xbox live summer of arcade logo

Even the casual observer has probably noticed by now that August is a special month for Xbox Live Arcade Games (XBLA). This year saw the third annual Summer of Arcade promotion with titles such as Limbo, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Castlevania Harmony of Despair, Monday Night Combat and Lara Croft: Guardian of Light. All of which, we highly recommended.

This lineup not only brought in critical acclaim but strong sales success, as market research group FADE reports that XBLA generated approximately $ 17.5 million in revenue. That number is a 6% increase over last year’s August, breaking all records for the service.

Nine downloadable games are estimated to have passed the half a million mark in sales, with Monday Night Combat the overall leader at $2.8 million and 187,000 in unit sales for August. Limbo led the lineup for overall sales numbers.

Clearly the XBLA platform is growing. We can’t wait to see what happens in the coming months. Now to go buy more points for Microsoft’s Game Feast Promotion.