Rentrak has released its list of the top ten videogame rentals of 2008, and despite the economic slump that gripped the second half of the year it turned out to be a pretty good one for Microsoft.
The Xbox 360 share of the game rental market increased substantially in year-over-year figures, jumping from 26.1 percent in 2007 to 36.8 percent in 2008, and also increased the number of spots it held in the top ten, from five titles to seven, including the top five. The Nintendo Wii also saw an increase in its share of the rental market, moving from 7.3 percent in 2007 to 17.1 percent in 2008, and held the remaining three of the top ten 2008 game rentals. Interestingly, only four games in the list were rated M (Mature) by the ESRB.
Left unspoken is the fate of the PlayStation 3, which obviously lost significant ground in the rental market. While it might be possible to spin it as not entirely negative due to the fact that game rentals don’t actually benefit anyone but the company doing the renting, the inescapable truth is that reduced rentals is an all-but-direct indicator of reduced interest in the system.
The full Top Ten Rented Games of 2008 list, based on consumer spending, is as follows:
- 1. Grand Theft Auto IV – Xbox 360
- 2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Xbox 360
- 3. Halo 3 – Xbox 360
- 4. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – Xbox 360
- 5. Army of Two – Xbox 360
- 6. Mario Kart Wii – Wii
- 7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wii
- 8. Fallout 3 – Xbox 360
- 9. Assassin’s Creed – Xbox 360
- 10. Mario Party 8 – Wii
