Analyzing the October Game Sales Rankings

The October NPD rankings paint an interesting picture of the video game industry during a year of financial distress, but they also reveal some emerging trends. Yesterday, we looked at a breakdown of numbers in the top 10, but newly revealed details today provide an opportunity to analyze the overall rankings for the entire top 20 games during this important month for the industry. It’s worth noting that the rankings of U.S. units sold (provided by NPD Group) reveal only a glimpse at October sales, and don’t reflect sales from the previous month or the weeks since the end of October. With that said, some surprising information is on display.

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
2. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
3. Borderlands (360)
4. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
5. NBA 2K10 (360)
6. Halo 3: ODST (360)
7. NBA 2K10 (PS3)
8. Forza Motorsport 3 (360)
9. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
10. FIFA Soccer 10 (360)
11. Demon’s Souls (PS3)
12. Brütal Legend (360)
13. FIFA Soccer 10 (PS3)
14. Mario & Luigi: Bowswer’s Inside Story (DS)
15. WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 (360)
16. Tekken 6 (PS3)
17. Borderlands (PS3)
18. Madden NFL 10 (360)
19. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS)
20. Mario Kart w/ Wheel (Wii)

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sitting comfortably at number one shouldn’t surprise anyone who has played it, but it’s fantastic news for Sony, a company that has sought a commercially and critically successful hit since the PS3’s launch. Nate Drake’s second adventure seems to have hit a chord with gamers, and rapidly developed into the must-have game for the system. Hitting the top of the charts during the busy month of October is a feather in the cap for Sony. They’ve been touting the steady growth of the PS3 since its launch. Among Thieves’ position at number one bodes well for upcoming PS3 big-name exclusives like God of War III.

Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort are firmly entrenched in the top five. We shouldn’t be surprised to find them in similar high-ranking positions for some time to come, if their predecessors are any indication. Wii Play, with its added controller, held onto its number one slot for months after its initial release in 2007, and remained in the top 10 for years. It remains to be seen whether Wii Sports Resort, with its pack-in Wii Motion Plus accessories, will have the same staying power. 

Borderlands had a huge premiere in October, snagging the third slot on 360, and number 17 on PS3. Some analysts and other industry followers had prognosticated doom for the title, which would be releasing into a busy market as a brand new IP. Thankfully, the game seems to be getting the attention it deserves, drawing players in with its addictive leveling and varied weapons. 

Halo 3: ODST continued to sell strong through the month of October, but it’s clear the game doesn’t have quite the same level of hype and enthusiasm as its predecessors, having dropped to position six in its second month of release. 

Sports games hit it big in October, as headlined by a phenomenal showing for NBA 2K10 in slot five on 360 and seven on PS3. EA didn’t manage to throw up much competition with this year’s NBA Live, which doesn’t appear in the top twenty. However, Electronic Arts has to be happy that FIFA Soccer 10 saw some big numbers, having grabbed the number 10 (360) and 13 (PS3) slots for their annual soccer game. 

The racing simulator genre appears to be in no danger of dying out, even if Microsoft’s Forza 3 only sold 175,00 to debut in the eight spot. Those aren’t bad numbers for a game that released in the last three days of the month, and it has a good chance to continue selling well in November. The highly detailed racer, with its great degree of customization and polished gameplay, continues to slowly steal the genre crown from Sony’s Gran Turismo, a franchise whose next true installment is beginning to enter the realm of myth and legend after such a long hiatus. 

The Kingdom Hearts series seems to have plenty of life in it, maintaining a healthy presence for its DS incarnation in the top 10. Other consistent portable hit series continue to prove their viability for Nintendo; both Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story and the newest Pokémon carve out the other remaining slots for portable games in the top 20 for the month. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire list shows up at number 11: Demon’s Souls. This PS3 exclusive from Atlus has some vocal supporters and detractors in the gaming community, largely thanks to its steep difficulty. However, the hardcore crowd seemed ready to accept the challenge, and Demon’s Souls had what is no doubt a smashing debut for a publisher like Atlus and a developer like From Software.

Clocking in at a respectable number 12, Brütal Legend still didn’t do as well as many industry followers had hoped, and certainly not up to the hopes of EA Partners after the blitz of marketing. Gamespot reports that the actual numbers across both platforms for the game totaled over 215.000 for the month. The fantastically funny and unique game still has several months in the holiday season to pick up and get some more attention, but many are worried the game could be buried by the avalanche of other high profile titles. 

Throwdowns against your friends seem to still be drawing many folks’ attention, as both the new WWE game and Tekken 6 premiere in the top 20. Madden NFL 10 remains strong in its third month on the charts, and many years of previous incarnations can predict that it’s likely to stay strong for months to come. 

As for number 20, Mario Kart keeps racing the track. Lest anyone forget, the game released in April – of 2008. Now that’s staying power. 

One October release that doesn’t make the list is DJ Hero. The new little brother in the music genre was undoubtedly hurt by the large number of other music games released in close proximity, most of which came from DJ Hero’s publisher, Activision. Gamespot reports the game having sold around 122,000 units in October. However, it’s important to note that the game came out on October 27th, near the very end of the counting period. The game, which received phenomenal critical praise, may have the chance to pick up in the latter half of the holiday buying season, as shoppers open up their wallets to more expensive products like the $120 turntable simulator. 

From a console standpoint, the October numbers reveal an industry in flux, with stiff competition for software sales between the major console manufacturers. Sony has to be pleased with their crown jewel showing at the top spot. At the same time, it’s clear that for multiplatform releases, the 360 remains the system of choice for more gamers. Nintendo goes big as always with their “casual” releases, but hasn’t yet had a product to speak to the more devoted gaming crowd for this year. New Super Mario Bros. Wii and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks are likely to change that equation significantly, but that’s a story for another month. What games do you predict will place high in November?