Games Toaster

Microsoft won’t release Irish Xbox Live numbers

Xbox Live users now exceed 6 million members, but the company says it will not release country specific numbers.

The stance continues to cloud the lack of success for the Xbox 360 outside the United States, while independent games sales figures show that the Microsoft console has just a fraction of the Irish market.

In reply to a Games Toaster request, Xbox maker Microsoft say they “never release country specific figures”, but the in the same press release “record-breaking” United States specific numbers are given.

The release states that the United States has "a record-breaking accessory attach rate of 2.9 units per console”, referring to the amount of accessories people buy with the Xbox 360. At the time of publication the company had not replied to a request for the world-wide figures. 

It is possibly that the vast majority of Xbox Live users are in the US where the console continues to perform well. In November and December alone the company sold 1.61 million Xbox 360s.

Even with the opposing Sony PlayStation 3 due to for release later this month Xbox 360 games sales are not substantially gaining on the rival brand.

Figures published recently by Games Toaster from the ChartTrack charts show that the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable have a massive lead, with over 70% of total sales of the games in the top 10 Christmas chart and 80% of the top five games. ChartTrack also compiles the data for the Irish Music Charts and the UK Games.

The independent figures also back up claims made by Niall O’Hanrahan MD of SCE Ireland before the Christmas, “Our own research indicates that, despite its age, the Playstation 2 will still be the biggest-selling console in the Irish market this year” O’Hanrahan told the Sunday Business Post.

PlayStation rules Irish Xmas charts

With the PlayStation 3 launch delayed, pre-Christmas headlines read “Sony runs Christmas”, but PlayStation brands accounted for the vast majority of computer games under Christmas trees in Ireland, writes Cian Ginty.

In the Irish multi-format games charts Sony’s PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable secured over 70% of total sales of the games in the top 10 Christmas chart, and 80% of the top five titles.

The Christmas top are Need for Speed: Carbon (EA), Fifa 07 (EA), Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Konami), WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2007 (THQ), and Call of Duty 3 (Activision).

Nintendo consoles combined – mainly handhelds – followed with 17% of the top 10. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console only managed to take 6.9%, with a mere 0.3% extra from the original Xbox.

These percentages – not normally published – are sent out by ChartTrack on their weekly chart reports. The charts show the most popular games according data collected at retail points on the highstreet and on websites including CDWow.com and Play.com.

The multi-format chart includes percentage breakdowns of how much was sold on different games systems.

Popular exclusive games are extremely important in the console wars. Reflecting their strength in the Irish games market, Sony has five of these exclusives in the top 20.

Nintendo also beats Microsoft in this arena, with two better-placed exclusives that have survived on the charts for about 25 weeks. This is compared with the sole Xbox 360 exclusive, the premier Christmas title ‘Gears of War’ at 18th place and only on the charts for six weeks.

Last Christmas we reported that the Xbox brands rarely received much more then 10% of sales of any individual games released on multiple systems, and never above 20%. This has improved this year, but only slightly. There was only one title that the 360 receive more then 15% of sales, it was Call of Duty 3 at 32%.

The total breakdown of Xbox 360 sales are as follows (1) Need for Speed: Carbon with 7%, (2) FIFA 07 with 6%, (2) Pro Evolution Soccer 6 with 13% (4) WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2007 with 11%, (5) Call of Duty 3 with 32%, (17) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 with 15%, (18) Gears of War with 100, and (20) Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy with 4%.

With a massive install base, and the launch of the PlayStation 3 in March, Ireland’s love affair with the PlayStation brand shows few signs of changing.

ChartTrack's Irish charts for Christmas week 2006 is currently shown to the left. Also see the Games Toaster story on last year’s Christmas Irish games chart and a comprehensive report on the charts from week one 2006 to the week ending July 15.

PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable continue to dominate Irish games charts

PlayStation Portable alone still frequently outranks Xbox & 360 in percentage sales  

A GamesToaster.com / BlurredKeys.com examination of the Chart-Track Irish Software charts, which tracks retail sales of computer games in Ireland, has found that Sony’s PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable continue to massively dominate the Irish multi-format charts, with Microsoft’s Xbox and Xbox 360 combined rarely amounting to over 25% of multi-format games.

Our study of the charts ranges from the start of 2006 to the week ending July 15.

When the combined percentages of the Xbox consoles reach higher percentages the games are usually at the lower end of the charts. Frequently the percentage of the two combined is lower then or around 10%.

When the high profile Xbox 360 game Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was released in March, Microsoft reported that the game “has topped the all-formats sales charts in key European countries”. Ireland was not one of those countries. Even with the support of 43% from PC sales, the Take 2 game entered the chart at number three, slowly dropping, then in its fourth week nose-diving to sixteenth place.

Irish Christmas Charts: EA, Ubisoft, Sony, Konami on top; PS2 & PSP dominate

PSP often out ranks Xbox & 360 combined

Chart-Track’s Christmas ‘Entertainment Software’ top 20 sales chart for Ireland draw a poor picture of the performance of the Xbox, even when combined with the Xbox 360. With Sony’s ‘Buzz! The Music Quiz’ making it into the top five, and three other PlayStation exclusives in the top 20, there is little signs of the Xbox.

The reception isn’t much better when it comes to multi-format games, with Xbox rarely receiving much more then 10% of sales of any one games, and never above 20%. It’s much worse for the Gamecube, and PC formats hardly ever seeing above 5%, with GBA and DS just popping their head in around 10% in the odd game.

EA were still on top with five games in the top 20,  Need for Speed: Most Wanted at one and FIFA at two. Rival soccer game Pro Evolution Soccer 5 from Konami was at five down from three, with this year’s box-office tie-in King Kong from UbiSoft at three, both critically acclaimed. While the critically dismissed first attempt at Ireland’s national sport, Gaelic Games Football, was down to eight from five last week, after seven weeks on the chart.

The top 20 chart continues to add independent substance to Sony’s claims of the extraordinary console sales in Ireland, which are importantly backed by games sales. The company says ownership of PS and PS2 consoles per head of population is only higher in Japan. PlayStation looks to be the game brand burned into the Irish mind, and culture.

PSP and Xbox 360 were been billed as the ‘must haves’ by the press. Comparing both on the charts would be unfair as the PSP is long released. However, the PSP not only outranks the 360 with multi-format games, but also the combined percentages for the established Xbox, and the 360. 

This is even with alleged forced bundles of games with the new 360 console. One report going as far as claiming that a manager “physically restrained” a staff member from selling without a bundle. Microsoft and games sellers have mostly denied forced bundles, but when pressed retailers have admitted they are under presser. According to a retailer who spoke to Games Toaster, pre-bookings of 360 in the same shops, as well as multiply pre-bookings in the same shops and in multiply stores, have confused the demand for Xbox 360. He was confident this was widespread. The mysteries second shipment just before Christmas, that was said to be uncertain, led to consoles left on some retailers’ shelves as late as closing time Christmas Eve.

Top 20 Ireland Games Chart (W14, 2005)

Week 14, Year 2005; Ending 9th April 2005.

1. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
2. Fifa Street
3. Doom 3
4. Gran Turismo 4
5. Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30

'Irish software charts' compiled by ChartTrack, copyright (C) 2005 ChartTrack Ltd