Top Ten Wii Games of '08 Drives Major Sales

According to a Gamasutra interview with NPD analyst Michael Klotz, the top ten SKUs for the Wii drove 44 percent of the sales for the whole platform in 2008.  The noteworthy proponents in these sales are games like Mario Kart Wii, Wii Play, and Wii Fit, all Nintendo-made.

When bringing the importance of the top games to the platform to light, Klotz noted, "There were 432 titles available in the market for the Wii... strictly retail. You're looking at 422 titles that are competing for the remaining 56 percent of the sales."

This trend seems to spike on the Wii, but isn't limited to Nintendo's home console.  According to Gamasutra,  NPD data shows that "in 2005, the top 20 SKUs accounted for 11 percent of the total unit sales.  In 2008, the top 20 SKUs accounted for 18 percent of the total unit sales."

After letting the data sink in, many can question the origins of this trend.  While some may feel that with those seeking refuge in the shade of franchises they frequently buy into (such as Madden) cause this sales spike for few games, it is noteworthy that 2008 saw a considerable amount of new IPs.

Klotz does help put the situation in a sales-oriented perspective, when saying, "You're really seeing that those top hits are the most important thing in the industry. And getting into that top-tier release is more important than ever before."

Gamasutra (via Kotaku)