Nin-ten-do.com

According to Gamasutra, GTA; Chinatown Wars on the DS sold 74,000 copies in its second month on sale in North America. Analysts were disappointed with the games launch sales of 89,000 units in March, however this news could bolster Nintendo’s statement that Wii and DS games have a more ‘long-tail’ sales model compared to traditional games, in other words they sell more consistently over a longer period compared to selling a large amount on release with quickly declining sales.

This brings the overall sales total to 163,000 units, still below that of original estimates from games analyst Jesse Divnich. In addition the steady second month sales of Chinatown Wars could also be partly due to Best Buy knocking the price down to $19.99. Either way let’s hope that sales stay strong for the game as it deserves to sell well.

Rockstar’s handheld masterpiece Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has failed to capture the sales of the mature DS audience. Unit sales are massively below expectations of 200,000 to 400,000 in North America at a measly 89,000. Fans of the game that were holding out for a follow-up will now be disappointed as this news surely knocks a nail into that coffin. There is always hope that sales will gain momentum, however that is quite unlikely. Read more…