REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ — Nintendo DS(TM) and Wii(TM) finished strong in 2007, commanding sales in the holiday shopping period and finishing the year as the two best-selling video game systems in the United States, according to new data just released by the independent NPD Group.Nintendo DS was the top-selling U.S. system of 2007, with nearly 8.5 million sold, including more than 4 million in November and December alone. Wii placed second, with nearly 6.3 million sold through the year, more than 2.3 million of which sold in the final two months.
“By the end of 2007 we were sold out of virtually all hardware, and much of our stock of software and accessories was sold out as well, thanks to the broad appeal of Wii and Nintendo DS to core gamers, women, families, grandparents – and seemingly everyone in between,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “And that momentum continues here in the early weeks of 2008.”
Some additional facts about Nintendo’s 2007 performance in the United States (note: All figures are from NPD):
— Nintendo accounted for 52 percent of all video game hardware systems sold in 2007 — more than all other manufacturers combined.
— Since their respective launches, Nintendo has sold more than 17.6 million Nintendo DS systems and nearly 7.4 million Wii systems in the United States alone.
— Wii Play(TM), a collection of nine fun mini-games, finished 2007 with 4.1 million units sold.
— Super Mario Galaxy(TM) sold through more than 2.5 million copies since it launched on Nov. 12.
— The two games in the Brain Age(R) series each sold about 1 million copies in 2007.
— Half of the top 30 best-selling games of 2007 were made for Nintendo systems, including Pokemon(R) Pearl, Pokemon(R) Diamond, Mario Party(R) DS, Guitar Hero III(TM): Legends of Rock and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games(TM).
— Nintendo continues to dominate the hand-held market: Of the top 30 best-selling portable games sold in 2007, 25 were made for Nintendo DS and another two were made for Game Boy(R) Advance.
— Sales of Nintendo DS systems grew 60 percent over those from 2006.
— In 2007, the video game industry grew by 43 percent over 2006.
Nintendo is responsible for 60 percent of that growth.