April NPD Numbers (according to us)

Our PR and Marketing teams have released details on the National Purchase Diary numbers for April. Here, through the miracle of copy and paste, is the alert that was sent out earlier today:

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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 Piata: Trouble in Paradise.”  Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months.

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What is pretty amazing is that GTA IV rocked everyone and it was released at the very end of the reporting period.

Here is Joystiq’s look at the numbers, while Kotaku has their take on them here.

Sorry, no gratuitous photo clip-art here…you are all creative enough to insert your favorite crying baby or high five JPG using your minds.