2010 the biggest year in Xbox history

By Robert Purchese Published 14 January, 2011

"It's official," cheers Microsoft.

Five years after the 360 arrived, Microsoft has crowned 2010 as the biggest year in Xbox history.

Milestones reached: 50 million worldwide Xbox 360 sales, 30 million Xbox Live users, eight million Kinect sensors sold.

"The debut of Kinect and smash-hit games like Fable III and Halo: Reach drove Xbox to the biggest year in its history in 2010," the company blurted.

Last night, US December results showed Xbox 360 rampant with 1.9 million sales. Microsoft acknowledges this to be "our biggest month ever".

What's more, MS tells us "more money was spent on Xbox 360 than any current generation console in 2010" - presumably because the Kinect price is so high, boom tish - and that Xbox 360 was "the fastest-growing console in 2010", with 42 per cent year-on-year growth (to sales, not to the size of the machine - odd).

Helping Xbox 360 deliver such a barn-storming performance during December were three games in particular - each representing Microsoft's machine in the US top 10: Call of Duty: Black Ops, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Kinect Sports.

Meanwhile, Aaron Greenberg, chief of staff for Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, tweeted to reveal that Kinect games Kinect Sports and Dance Central had each sold a million units in the US, describing them as "breakout hits".

Looking ahead to 2011, Microsoft ringed upcoming blockbuster Gears of War 3 as well as Kinect-focused experiences Hulu Plus and Avatar Kinect.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (26) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • 00.00.01 #1 1 year ago

    Hmm. Isn't that the way most businesses target their anual growth. Every year should be better than the previous one. Am pretty sure that the PS3 and Wii can also claim that 2010 was their biggest year in history.
    .
    Slow clap, nevertheless.

  • Xardan #2 1 year ago

    Thats great for them but what about us gamers? With such continued success i hope the xbox division doesnt settle into complacency.

  • Cronan #3 1 year ago

    Blurted? Are you mad?

  • Dave52 #4 1 year ago

    "Hulu Plus and Avatar Kinect" - paddy29 is excite.

  • Goodfella #5 1 year ago

    paddy, get back under your bridge, idiot.

  • BuddyChrist #6 1 year ago

    touched a few nerves paddy.

  • Shikasama #7 1 year ago

    Piracy is killing this industry I'm telling you. Killing it dead.

  • Goodfella #8 1 year ago

    @Buddy

    Read the rest of his drivel in other articles.

  • Xieldos #9 1 year ago

    Gears 3....is that it?

  • NotSoSlim #10 1 year ago

    @Paddy

    US doesn't buy a sim racer shock horror. Forza will have the exact same issue next Xmas.

  • darkmorgado #11 1 year ago

    Great!

    Can we have some games then?

  • Dave52 #12 1 year ago

    "Gears 3....is that it?"

    Yes... Sorry.

  • Dizzy #13 1 year ago

    The 360 has not had a price cut in years. I expect MS to use that in 2011 to further boost sales (end of the year?). Wii and PS3 are declining, so they will probably opt for price cuts as well. 2011 a good year for gamers?

  • NotSoSlim #14 1 year ago

    Please paddy pure nonsense. You think Sony or PD care? The game was paid for by prologue so all sales are profit.

    Let's see if Forza sells 5m first and yes I like Forza and will buy it.

  • byakuya83 #15 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 10:03:41 30-03-2012

  • Goodfella #16 1 year ago

    Well done paddy, I wager it took you a while to find that, whereas ALL of your posts are troll worthy.

  • DjFlex52 #17 1 year ago

    Joystiq says the PS3 outperformed 360 two years running for the month of December.

    Why the comments about PS3 sales declining?

    @byakuya83

    This EG article is for NPD only...Joystiq is talking about WW.

  • Dizzy #18 1 year ago

    "Joystiq says the PS3 outperformed 360 two years running for the month of December. "

    In what happy rainbow planet would that be?

  • Olemak #19 1 year ago

    Dizzy: probably the world outside the US and UK. In every other market, the PS3 has outsold the Xbox.

    The ps3 slim was launched In late 2009, so it makes sense thal it sold well this and last xmas.

    Ding! and gratz to Xbox tho! I hope they Will sell at least another 50 million units this generation.

  • sol1du5snak3 #20 1 year ago

    For what its worth, most analysts think PS3 will overtake Xbox 360 in consoles sold in 2011.

    Not that I care either way, neither of them are gona catch the Wii, even if sales are declining.

  • mcmonkeyplc #21 1 year ago

    Go SDF GO!

    Comeuth the hour comeuth the tards.

  • Dave52 #22 1 year ago

    Spelt "cometh"... well done you.

  • alimokrane #23 1 year ago

    Well they sure have something to brag about here, I must admit. a >40% YoY increase is incredible. I guess, the console was indeed supply constrained, it wasnt all PR spin... The Wii, even though is down YoY quite massively, it's still selling like hot cakes so Ninty have nothing to feel bad about. Sony, on the other hand, must CUT the price ,like now, if they want to have any impact in 2011.

  • charming_fox #24 1 year ago

    i'd buy a ps3 if they EVER DROP THE F*CKING PRICE... sorry.

  • Kaminari #25 1 year ago

    Isn't it a bit sad that the two main titles of the 360 were Black Ops and Brotherhood, two games that actually sold more numbers on the PS3? When I think of worthwhile 2010 exclusivities on Xbox, I can only think of Halo 4 -- and it's not the best episode in the franchise. Alan Wake was a disappointment and I'm not interested in Gears of War. That doesn't leave much to remember of.

  • MDL199 #26 1 year ago

    @Dizzy

    As others have said the PS3 is a worldwide console and has grown everywhere bar Yankland.

    The 360 is a US focused console which is why unlike Sony they won't bother giving free stuff to non US gamers like iPlayer and such like.

    Also, look at the price difference for MS points 2100 cost us £17.99 yet the Yanks only pay the equivalent of £12 odd. That's some mark up!

    And another thing I read somewhere when playing on Live hosting is always switched to an American user by default even if everyone else in the game is outside the States. I don't know if that's true but i've always found my reactions faster on games such as COD on PSN rather than Live.
    Edited by MDL199 at 14/01/11 @ 17:03