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April NPD: Microsoft focuses on 10 million US barrier, GTA IV and total spend

In Microsoft's NPD response statement last night, the company decided to focus squarely on the fact 360 has now sold more than 10 million units in the US and that the machine, apparently, is the most "significant contributor" to American industry spend.

The second half of the release spoke only of GTA IV, rattling off numbers and facts about sales and Live activity we've all heard in the past week.

Press release after the link, courtesy of Kotaku.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has sold 10.1 million units in the U.S., making it the first current generation gaming console to break the 10 million barrier in the U.S., and contributing to global sales of over 19 million. (April NPD data)

By the numbers: Xbox 360 is the most significant contributor to industry spending and growth

* 188,000 Xbox 360 consoles were sold in April. (April NPD data)
* Xbox 360 has a record-setting attach rate of 7.6 games per console, the highest attach rate in history for a console at this point in its lifecycle. (April NPD data)
* Consumers have spent more than $9.7 billion on the Xbox 360 experience. (April NPD data)
* Xbox 360 titles accounted for $186 million of all third party game sales this generation, or 53% of share. (April NPD data)
* Xbox 360 games accounted for three of the top ten games in April, and secured the #1 spot with “Grand Theft Auto IV.” (April NPD data)
* Not only are we selling more games, games play better on the Xbox 360. Xbox 360 has 91 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher, compared to just 50 for PS3 and 22 for Wii.

“Grand Theft Auto IV” on Xbox 360 snags top spot in April, boosts LIVE memberships to over 12 million

* In its first five days on the market, the Xbox 360 version of “Grand Theft Auto IV” sold 1.8 million units, outselling the other platform’s version by nearly 2:1 in the U.S., and making it the top selling game in April. (April NPD data)
* Gamers eager to experience “Grand Theft Auto IV” online helped boost Xbox LIVE global membership totals to over 12 million this month. Fueled by an unparalleled combination of access to friends and family, the best online gaming features and the best entertainment content, the Xbox LIVE service has doubled in membership in only one year’s time.
* Microsoft sales data shows Xbox 360 consoles saw a 54% lift week-over-week as a result of “Grand Theft Auto IV,” and retailers are reporting that roughly four out of every 10 Xbox 360 consoles sold included the sale of a copy of “Grand Theft Auto IV.” (Microsoft internal data)
* Beginning this fall, Xbox LIVE will be the only place gamers can go for exclusive “Grand Theft Auto IV” episodes.

“Grand Theft Auto IV” marked the beginning of what promises to be another landmark year for the Xbox 360 platform, with an all-star games line up in 2008 including “Gears of War 2,” “Fable 2” and “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise.” Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months.

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Patrick Garratt

Founder & Publisher (Former)

Patrick Garratt is a games media legend - and not just by reputation. He was named as such in the UK's 'Games Media Awards', the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. After garnering experience on countless gaming magazines, he joined Eurogamer and later split from that brand to create VG247, putting the site on the map with fast, 24-hour a day coverage, and assembling the site's earliest editorial teams. He retired from VG247, and the games industry, in 2017.

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