UK CHARTS: June 2010

Maybe it was the World Cup, the hot weather or increased economic uncertaintly, but it was a tough month for the UK video games market – with sales down around 23 per cent compared to June 2009.

But it wasn’t all bad news. Red Dead Redemption enjoyed another month at the top of the charts, which meant that Take-Two was once again the biggest publisher in terms of the value of the software market. However, in terms of units it was a return to the top for Nintendo, driven by June’s second biggest seller, Super Mario Galaxy 2.

The platformer helped Wii’s share of the software market increase, although not enough to topple PS3 and Xbox 360.

Another hit for Nintendo last month was DS puzzler Rooms: The Main Building. The game topped the DS chart and helped the portable grow its share of the software market, too.

The late release of LEGO Harry Potter was a big boost for Warner. However, other new titles such as Green Day: Rock Band failed to make a significant dent on the Top 50.

SOFTWARE MARKET SHARE BY COMPANY – units
(last month in brackets)

1 (4) NINTENDO – 15.2%
2 (2) EA – 14.7%
3 (1) TAKE-TWO – 12.9%
4 (3) UBISOFT – 10.1%
5 (6) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD – 6.2%
6 (15) WARNER BROS – 4.6%
7 (5) SEGA – 4.4%
8 (9) THQ – 3.8%
9 (8) SONY – 3.8%
10 (12) DISNEY INTERACTIVE – 2.7%

The big new release of last month was Super Mario Galaxy 2, which has helped Nintendo take the top spot as the publisher that sold the largest number of video games during June. The platform holder displaces May’s champion Take-Two, which has dropped down to No.3 despite strong sales of Red Dead Redemption.

SOFTWARE MARKET SHARE BY COMPANY – value
(last month in brackets)

1 (1) TAKE-TWO – 18.8%
2 (4) NINTENDO – 17.5%
3 (2) ELECTRONIC ARTS – 15.0%
4 (3) UBISOFT – 7.7%
5 (5) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD – 6.8%
6 (16) WARNER BROS – 5.2%
7 (9) THQ – 3.8%
8 (6) SEGA – 3.4%
9 (10) SONY – 3.0%
10 (12) DISNEY – 2.3%

The biggest riser last month was Warner. The firm’s LEGO Harry Potter didn’t arrive until the end of June, but it did enough to secure fourth spot in the Top 50 and shoot Warner from No.16 in the publisher rankings to No.6. Red Dead means Take-Two remains the biggest publisher in terms of software value.

SOFTWARE MARKET SHARE BY FORMAT – units
(last month in brackets)

1 (1) XBOX 360 – 26.2%
2 (2) PS3 – 22.1%
3 (3) NINTENDO WII – 21.3%
4 (4) NINTENDO DS – 15.4%
5 (5) PC – 11.2%
6 (6) PSP – 3.3%
7 (7) PS2 – 0.5%

Once again Xbox 360 was the format that most games were sold on in June, but it has lost six per cent of its market share compared with May and the gap between 360 and PlayStation 3 is beginning to narrow. Both of Nintendo’s platforms showed positive growth during June, although not enough to displace Sony and Microsoft’s machines. Wii software sales were largely driven by Super Mario Galaxy 2 and LEGO Harry Potter, while DS sales also benefited from LEGO Potter, as well as new puzzler Rooms: The Main Building.

SOFTWARE MARKET SHARE BY FORMAT – value
(last month in brackets)

1 (1) XBOX 360 – 31.5%
2 (2) PS3 – 27.1%
3 (3) NINTENDO WII – 21.1%
4 (4) NINTENDO DS – 12.2%
5 (5) PC – 5.8%
6 (6) PSP – 2.1%
7 (7) PS2 – 0.2%

In terms of money generated by games, once again the top seven is unchanged. Compared with May, the gap between PS3 and 360 is narrowing, while Wii’s share of the software market by value has shot up eight per cent. Super Mario Galaxy 2’s RRP was a lot higher than recent Wii hits such as Just Dance and Wii Fit Plus, which explains the increase for the platform holder. Looking at the bottom of the charts and there has been slight rises for both PSP and PC. The latter benefited from expansion pack The Sims 3: Ambitions, while PSP was boosted by the anticipated release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

ALL FORMATS TOP 50: MAY
(May 30th – July 3rd)

1. Red Dead Redemption (Take-Two)
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)
3. 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (EA)
4. LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 (Warner Bros)
5. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision)
7. Wi Fit Plus (Nintendo)
8. UFC 2010: Undisputed (THQ)
9. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
10. Rooms: The Main Building (Nintendo)
11. The Sims 3: Ambitions (EA)
12. Blur (Activision)
13. Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Uubisoft)
14. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)
15. Split/Second: Velocity (Disney Interactive)
16. Lost Planet 2 (Capcom)
17. Football Manager 2010 (Sega)
18. Naughty Bear (505 Games)
19. ModNation Racers (Sony)
20. Just Cause 2 (Square Enix)
21. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (Ubisoft)
22. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (EA)
23. New Super Mario Bros Wii (Nintendo)
24. Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix)
25. Super Street Fighter IV (Capcom)
26. New Super Mario Bros (Nintendo)
27. FIFA 10 (EA)
28. Demon’s Souls (Namco Bandai)
29. International Cricket 2010 (Codemasters)
30. Alan Wake (Microsoft)
31. Transformers: War for Cybertron (Activision)
32. LEGO Batman (Warner Bros)
33. Bioshock 2 (Take-Two)
34. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (Take-Two)
35. Pokmon Soulsilver (Nintendo)
36. Skate 3 (EA)
37. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony)
38. Pokmon Heartgold (Nintendo)
39. James Cameron’s Avatar (Ubisoft)
40. Alpha Protocol (Sega)
41. Dance on Broadway (Ubisoft)
42. Pure Football (Ubisoft)
43. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
44. Green Day: Rock Band (EA)
45. Dante’s Inferno (EA)
46. Grand Theft Auto IV (Take-Two)
47. The Sims 3 (EA)
48. Forza Motorsport 3 (Microsoft)
49. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (Sega)
50. Jewel Quest Mysteries (GSP/Avanquest)