PlayStation’s Digital Game Sales Gain on Xbox: Research

Sony’s PlayStation Network chipped away at the Microsoft’s lead in digital videogame sales during the second half of last year, with the online network grossing an estimated $49.4 million between July and December of 2010, according to research firm Forecasting & Analyzing Digital Entertainment (FADE). PlayStation Network posted 40% sales growth during the six month period (compared with 2009), outpacing the concurrent 18% increase at Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade. The Sony network, which pulled in an estimated $9.3 million in December alone, now counts more than 100,000 monthly users. The top-selling digital title on PlayStation during the period was Ubisoft’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” for which Sony snagged an exclusive release window, with 190,000 copies sold. For titles sold via multiple digital platforms, PlayStation is approaching sales parity with Xbox, FADE adds. “In 2009, Microsoft enjoyed a 2:1 sales advantage for multi-platform titles launching simultaneously. Today, that advantage is nearly even with first-month typical sales being 55/45 among new titles like ‘Costume Quest,’ ‘Pac-Man CE DX,’ and ‘X-Men Arcade,’” says Benjamin Schlichter, FADE director of research & analysis.