NPD recently released Australian video game sales data for the year of 2011 and Sony was quick to claim the position of victor. Microsoft is saying “not so fast,” and has announced their own interpretation of the 2011 Australian NPD reports.
Sony believes that the PS3 won in Australia last year and points to a significant increase in year-over-year sales compared to the previous year. Microsoft rebuttals that the Xbox 360 won 2011, and points to the holiday season sales, five consecutive years of year-over-year returns, and a 40% increase in Xbox Live memberships in Australia.
Sony’s 2011 saw a 24% increase in sales for the PS3 console, but Microsoft is not impressed. In a statement from consumer channels group director David McLean, the company believes long-term growth is more impressive than short term growth. “It’s clear to see that the momentum in this industry is with Microsoft and the Xbox platform,” McLean begins. “We won at the telling Christmas period, we are standalone in our growth this year and looking at the past five years our consistency is unprecedented.” Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is the only console to consecutively produce higher hardware sales figures for five years in a row. The Xbox 360 had its most successful month to date in Australia in December 2011, becoming the best-selling console of the holiday season.
