Q1 Chart Analysis

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY COMPANY (UNITS)

1. Electronic Arts – 13.6%

2. Nintendo – 12.1%

3. Ubisoft – 10%

4. Sega – 8.9%

5. THQ – 6.5%

6. Activision – 5.9%

7. SCE – 4.1%

8. Microsoft – 4%

9. Take 2 – 3.5%

10. Symnatec – 2.6%

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY COMPANY (VALUE)

1. Electronic Arts – 15.7%

2. Nintendo – 11.5%

3. Sega – 9.5%

4. Ubisoft – 9.4%

5. Microsoft – 7.5%

6. Activision – 6.8%

7. THQ – 5.5%

8. SCE – 4%

9. Symantec – 3.4%

10. Take 2 – 2.6%

EA’S grip on the market has been maintained in the three months from January to the end of March thanks to several consistent high sellers. Alongside recent ChartTrack all formats number ones Burnout Paradise and Army of Two, EA can boast solid sellers like FIFA ‘08, The Simpsons Game, Need for Speed: ProStreet, Command and Conquer 3 and its range of Sims titles, which have all been lingering in the top 40 many months after release day.

Similarly, Nintendo’s strong showing is down to its long tail approach, meaning its Brain Training titles, Wii Play and New Super Mario Bros. continue to shift consistent numbers. Could we be seeing a major shift away from the a short term, ‘hit driven’ culture we have become so used to?

Keeping on that theme, Sega’s Mario and Sonic title just keeps on selling, and will continue to do so right up to and throughout this year’s Beijing Olympics. Special mention must also go to Ubisoft, which claimed a healthy ten per cent market share in unit terms thanks to both Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 and another solid seller, Assassin’s Creed.

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY LABEL (UNITS)

1. Nintendo (12%)

2. EA Games (9.9%)

3. Sega (8.4%)

4. THQ (5.9%)

5. Ubisoft (4.6%)

6. Activision (4.6%)

7. Microsoft (3.9%)

8. SCE (3.8%)

9. EA Sports (3.3%)

10. Games for Everyone (2.7%)

Splitting EA’s titles into labels give us an indication of the strength of EA Games’ offering ahead of its Sports-focused brethren after the success of Army of Two, Burnout Paradise, and The Simpsons Game. Congratulations also go to Ubisoft’s casual-focused Games for Everyone label, which has sneaked into the top ten during the first three months of 2008.

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY LABEL (VALUE)

1. Nintendo (11.3%)

2. EA Games (11.3%)

3. Sega (9.4%)

4. Microsoft (7.4%)

5. Activision (5.4%)

6. THQ (5.3%)

7. Ubisoft (4.5%)

8. EA Sports (4.2%)

9. SCE (3.8%)

10. Norton (3.4%)

Microsoft’s higher-priced line-up ensures fourth spot here for the platform holder, leapfrogging Activision, THQ and Ubisoft when compared to the sales by units listing. And while Norton’s range of PC security software might not boast the glamour of a Halo 3, the software firm proves its worth to retail by sneaking in as the tenth best-selling label in value terms.

ALL FORMATS (ALL PRICES) TOP 20

1. Mario and Sonic: Olympic (Sega)

2. COD4: Modern Warfare (Activision)

3. Brain Training (Nintendo)

4. FIFA ’08 (EA)

5. Wii Play (Nintendo)

6. Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Ubisoft)

7. Burnout Paradise (EA)

8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)

9. The Simpsons Game (EA)

10. Guitar Hero III (Activision)

11. More Brain Training (Nintendo)

12. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)

13. Devil May Cry 4 (Capcom)

14. Need for Speed: ProStreet (EA)

15. Carnival: Funfair Games (2K Play)

16. WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2008 (THQ)

17. Army of Two (EA)

18. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)

19. Ratatouille (THQ)

20. Cooking Mama (505 Games)

A mixed bag of family-friendly and more hardcore fare make up the top twenty sellers throughout January, February and March, with, rather inevitably, Sega on top. Long tail stalwarts Brain Training and Wii Play join mega-seller Mario and Sonic in the top five, but the hardcore will never die – Call of Duty and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 join the top ten too. Capcom and 2K will be very pleased with their showing here, alongside 505 with the evergreen Cooking Mama.

