While it shouldn't shock me given the overexposure of any PS3-exclusive title in GAF or the fact that GT5 represents really the only remaining bullet in Sony's gun to avoid an inevitable third place finish to Wii & X360 this gen, I am still amused by the focus on GT5's sales potential MONTHS before it ships this November (provided that THIS release date holds).
That being said, I have no doubt that Gran Turismo 5 will sell better than it will review (critically it may struggle to even outperform last year's Need for Speed SHIFT).
So here is a list of prominent titles that "could" be sales relevant this November. GT5 will benefit from having the entirety of NPD's November tracking period available if it ships on November 2nd.
Where will GT5 finish for the month when stacked up against the competition?
(Keep worldwide sales totals out of the discussion... this is an NPD thread.)
AVAILABLE - New Super Mario Bros. Wii
AVAILABLE - Wii Fit Plus
9/14 - Halo Reach
9/16 - Disney's Epic Mickey
10/12 - Just Dance 2
10/12 - Medal of Honor
10/19 - Fallout: New Vegas
10/26 - Fable III
10/26 - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
10/31 - Rock Band 3
October? - Wii Party
11/2 - James Bond: GoldenEye
11/4 - Kinect LAUNCH Titles (Dance Central, Kinect Adventures!, Kinectimals)
11/9 - Call of Duty: Black Ops
11/16 - Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
11/16 - EA Sports Active 2.0
11/16 - Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
11/23 - LittleBigPlanet 2
November? - Donkey Kong Country Returns
November 2009 (for reference):
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360) / Infinity Ward, Activision / 4.20 million
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) / Infinity Ward, Activision / 1.87 million
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) / Nintendo / 1.39 million
4. Assassin's Creed II (Xbox 360) / Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft / 794,700
5. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) / Valve, Electronic Arts / 744,000
6. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) / Nintendo / 720,200
7. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) / Nintendo / 697,000
8. Assassin's Creed II (PS3) / Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft / 448,400
9. Dragon Age: Origins (Xbox 360) / BioWare, Electronic Arts / 362,100
10. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) / Nintendo / 315,000
Recent launch month performance (for reference):
Forza Motorsport 3 (October 2009, 175K)
Need for Speed SHIFT (September 2009, 300-400K combined)
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (April 2008, 224K) ... it failed to chart in the Top 20 in May