UK February Charts – Analysis

"If you look at the Total Software by Label/Company charts you will see that there is a disparity between the units sold by Nintendo and the value this month.

"The reason behind this difference is partly due to Wii Play. Wii Play always shifts a lot of units (All Formats number three in February), however, we split the controller and game up when working out the value, with the remote retaining its full price.

"In other words, Wii Play only comes in at 4.99 in terms of value. Also, looking at the Wii chart you can see that a number of straight-to-budget titles occupy high positions (Carnival Funfair Games, Game Party, Big Brain Wii Degree) and, finally, many older titles have been discounted, fuelling a highest ever share for Wii budget in February 2008 with 16.2 per cent of all budget units.

"Looking at the format share and you’ll notice that the PC is not doing particularly well at the moment, as it revolves around The Sims, World of Warcraft, Football Manager and the odd war/strategy title (e.g. Call of Duty), with the more traditional games not performing well at all. We feel the market for PC games is on a downward spiral in terms of value generated in the UK market."

Dorian Bloch – Director, ChartTrack

ALL FORMATS TOP 20: FEBRUARY

1.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

(Wii, DS) Sega

2.

Devil May Cry 4

(360, PS3) Cacom

3.

Wii Play

(Wii) Nintendo

4.

Burnout Paradise

(360, PS3) EA

5.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

(360, PS3, PC, DS) Activision

6.

Turok

(360, PS3) Disney

7.

Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training

(DS) Nintendo

8.

FIFA ‘08

(PS2, 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, PC, DS) EA

9.

More Brain Training

(DS, Wii) Nintendo

10.

The Simpsons Game

(360, PS2, DS, WII, PSP, PS3) EA

11.

Assassin’s Creed

(PS3, 360) Ubisoft

12.

PDC World Championship Darts

(Wii, PS2, PC) Oxygen

13.

Carnival: Funfair Games

(Wii) Take 2

14.

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008

(360, PS2, PS3, WII, PSP, DS) THQ

15.

Need For Speed: Prostreet

(360, PS2, PS3, Wii, PC, DS) EA

16.

Conflict: Denied Ops

(360, PS3, PC) Eidos

17.

Ratatouille

(DS, Wii, PS2, PS, PS3, 360, PC) THQ

18.

The Club

(360, PS3, PC) Sega

19.

Guitar Hero: Legends of Rock

(PS2, 360, PS3, Wii, PC) Activision

20.

Professor Kageyama’s Maths Training

(DS) Nintendo

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY LABEL (units)

Nintendo – 14.1%

EA Games – 10.1%

Sega – 9.6%

THQ – 4.9%

Activision – 4.5%

Ubisoft – 4.2%

Microsoft – 3.5%

Capcom – 3.4%

EA Sports – 3.4%

Games For Everyone – 2.7%

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY LABEL (value)

Nintendo – 12.7%

EA Games – 11.7%

Sega – 10.7%

Microsoft – 7.0%

Activision – 5.3%

Capcom – 4.9%

EA Sports – 4.2%

THQ – 3.9%

Ubisoft – 3.9%

Norton – 3.1%

Little has changed at the top, with EA and Nintendo keeping ownership of the leading two positions. Nevertheless, Nintendo has overtaken EA Games in terms of value with a 0.3 per cent increase, as EA Games’ value fell by 0.7 per cent. This is partially due to decreased sales for The Simpsons Game, which dropped down from third to tenth in the All Format Charts. It’s not been the best month for EA Sports either, which fell slightly following a decrease in sales for FIFA 2008. FIFA Street 3 didn’t have the chance to make a big impact either, having only been released at the end of the month.

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY COMPANY (units)

Nintendo – 14.2%

EA – 13.8%

Sega – 10.0%

Ubisoft – 8.2%

THQ – 5.5%

Activision – 5.5%

Microsoft – 3.6%

Capcom – 3.3%

Disney – 3.3%

Take 2 – 3.1%

TOTAL SOFTWARE BY COMPANY (value)

EA – 16.0%

Nintendo – 12.9%

Sega – 10.8%

Microsoft – 7.0%

Ubisoft – 6.6%

Activision – 6.4%

Capcom – 4.8%

THQ – 4.1%

Disney – 3.8%

Symantec – 3.1%

This month sees the grand return of Capcom and Disney to the Total Software by Company charts. Capcom’s return follows the release of Devil May Cry 4 – the demon-slaying sequel became the fastest selling version in the series and topped the charts for the first time. It was good news for Disney as well, with ex-Acclaim franchise Turok returning to the charts. The dinosaur hunter performed consistently well all month and came in sixth overall. Both Devil May Cry 4 and Turok aren’t finished yet of course, with PC versions still due. Sega also shot up the charts with the release of The Club and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games for the DS.

FULL PRICE FORMAT SHARE (units)

Wii – 21.3%

DS – 19.8%

Xbox 360 – 18.4%

PS3 – 17.1%

PC – 15.2%

PS2 – 4.1%

PSP – 3.8%

Mac – 0.3%

FULL PRICE FORMAT SHARE (value)

Wii – 21.3%

Xbox 360 – 19.9%

PS3 – 19.6%

PC – 17.6%

DS – 15.1%

PS2 – 3.1%

PSP – 2.8%

Mac – 0.6%

In January the PC showed signs of a resurgence, snapping at the heels of Nintendo’s Wii in second place. It’s back to business as usual in February however, as the PC falls from its lofty heights. February saw no big PC releases, and there were few PC games in the All Formats Charts. Nevertheless, with several The Sims software packs due over the coming months, it may not be the end for PC gaming just yet. The DS takes PC’s position in second place, driven by sales of Sega’s Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and Nintendo’s ever successful Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training.

BUDGET FORMAT SHARE (units)

DS – 30.1%

PC – 23.7%

Wii – 16.2%

PS2 – 13.0%

PSP – 8.9%

Xbox 360 – 6.9%

Xbox – 0.3%

GBA – 0.1%

BUDGET FORMAT SHARE (value)

DS – 37.1%

Wii – 17.1%

PC – 13.3%

PS2 – 12.9%

PSP – 9.2%

Xbox 360 – 9.0%

GBA – 0.1%

Xbox – 0.1%

Nintendo’s wii is beginning to get a firm footing in the budget charts, with 90 Wii games available for under 24.99 (the budget price cut off point). Games such as 2K’s Carnival: Funfair Games and Midway’s Game Party are released at budget level and make an instant impact in the charts, but older Wii games are also falling in price to help boost Wii’s position. However, The DS is still running away at the top with its series of training games. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training, More Brain Training and Professor Kageyama’s Maths Training dominate the charts for the DS, making it the king of the budget charts.