As per the released report by Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment, LLC (FADE), the Xbox Live Arcade marketplace saw a reduction of 23% in gross revenue when compared to April, but also realized a favorable 30% increase compared to May 2009.
FADE estimates that gaming revenue on Xbox Live Arcade reached $5.8 million USD in the month of May, compared to $7.6 million USD in April - a drop of 23%. Despite the drop, May has always been Xbox Live Arcade's worst month, as represented by a paltry, estimated $4.5 million USD gross last year. Year to date estimates stand at $39.7 million USD - up 10% from this point last year.
Microsoft also broke records on the number of titles released during May. 10 new titles were released during the month - which is the most during 2010 by a wide margin (February saw 6 new releases, and every other month has seen 5). May 2010 ranks as the 3rd most prolific month on record for XBLA, with only June and September 2009 seeing more releases.
"Microsoft has continued to work with product strategies, and content lineups for Xbox Live Arcade, which has resulted in strong growth for the platform this year. For the past 3 months, major changes have been made to Xbox Live Arcade which has resulted in 28% year-on-year growth since March." said Benjamin Schlichter, Director of Research and Analysis at FADE.
New titles did well during the month, with 'Metal Slug XX' leading the way with an estimated 21,000 units sold at $15.00 USD. 'Doom 2' outsold Metal Slug XX in terms of units, but not revenue, realizing 24,000 units sold at $10.00 USD during the week of tracking available on the market. Shoot-em-up renovation 'RayStorm HD' also did well, selling an estimated 14,000 units at $15.00 USD. Despite all the new releases, a familiar favorite 'Trials HD' was the top title of the month, selling an estimated 31,000 units at $15.00 USD. FADE estimates that Trials HD is nearing the elite million seller category, and will join exclusive company with 'Castle Crashers', 'Battlefield 1943' and 'UNO'.
FADE Top 10 Estimates for May 2010, by Revenue:
- 1. Trials HD (RedLynx) - 31,000 downloads
- 2. Toy Soldiers (Signal Studios) - 27,000 downloads
- 3. Castle Crashers (The Behemoth) - 24,000 downloads
- 4. Metal Slug XX (SNK Playmore) - 21,000 downloads
- 5. Doom 2 (id Software) - 25,000 downloads
- 6. Battlefield 1943 (EA Dice) - 15,000 downloads
- 7. Raystorm HD (Taito) - 14,000 downloads
- 8. Rocket Knight (Konami) - 13,000 downloads
- 9. Magic: The Gathering (Stainless Games) - 18,000 downloads
- 10. Perfect Dark (Rare/4J Games) - 17,000 downloads
FADE is a strategic market research and consulting firm focused on electronic entertainment and the emerging download and mobile game markets. With very little information currently available in these markets, FADE allows smaller developers to investigate these new potential sources of revenue and make informed business decisions moving forward. Currently, FADE produces monthly and annual reports for Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, WiiWare & Virtual Console, and mobile markets including iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry. For more information, please visit http://www.fadellc.com.
