Analyst: XBLA Doubled Annual Revenue in 2012

A handful of strong titles push Microsoft’s online marketplace to record sales highs.

According to a gaming analyst firm, Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade has reached a record high for annual revenue in 2012, doubling the previous year’s result with a grand total of $290 million.

Forecasting & Analyzing Digital Entertainment LLC (FADE), a “strategic market research and consulting firm focused on electronic entertainment”, compiled an estimated list of the top ten XBLA titles in terms of gross revenue. The list was overshadowed by a few standout titles. Trials Evolution recorded over 1 million purchases at an estimated $14.3 million, while TellTale Games’ interactive zombie drama The Walking Dead shambled not too far behind, moving 2.6 million units and generating more than $10 million.

Minecraft convincingly claimed the number one spot, with just under 5 million units sold and more than $97 million in revenue.

The top ten XBLA titles of 2012 in terms of gross revenue, as estimated by FADE:

1. Minecraft (4J Studios) – 4,997,000 Units / $97,388,000
2. Trials Evolution (RedLynx, LTD) – 1,002,000 Units / $14,298,000
3. The Walking Dead (TellTale Games) – 2,615,000 Units / $10,277,000
4. Counterstrike: GO (Valve) – 273,000 Units / $3,973,000
5. Castle Crashers (The Behemoth) – 252,000 Units / $3,778,000
6. Gotham City Impostors (Monolith Productions) – 258,000 Units / $3,698,000
7. I Am Alive (Ubisoft) – 245,000 Units / $3,609,000
8. Tony Hawk’s PS HD (Robomodo) – 226,000 Units / $3,261,000
9. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (Remedy Entertainment) – 206,000 Units / $2,903,000
10. Trials HD (RedLynx, LTD) – 203,000 Units / $2,799,000

Source: FADE