NPD: Xbox and Black Ops break sales records
updated 08:15 pm EST, Thu March 10, 2011
Console surpasses 535k units in non-holiday month
Microsoft's Xbox 360 console has broken the company's record for non-holiday sales, with shipments reaching 535,000 systems in February alone, according to numbers collected by research firm NPD group. The post-holiday performance even surpassed the September 2007 sales boost that coincided with Halo 3.
Microsoft group manager David Dennis suggests the surge may have resulted from leftover demand, after the company ran into supply shortages during the two prior months. The executive also points to a possible "viral effect" as the Xbox gifts were put into use and exposed to other potential customers, according to comments in a Seattle Times report.
Alongside strong console sales, the platform has also showed impressive numbers for game distribution. NPD suggests Call of Duty: Black Ops jumped into the top spot, nudging past Wii Play as the best-selling game in history.
Microsoft was not the only console maker to experience a February boost, as Wii and PS3 achieved similar results.
