most games don't sell a total of 6 million copies in less than a month. With MW2, it still stands that the 360 out sold the PS3 2:1. Sure, AC2 is ONLY a few hundred thousand off, but it's still about 1.8:1 ratio, which is pretty damn close to the norm.

And I do agree with what Casey said about the reason why the 360 sold more copies, but his reasoning for it is downright retarded. The online system may be better, but the main reason is that more people have 360's, thus people will flock to it in order to play with friends. Obviously that's doesn't count for the entire gap, but i'm sure it's nice part of it.

i wuz really surprised dragon age cracked the top ten over uncharted

I still think the majority of PS2 to PS3 upgraders don't play multiplayer online games anywhere near the Xbox to X360 transition did...it isn't in PS2 gamers nature to play online multiplayer much and it shows for games where that is the focus imo.

Rah rah rah number numbers! Pie graphs, arrows & charts!!

I would like wager, that 98% of you ranting and raving have no investment in said companies that would affect you in anyway positive or negative besides emotionally...

:/

People, you're all forgetting that this are sales numbers for united states only. If MW2 sold 6 million in the U.S., imagine in europe. I bet the MW2 sales in europe were more in the fifty fifty house between PS3 and the 360, so dont be full of shit. Its like saying that Uncharted 2 didnt sold that well, but comparing to the original Uncharted, it sold better, and you still have the european numbers to evaluate. Dont jump to conclusions.

When the numbers for InFamous got out it stated it had sold over a million units, only in the U.S., if you take into account the numbers from the rest of the world, I bet there's more one million or more in sales, so for example, for a new IP it sold very well.

Its all good folks.

Dont fight guys, think of the children

Good idea. We will fight the children. It's easier since they can't take a punch or run very fast.

Typo:

"The game sold 6.1 million copies during the month on Microsoft's console, while the version for Sony's machine sold 1.9 million."

In other surprising news,
Tween girls still love Miley Cyrus
The United States has a black president
and I'm terrible at delivering news!

So, 8 million for MW2, and just shy of 1.5 million for SMB. Didn't Reggie say that the Mario Bros game was going to outsell MW2?

On PC

only on the ps3

He was talking about Mecha walrus 2 not modern warfare, big in japan.

One console SKU by the end of January.

And New Super Mario Bros Wii is sould out pretty much everywhere, so they can probably pass the PS3 version of COD6 this month.

4.2 + 1.9 = 8???

He meant on 360 only, but if he were saying America-only it was a fool's errand from the beginning

Worldwide he has a shot. But America only and on the 360? Never.

i bet he was thinking long term. and considering galaxy's sales, he probably will be right

I bet Reggie is looking foward to the wii getting MW2 in 2011

Awesome. I hope Aggie comments again, and I hope the subsequent chain of replies again lead us down the rabbit hole, into a weird world where women are made out of glass, men and women have sex by playing Hungry Hungry Hippos, and the PlayStation is how babies are made. (Fun fact: Killjebus never actually had a father. His mother was impregnated via divine conception from the PlayStation 1.)

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, see here: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/10/npd-only-114k-took-a-tony-hawk-ride-in-november/comments/23849358/

Leave aggie and his size 37 jordans alone.

LMAO!!!

aye I dont wear a size 37....they are just 16's...

That shoe size/penis ratio thing is a myth. I know first hand. First hand... hahahah!

Oh god, I love Joystiq so much... The ongoing soap opera never cease to bring the amusement

Big stompin' in my Air Force One's.

first Tmac gets his stalkers now I get one!?!?

GTFO!!!

its just dumb....like I would ever DATE anyone with a "ghetto name" let alone wife them....whoever you are you should have gone with a white girl name....lol

Chris... are you... racist against black people?

nope....just dont like OBVIOUSLY black names....when I use to go to job interviews they didnt know if I was black or white until I got in there...sadly some people see a black name and will pass over that application or just throw it in the trash altogether....

What happened to ignoring me fool?

And continue the stalking. It feels kind of weird that a grown man is stalking me on the internet, but do whatever lets you sleep at night...

I'm honoured that two douchebags on the internet want to stalk me. I must be doing something right.

Dreaded, who's stalking you? I don't see no one stalking you.

Reggie said New Super Mario Bro Wii [catchy title, just rolls off your tongue] would outsell MW2 on PS3. Close but no cigar my friend.

I'm stunned by 360 beating ps3. Let's hope the meltdowns were as delicious as they were on the neogaf thread.

MW2 sales, while astonishing, are not far ratio wise with what I predicted (3-1 in favor of 360). It was about 3-1 just going from the midnight launch I went to.

Oh and Wiizer, what happened to all those ps3 software sales you said were gonna happen :P. I'm curious to see how far Uncharted fell, #10's at 315k so maybe it didn't fall far.

Bravo to NSMB too, it was really fun from the little that I was able to play.

this is what happens when you banned 1 million+ consoles right before the years biggest launch

watch them banned more before Halo: Reach or Natal come out

People going mental because their favourite piece of plastic and metal sold slightly less than another piece of plastic and metal is so insane.

the way you seem to get off on video game sales is sadly pathetic.

And here come the meltdowns hahahahahaha!!!

Sony trolls were getting banned for 6 months on neogaf for using that pathetic excuse.

What's next, wal mart isn't factored on the NPD (even though it never seemed to matter to anyone before)

NeoGAF thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=381970

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=381970

And I don't get off on video game sales. I get off on fanboy meltdowns, it's what kept me reading all those pages on the neogaf thread.

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November NPD: Modern Warfare 2 sells 6 million, DS dominates hardware

Reader Comments (259)

Posted: Dec 10th 2009 8:38PM Special Agent Steve said

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Posted: Dec 10th 2009 8:50PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said

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