It turned out to be another big holiday season in the videogame world, as GameStop has officially released its numbers for the nine-week period ending December 30. And clearly, they had a very Merry Christmas.
GameStop/EB sales surpassed $1.7 billion during the period, which is a 29% increase over the same period in 2005. Now that's some growth.
"Without question this holiday season was one of the most successful ever for GameStop," said R. Richard Fontaine, GameStop Chairman and CEO. "I am particularly pleased with the robust sales of hardware systems, even in the face of ongoing shortages of PlayStation 3 and Wii… We have never had a holiday season with more hardware choices or more accessory options, and perhaps what is most encouraging is that, we are seeing a broader base of customers enjoying the gaming experience than ever before."
As for software, the top-selling titles were- Final Fantasy XII , Gears of War , Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess , Guitar Hero II , and WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007 . This is more good news, as all major platforms (sans PC) are represented on the list, with one each exclusive to the PS2, Xbox 360, and GC/Wii, and one multiplatform. Of course, it doesn't appear there were enough PS3s on the market for any of its titles to crack the top five, but we do know that both Resistance: Fall of Man and Ridge Racer 7 did very well.
Considering that 29% increase, perhaps we can expect similar good news from the Big 3 themselves when they get around to releasing their 2006 statistics…
