NPD November

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)

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%.