I thought that this info was good enought to make it in the big five. The NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track Limited and Enterbrain, have come together to put together the top five sale games of this year, so far. Three Nintendo only games out of five makes up for not having the number one spot, in my opinion. Check after the jump for the press relase.

LEADING MARKET RESEARCH FIRMS JOIN FORCES TO PROVIDE FIRST MULTI-CONTINENT VIEW OF VIDEO GAME SOFTWARE SALES

New Report Provides Comprehensive View of Global Video Games Sales in World’s Largest Games Markets

NEW YORK, TOKYO, LONDON, August 21, 2008 – Leading providers of consumer and retail information in the video games industry, The NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track Limited and Enterbrain, Inc., today announced the release of Top Global Markets Report, the first report to integrate point-of-sale (POS) data for video game software sales in the world’s largest games markets.

The leading games information sources in the U.S, U.K. and Japan – the largest games markets in the world – have joined forces to provide the gaming industry with a single source for sales data providing detailed insight into what’s happening in these important markets.

Top Global Markets Report gives the video game industry the ability to equip itself with a monthly report that provides jointly-contributed, title-level video games software sales by country. Data can be viewed as an integrated total market view or as side-by-side country comparisons.

“The video games business has become increasingly global, with the majority of the publishers releasing games in multiple markets,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “The U.S, as the world’s largest market will be able to view and compare sales for the first time outside of their own market.”

The report allows users to track titles, unit sales and share, as well as dollar sales and revenue share in order to quickly respond to shifts in the marketplace. It gives users the ability to know the market and competitors across countries in order to analyze and respond to global gaming market trends.

“We are excited to be working more closely with NPD and Enterbrain,” said John Pinder, Managing Director, GfK Chart-Track Limited. “This partnership represents a great opportunity to benefit not only our clients but the industry as a whole by providing a comprehensive, industry-supported view of sales across the three largest video game markets,

“We are very grateful to start such a valuable service and alliance with NPD and GfK Chart-Track Limited,” said Hirokazu Hamamura, President, Enterbrain, Inc. “This service gives us the ability to better help game publishers and developers by providing them with a more global view of market performance.”

Year-to-Date* Top 5 Video Game Titles
Top Global Markets Report
Ranked By Units**

Rank Title Total US UK Japan
1 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV 6,293,000 4,711,000 1,582,000 —
2 SUPER SMASH BROS: BRAWL 5,433,000 3,539,000 213,000 1,681,000
3 MARIO KART WII 4,697,000 2,409,000 687,000 1,601,000
4 WII FIT 3,604,000 1,433,000 624,000 1,547,000
5 GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK 3,475,000 3,037,000 412,000 26,000

Source: Top Global Markets Report / Retail Tracking Service
*Jan.-July 2008
**Unit sales figures rounded

Methodology
Information in this report is based on POS data that comes directly from the leading games sales data providers in each country covered by this report.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com/