Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is 2010's Best Selling Game in Just 31 Days

October 21st, 2010 - As per the Research & Analysis divsion of analyst firm Forecasting & Analyzing Digital Entertainment, LLC (FADE) gaming on Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) continued its record-setting pace in September, with 43% year-on-year growth, at $12.1 million USD. The gross is down from August's massive $17.5 million USD, but still retains incredible margins during a month that usually begins a weak period starting in September, and continuing through November when publishers focus on traditional retail content.

Leading the way was Capcom's Dead Rising 2 prequel, 'Dead Rising 2: Case Zero'. The title is a unique blend of Arcade, downloadable content, and marketing genius. Since its release on August 31st of this year, it has garnered 448,000 unit sales, beating all other titles during the year. It powered the September records by selling 362,000 units sold at $5.00 USD during the month. Other new titles were also represented, as PopCap's PC/iPhone smash hit 'Plants vs. Zombies' sold 96,000 units during the month. According to FADE, the smash title has sold approximately 1.3 million copies between Xbox Live Arcade, Steam, and iPhone platforms, including the HD version found on iPhone.

Summer of Arcade titles were also well represented in the top 10. Four of the five titles were in the top ten, with 'LIMBO' continuing its stellar run, adding another 56,000 units sold at $15.00 USD per unit. Only WB Games' 'Hydro Thunder' missed the top 10, at #14. Ubisoft movie adaptation 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World' was also featured as a notable top 10, dropping 38% from last month, with 49,000 units sold during the month. The retro beat-em-up has sold 271,000 units between both PSN and XBLA, life to date.

"'Dead Rising 2: Case Zero' may be the story of the year." said Benjamin Schlichter, Director of Research & Analysis at FADE. "Publishers seeking additional streams of revenue should take heed of the exemplary job done by Capcom in bringing 'Case Zero' to market, and seek to emulate its success by releasing a quality title with unique content at a great value proposition."

Microsoft Changing Deployment Strategies, Seeing Success

As noted in the September report, Microsoft has rarely seen great success during September. Seen as the month of hangover, after 'Summer of Arcade', as few titles have performed spectacularly during the month. As per FADE's September report, they believe that Microsoft has repositioned their deployment schedule to correct the sales slump, which yielded just $21 million dollars in revenues during the 3 month period in September. "According to early reports, Microsoft's 'The Game Feast' has done incredibly well, and the market is looking to finish well above last year's cume during the period".


Top 10 Titles for September 2010, Ordered by Gross Revenue:

1. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (Capcom) - 362,000 units (400 Microsoft Points)
2. Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games) - 96,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)
3. LIMBO (Playdead) - 56,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)
4. Monday Night Combat (Uber Entertainment) - 44,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)
5. Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light (Crystal Dynamics) - 38,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)
6. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Ubisoft) - 48,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)
7. Trials HD (RedLynx, LTD) - 31,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)
8. Shank (Klei Entertainment, Inc) - 30,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)
9. Castle Crashers (The Behemoth) - 25,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)
10. Castlevainia: Harmony of Dispair (Konami) - 25,000 units (1200 Microsoft Points)

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 https://fadellc.com.