Last year was easily Playstation 3’s year with exclusives like Uncharted 2 winning so many critically acclaimed awards as well as doing well in the retail sector selling 3.61 copies worldwide. On the hardware side of things, the Playstation 3 picked up on it’s previous sales figures which was previously dominated by the Xbox360 in the non-motion front. So 2009 was definitely perceived as Sony’s year with the Playstation 3 exclusives bringing it home.
2010 certainly looks like it could easily be the Xbox 360’s year and with the sales of it’s exclusive software leading the way. The Microsoft console has more exclusive titles on offer this year and the tides should flow in their favour as they have had some of their biggest series’ release titles in 2010. With a series that helped put the 360 on the map , Halo releasing their later latest AAA – Reach – which is reportedly about to set some pre-order sales history records for 2010, and with the title already scoring many perfect scores with critics this should push the sales further on. Halo 3 sold a staggering 11.15 million units worldwide in 2007 so even if Reach matches this figure it would steer sales ahead of everything else put together in terms of exclusives. It should also be in the running for a GOTY award, so it would take a brave punter to bet that this would be anything but the Xbox 360’s year.
Microsoft had some big franchises launching titles this year. Mass Effect 2 sold 1.9 million copies worldwide, Splinter Cell Conviction was well received selling 1.41 copies world wide. Two new titles were launched on the 360 with Alan Wake which sold 700 000 copies world wide and Metro 2033 only managing 300 000 copies world wide. So Microsoft did well already with their two biggest 2010 titles still to come.
Sony’s biggest exclusive this year was God of War 3 selling a huge 2,823,984 million copies world wide, followed by Heavy rain with 1.42 million copies world wide. Other than that Sony only had Mag and Mod Nation Racers helping the sales push, with 900 000 and 480 000 copies sold world wide respectively, but Sony is not totally out of it with popular franchises still to be released in likes of Little Big Planet 2 and Gran Turismo to try and compete with Microsoft on the sales front.
Microsoft sold just over 3.73 million copies worldwide in 2008 of Fable II, so we would have to believe that Fable 3 will do equally well if not better. So it is difficult to see any other outcome than the Xbox 360 stealing the show with Reach forging the way ahead in sales for one, and with it doing so well with the critics, this should make 2010 Microsoft’s year.
All figures are from VG Charts.com.