ChartSpot: May 2009

New Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart DS, Call of Duty games round out NPD Group's top 20 accounting of month's non-PC retail software sales. <img src="http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/all/boxshots2/949119_105795.jpg">
Yesterday, <a class='gslink' href='http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/ufc2009undisputed/news.html?page=1&sid=6211886'>the NPD Group reported on the gaming industry's US retail performance during May</a>, revealing significantly contracting demand for hardware, software, and accessories. Still reeling from 2008's strong early-year lineup, May's software sales at retail fell off 17 percent to $448.9 million. The month wasn't without its success stories, as THQ's UFC Undisputed 2009 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 debuted strong with a combined 1 million units, while fellow newcomer EA Sports Active on the Wii sold 345,000 units.

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<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/images/0/1/?path=2009%2F162%2FUFC026_screen.jpg&caption=US%2Bretail%2Bsoftware%2B sales%2Btook%2Ba%2Bbeating%2Bin%2BMay.&blog=1&cvr=v9L1">
<img class="thumb" src="http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/162/UFC026_embed.jpg" alt="" /></a><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/images/0/1/?path=2009%2F162%2FUFC026_screen.jpg&caption=US%2Bretail%2Bsoftware%2B sales%2Btook%2Ba%2Bbeating%2Bin%2BMay.&blog=1&cvr=v9L1">US retail software sales took a beating in May.</a></div>

Today, the NPD Group offered a deeper look at the best-selling retail software in the US during May, expanding its top 10 console and handheld sales list to include the 20 best-selling titles of the month. The latter half of NPD's list isn't without its surprises. Notably, the Xbox 360 edition of Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare outsold its successor Call of Duty: World at War on the same platform during May, despite releasing some 12 months earlier.

The only new release in the bottom 20 was the Xbox 360 edition of Ascaron Entertainment's Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. (X-Men Origins: Wolverine released during NPD's April reporting period, though its official street date was May 1.) Other charting titles include a variety of mass-market games, including New Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart DS, Gardening Mama, and Gold's Gym Cardio Workout.

TOP-SELLING SOFTWARE SKUs - MAY 2009 
Last Month / Rank / Title / Publisher / Units** 
* / 1) UFC 2009 Undisputed (X360) / THQ / 679,600 
1 / 2) Wii Fit w/ Balance Board (Wii) / Nintendo / 352,800 
* / 3) EA Sports Active (Wii) / EA / 345,800 
* / 4) UFC 2009 Undisputed (PS3) / THQ / 334,400 
* / 5) Infamous (PS3) / SCEA / 175,900 
2 / 6) Pokemon Platinum (DS) / Nintendo / 168,900 
3 / 7) Mario Kart Wii with Wheel (Wii) / Nintendo / 158,300 
* / 8) Punch-Out!! (Wii) / Nintendo / 156,900 
* / 9) X-Men Origins: Wolverine (X360) / Activision Blizzard / 120,700 
4 / 10) Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) / Nintendo / 109,800 
7 / 11) New Super Mario Bros. (DS) / Nintendo 
8 / 12) Mario Kart DS (DS) / Nintendo 
* / 13) X-Men Origins: Wolverine (PS3) / Activision Blizzard 
* / 14) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (X360) / Activision Blizzard 
* / 15) Gardening Mama (DS) / Majesco 
* / 16) Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (X360) / CDV Software 
17 / 17) Call of Duty: World at War (X360) / Activision Blizzard 
13 / 18) Rhythm Heaven (DS) / Nintendo 
* / 19) Halo 3 (X360) / Microsoft 
* / 20) Gold's Gym Cardio Workout (Wii) / Ubisoft

* = Not in Top 20 last month 
** = Figures include Collector's Editions and non-hardware bundles.
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"<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/ufc2009undisputed/news.html?sid=6211957">ChartSpot: May 2009</a>" was posted by Tom Magrino on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:28:17 -0700
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Posted on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:28:17 -0700 at http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/ufc2009undisputed/news.html?sid=6211957