Since the launch of Xbox 360 Arcade, Microsoft has struggled to keep sales up during the second quarter of the year, according to research firm FADE (Forcasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment). But last April, Microsoft might have figured out how to beat this – a huge sale. According to the numbers, XBLA sales in April 2010 were up 11 percent over last years sale. Add that into the increase of total Arcade sales (7%), bringing the total revenue for the year thus far up to $33.8 million.

With a huge inventory blowout on older games, XBLA grossed over $500,000 just off these titles, with many actually seeing a 200-400 percent increase in sales. Add in a strong lineup of releases like Toy Soldiers, Mega Man 10, Perfect Dark and Battlefield 1943, and Microsoft might have a winning formula, with Toy Soldiers leading the sales for two months even with a 74 percent drop in sales from the first month to the second.

We still have a full month to go before these numbers can be fully analyzed, but with the way things are going, we should be able to expect a few more great sales and new titles.

At time of release, Benjamin Schlichter (Director of Research and Analysis at FADE) made this statement:

“With the second quarter of the year typically being the worst quarter of Xbox Live Arcade revenue, Microsoft has made notable changes to their lineup and pricing strategy. We forecast that due to these changes, significant gains will be made through April, May and June compared to the normally low revenues in prior years.”

FADE Top 10 Estimates for XBLA Revenue, April 2010:

  • Toy Soldiers (Signal Games) – 53,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
  • Trials HD (RedLynx) – 42,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
  • Perfect Dark (4J Games) – 49,000 Units ($10.00 USD)
  • Castle Crashers (The Behemoth) – 29,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
  • Mega Man 10 (Capcom) – 37,000 Units ($10.00 USD)
  • Battlefield 1943 (EA Dice) – 22,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
  • Final Fight: Double Impact (Capcom) – 32,000 Units ($10.00 USD)
  • Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Capcom) – 21,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
  • Family Game Night (Hasbro) – 29,000 Units ($10.00 USD)
  • After Burner Climax (SEGA) – 22,000 Units ($10.00 USD)

Source: FADE