20.01.2012: BIU Sales Award: Fifa 2012 Most Successful Game of the Year 2011, Christmas Sales Boost Handheld Market

Berlin, 20 January 2012. The Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software e.V. (BIU) and media control GfK INTERNATIONAL are honouring over 50 PC and video games this year with one or more BIU Sales Awards. The BIU Gold Sales Award was presented 51 times for more than 100,000 games sold on a single gaming platform, the 200,000 games sold barrier was exceeded 19 times, resulting in these titles receiving the BIU Platinum Sales Award. A total of 11 games succeeded in selling more than 500,000 units, of which 7 were multi-platform (BIU Multi-Platform Award), and 4 on one gaming platform (BIU Special Prize). FIFA 12 is the most successful game of the year 2011 with well over 1,000,000 million units sold. The football simulation game by Electromic Arts seemlessly followed on from the success of its predecessor and so received, amongst other awards, the BIU Multi-Platform Sales Award for 1,000,000 games sold on various platforms. The game Call of Duty, published in November 2010, also broke the barrier of 1,000,000 games sold, thus receiving the Multi-Platform Award.

Christmas sales boosted the games industry, meaning that almost twice as many BIU Sales Awards were presented this December compared to the same month last year. 25 BIU Sales Awards were registered in December, including Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo), Super Mario Land 3D (Nintendo)and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo) for the Nintendo 3DS, each selling over 100,000 copies and thus receiving a BIU Gold Sales Award. Professor Layton and Der Ruf des Phantoms (Nintendo) both sold more than 100,000 copies and also received BIU Gold Sales Awards from the Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software e.V. (BIU) and media control GfK INTERNATIONAL. On Nintendo Wii, there were also 3 Gold and one Platinum Award. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo), Mario and Sonic bei den Olympischen Spielen: London 2012 (SEGA) and Zumba Fitness (505 Games Ltd) each sold over 100,000 copies, for which they received the BIU Gold Sales Award. Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft) broke the 200,000 mark on Nintendo Wii and therefore received the BIU Platinum Sales Award.

The game Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision Blizzard) sold over 1,000,000 times across several platforms, for which it received the BIU Multi-Platform Award. The Elder Scrolls 5 : Skyrim (Zenimax Europe Ltd) also received the BIU Multi-Platform Award for a total of more than 500,000 units sold across all platforms.

The titles Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros.), Need for Speed: The Run (Electronic Arts) and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Zenimax Europe Ltd) all sold over 100,000 copies on PlayStation 3, for which they received the BIU Gold Sales Award. A BIU Platinum Sales Award on PlayStation 3 went to Sony’s Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations from the House of Ubisoft.

On the Xbox 360, Forza Motorsport 4 (Microsoft) and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Zenimax Europe Ltd) received a BIU Gold Sales Award for selling more than 100,000 copies. Also on the Xbox 360, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision) received a BIU Platinum Sales Award.

On the PC, The Witcher 2 (NAMCO BANDAI Partners Germany GmbH), The Sims: Medieval (Electronic Arts), FIFA 12 (Electronic Arts), Football Manager 12 (Electronic Arts) and Star Wars: The Old Republic (Electronic Arts) all received a BIU Gold Sales Award. ANNO 2070 (Ubisoft), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision), The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Zenimax Europe Ltd) all received a BIU Platinum Sales Award for selling over 200,000 times on this platform.

List of All BIU Sales Awards 2011

BIU Multi-Platform Award for more than 1 million games sold

•    FIFA 12 (EA)
•    Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision Blizzard)

BIU Multi-Platform Award for more than 500,000 games sold

•    Battlefield 3 (Electronic Arts)
•    Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision Blizzard)
•    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
•    Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts)
•    Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
•    The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Zenimax Europe Ltd)
•    FIFA 12 (Electronic Arts)

BIU Special Prize for more than 500,000 games sold on one platform

•    Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty (Activision Blizzard)
•    Wii Party (Nintendo)
•    Gran Turismo 5 (SONY)
•    FIFA 12 (Electronic Arts)

A list of all BIU Sales Awards of the year 2011 you will find here

The BIU Sales Award has honoured the best selling games (full price versions) in the area of interactive entertainment software in Germany since 2008. The basis for the award are the sales figures of games data carriers by media control GfK INTERNATIONAL GmbH. The prize is awarded per gaming platform: For the BIU Gold Award a minimum of 100,000, for the BIU Platinum Award at least 200,000 and for the BIU Special Award at least 500,000 games have to be sold on the German market. Furthermore, games which have achieved a total of 500,000 sold units on different platforms are awarded the “BIU Multiplatform Award”.

Further information
The German Trade Association of Interactive Entertainment Software (BIU) is the interest group for suppliers and producers of entertainment software in Germany. It organizes the interests of the relevant companies in the field of interactive entertainment. As a competent partner for media as well as political and social institutions, BIU answers all questions on subjects relating to computer and video games.

Contact:
Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware e.V.
Rungestrasse 18
D-10179 Berlin
Tel: ++49-30-2408779-0
Fax: ++49-30-2408779-11
www.biu-online.de
Email: presse@biu-online.de