ALL FORMATS TOP 20: January 2008

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360/PS3/PC/DS) Activision
2. FIFA ‘08 (PS2/360/PS3/PSP/WII/PC/DS) EA
3. The Simpsons Game (360/PS2/DS/WII/PSP/PS3) EA
4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) Sega
5. Assassin’s Creed (PS3/360) Ubisoft
6. Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (DS) Nintendo
7. More Brain Training (DS/Wii) Nintendo
8. Need For Speed: Prostreet (360/PS2/PS3/Wii/PC/DS) EA
9. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2/360/PS3/PC) Konami
10. Guitar Hero: Legends of Rock (PS2/360/PS3/Wii/PC) Activision
11. Burnout Paradise (360/PS3) EA
12. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 (360/PS2/PS3/WII/PSP/DS) THQ
13. Cooking Mama (DS) 505 Games
14. Wii Play (Wii) Nintendo
15. The Golden Compass (DS/PS2/Wii/PSP/PS3/360) Sega
16. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) Nintendo
17. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Wii/PS3/360/PS2/PSP/DS/PC) EA
18. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Wii/DS/360/PS3) LucasArts
19. New Super Mario Bros (DS) Nintendo
20. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Wii) Nintendo

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY LABEL (units)

11.9% - Nintendo
10.8% - EA Games
6.2% - Sega
6.1% - THQ
5.8% - Activision
4.8% - Ubisoft
4.2% - Microsoft
3.8% - EA Sports
3.6% - Sony
3.0% - Norton

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY LABEL (value)

12.4% - EA Games
12.4% - Nintendo
8.2% - Microsoft
6.9% - Activision
6.7% - Sega
5.4% - THQ
5.2% - Ubisoft
4.8% - EA Sports
3.9% - Sony
3.9% - Norton

Much like December’s software label breakdown, it is Nintendo and EA Games leading the way with impressive market share in both units and value. While Nintendo’s unit share has dropped a little from the 16 per cent it recorded in December, its two Brain Training titles and Wii Play still performed impressively enough to outsell EA Games’ offerings – but the sub-£20 price point of Dr Kawashima’s titles mean that EA Games claims the ‘value by label’ crown.

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY COMPANY (units)

15.1% - EA
12.2% - Nintendo
9.4% - Ubisoft
7.2% - Activision
6.8% - THQ
6.7% - Sega
4.3% - Microsoft
3.9% - Sony
3.0% - Symantec
3.0% - Take 2

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY COMPANY (value)

17.4% - EA
12.7% - Nintendo
8.5% - Ubisoft
8.5% - Activision
8.5% - Microsoft
6.8% - Sega
5.6% - THQ
4.2% - Sony
Symantec 3.9%
Eidos 2.4%

Big hitters like FIFA, The Simpsons Game, Need for Speed and Burnout combine to push EA to the top in units and value here, with Nintendo snapping at its heels. And just as they did in December, Ubisoft and Activision lead the chasing pack thanks to the success of Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty 4. EA’s dominance was slightly less pronounced in January compared to December’s unit and value figures, dipping 1.8 per cent and two per cent respectively.

FULL PRICE FORMAT SHARE (units)

1. Wii (21.2%)
2. PC (18.6%)
3. Xbox 360 (16.0%)
4. DS (15.9%)
5. PS3 (14.9%)
6. PS2 (8.0%)
7. PSP (5.2%)
8. Mac (0.3%)

FULL PRICE FORMAT SHARE (value)

1. Wii (22.1%)
2. PC (20.9%)
3. Xbox 360 (17.3%)
4. PS3 (16.9%)
5. PSP (16.9%)
6. DS (12.4%)
7. PS2 (5.9%)
8. Mac (0.7%)

Nintendo’s current status as industry darling is confirmed here as Wii once again claims the software units and value top spot for the month. A fractional decline in unit and value market share doesn’t stop Wii from claiming the top spots in both categories, but the PC runs the Nintendo console close. It is the stalwart PC format that is the star here – in both unit and value terms, its share of the software market has doubled compared to its performance in December, and has consequently leapt up the format rankings.

BUDGET FORMAT SHARE (units)

1. DS (28.7%)
2. PC (24.2%)
3. PS2 (16.9%)
4. Wii (10.1%)
5. Xbox 360 (9.3%)
6. PSP (9.1%)
7. Xbox (0.4%)
8. GBA (0.3%)

BUDGET FORMAT SHARE (value)

1. DS (35.2%)
2. PS2 (16.6%)
3. PC (12.9%)
4. Wii (12.1%)
5. Xbox 360 (12.0%)
6. PSP (9.4%)
7. GBA (0.2%)
8. Xbox (0.1%)

Once again the storming sales of Nintendo’s Brain Training titles give the DS a huge lead in the budget market on value – claiming over a third of the market. PC runs the Nintendo handheld close on units though, while PS2’s huge user base makes it a significant player in the budget market as the console continues its shift into the casual space.