The US retailer accredited the success to continued strong software and hardware sales, and despite the PS3 and Wii shortages that stretched throughout the period, overall hardware sales were up 77 per cent up compared to the same period last year.

"The diversity of the desired products made this a real game specialist's holiday," GameStop CEO R. Richard Fontaine stated. "I am particularly pleased with the robust sales of hardware systems, even in the face of ongoing shortages of PS3 and Wii.

"We have never had a holiday season with more hardware choices or more accessory options, and perhaps what is more encouraging is that we are seeing a broader base of customers enjoying the gaming experience than ever before.”

GameStop named Gears of War, Final Fantasy XII, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Guitar Hero 2 and WWE Smackdown Vs. RAW as the strongest performing titles over the Christmas period.

Market analyst Wedbush Morgan has stated that GameStop’s results imply a general US software sales growth of around 18 per cent for November and December, and predicted a similar level of growth in January.

GameStop, which is based in Texas, is the largest video and PC games retailer in the world, with more than 4,500 stores. It has long been rumoured that the company is planning a move into the UK, though the speculated buy-out of UK chain Gamestation appears to be out of the question following renewed backing from parent company Blockbuster.