INDIVIDUAL FORMAT CHARTS

Wii

1. Mario & Sonic: Olympic Games (Sega)

2. Wii Play (Nintendo)

3. Carnival: Funfair Games (2K Play)

4. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo)

5. Big Brain Academy: Wii (Nintendo)

6. Game Party (Midway)

7. Sonic and the Secret Rings (Sega)

8. PDC World Champ Darts ‘08 (Oxygen)

9. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo)

10. Ghost Squad (Sega)

No surprises as Sega steamrollers the competition once again, while 2K Play continues to surprise with its mini-game compilation Carnival: Funfair Games.

PlayStation 3

1. COD4: Modern Warfare (Activision)

2. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (SCE)

3. Burnout Paradise (EA Games)

4. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)

5. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (SCE)

6. Devil May Cry 4 (Capcom)

7. Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Ubisoft)

8. FIFA ’08 (EA)

9. Army of Two (EA)

10. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)

The Call of Duty 4 phenomenon rumbles on here as the shooter continues to claim its place as the shooter of choice among the hardcore.

Xbox 360 Full Price

1. COD4: Modern Warfare (Activision)

2. Tom Clancy’s: Vegas 2 (Ubisoft)

3. Burnout Paradise (EA)

4. Devil May Cry 4 (Capcom

5. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)

6. Army of Two (EA)

7. Turok (Disney)

8. Halo 3 (Microsoft)

9. Frontlines: Fuel of War (THQ)

10. Guitar Hero III: Rock (Activision)

Activision claims a double, having topped quarterly sales on both PS3 and Xbox 360, while Ubi’s Vegas 2 performs well considering its release date.

PC All Prices

1. Football Manager 2008 (Sega)

2. COD 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)

3. The Sims 2: Freetime (EA)

4. Warhammer 40,000: Soulstorm (THQ)

5. The Sims 2: Teen Style Stuff (EA)

6. The Sims 2 (EA)

7. World of Warcraft (Blizzard)

8. WoW: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard)

9. The Sims: Castaway Stories (EA)

10. Crysis (EA)

As the race for the Premiership looks like being won by United with ease, football fans have been creating drama of their own with Sega’s FM 2008.

DS

1. Brain Training (Nintendo)

2. Mario & Sonic: Olympic Games (Sega)

3. More Brain Training (Nintendo)

4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)

5. Sight Training (Nintendo)

6. Cooking Mama (505 Games)

7. Cooking Mama 2 (505 Games)

8. 42 All-Time Classics (Nintendo)

9. Maths Training (Nintendo)

10. Big Brain Academy (Nintendo)

Nintendo’s dominance is only punctured by Sega and 505 Games here – it could be said that they are the two publishers that have truly embraced DS’ potential.

PSP

1. FIFA ’08 (EA)

2. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)

3. The Simpsons Game (EA)

4. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (EA)

5. WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2008 (THQ)

6. Football Manager 2008 (Sega)

7. The Sims 2: Castaway (EA)

8. Need for Speed: ProStreet (EA)

9. Transformers: The Game (Activision)

10. Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘08 (EA)

Another line-up of well-known franchises for the PSP chart here – but the lack of fresh IP and big new releases may worry some at SCE UK.

PS2 Full Price

1. Guitar Hero III (Activision)

2. FIFA ’08 (EA)

3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)

4. Need for Speed: ProStreet (EA)

5. The Simpsons Game (EA)

6. WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2008 (THQ)

7. The Sims 2: Castaway (EA)

8. Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz (SCE)

9. Transformers: The Game (Activision)

10. PDC World Champ Darts ‘08 (Oxygen)

Other than Guitar Hero III, the quarterly PS2 charts show an uncanny resemblance to the PSP charts – but kudos to Oxygen for its top ten hit.