Notable events of 2008 in video gaming. See also history of video games. The release dates listed in this article are the games' original release dates.
[edit] Events
[edit] Notable releases
- January 31 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the successor to the Nintendo GameCube's best-selling game, Super Smash Bros. Melee,[1][2] was released in Japan for the Wii. The game is a product of a landmark joint cooperation between former rival companies, Nintendo and Sega, along with the help of Konami.[3][4] It is the first Wii game to strongly support online play.[5] It dominated sales during its first week in Japan and the United States, selling 820,000 in Japan and becoming the fastest-selling video game in Nintendo of America's history with 1.4 million sold in the US.[6][7][8]
- April 29 - Grand Theft Auto IV was released simultaneously for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A few Hollywood producers have set precedent by beginning to browse video game release dates to check for conflicts due to Grand Theft Auto IV's potential harm to the May 2, 2008 release of Iron Man.[9] The PS3 and Xbox 360 version has taken the second and fourth positions of Game Rankings' best-rated games of all time, respectively;[10] as well as being the first console game since 1999 to receive a perfect rating from IGN,[11] and the first title to receive a perfect rating from GameSpot since 2001.[12]
- June 12 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PlayStation 3 was released to critical acclaim, earning a 10 out of 10 from both IGN and GameSpot,[13][14] and a 94% Metacritic rating.[15] As of June 26, 2008, the game has shipped 3 million copies worldwide,[16][17] selling 1 million in Europe[18] over 500,000 in Japan,[19] and 1 million in US.[20]
[edit] Business
- July 15 to July 17 - E3 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, United States.
- July 31 to August 3 - QuakeCon 2008 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.
- October 2 to October 4 - Nintendo conference held in San Francisco, USA and Tokyo, Japan.
- December 1 - National Amusements' Sumner Redstone sells his controlling stake in Midway Games to private investor Mark Thomas, for $100,000 ($0.0012 a share), and assumes $70 million of senior secured and unsecured debt.[21]
- December 9 - Infogrames, Atari's parent company, purchases Cryptic Studios.[22]
[edit] Open to the public
[edit] Releases
| Release date |
Title |
Platform(s) |
| January 3 |
Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon |
NDS |
| January 8 |
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law |
PS2, PSP, Wii |
| Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity |
PS2, Wii |
| January 15 |
CSI: Hard Evidence |
Wii |
| Nanostray 2 |
NDS |
| Nitrobike |
Wii |
| January 16 |
Rail Simulator |
Windows |
| January 17 |
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games |
NDS |
| January 21 |
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin |
NDS |
| January 22 |
Burnout Paradise |
PS3, X360 |
| Pirates of the Burning Sea |
Windows |
| January 31 |
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice |
PS3 |
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
Wii |
| We Ski |
Wii |
| February 4 |
Sins of a Solar Empire |
Windows |
| Zoo Tycoon 2 DS |
NDS |
| February 5 |
Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles |
NDS |
| Devil May Cry 4 |
PS3, X360 |
| Turok |
PS3, X360 |
| February 7 |
L the Prologue to Death Note -Rasen no Wana- |
NDS |
| The Club |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| February 8 |
Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None |
Wii |
| February 12 |
Conflict: Denied Ops |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| Dark Messiah of Might and Magic |
X360 |
| Penumbra: Black Plague |
Lin, Windows |
| February 18 |
MX vs. ATV: Untamed |
Wii |
| Need for Speed: ProStreet |
PSP |
| February 19 |
Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard |
NDS |
| The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific |
PS3 |
| February 21 |
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition |
PS3 |
| Space Invaders Extreme |
NDS, PSP |
| February 25 |
Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed |
Wii |
| Frontlines: Fuel of War |
Windows, X360 |
| February 26 |
Lost: Via Domus |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| Turning Point: Fall of Liberty |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| Universe at War: Earth Assault |
X360 |
| February 28 |
The Idolmaster: Live For You! |
X360 |
| The Sims 2: FreeTime |
Windows |
| March 3 |
Bully: Scholarship Edition |
Wii, X360 |
| Major League Baseball 2K8 |
PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360 |
| Super Dodgeball Brawlers |
NDS |
| March 4 |
Army of Two |
PS3, X360 |
| God of War: Chains of Olympus |
PSP |
| MLB 08: The Show |
PS2, PS3, PSP |
| Ninja Reflex |
Wii |
| Silent Hill: Origins |
PS2 |
| March 5 |
Harvest: Massive Encounter |
Mac, Windows |
| Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm |
Windows |
| March 6 |
Yakuza: Kenzan! |
PS3 |
| March 10 |
Worms: A Space Oddity |
Wii |
| March 11 |
Condemned 2: Bloodshot |
PS3, X360 |
| Insecticide |
NDS, Windows |
| Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters |
PS2 |
| The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return |
Wii |
| March 18 |
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars |
Mac |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 |
Wii |
| Sega Superstars Tennis |
NDS, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| Target: Terror |
Wii |
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| March 19 |
Deca Sports |
Wii |
| SimCity DS 2 |
NDS |
| March 20 |
Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia |
NDS |
| Ys I |
NDS |
| Ys II |
NDS |
| March 24 |
Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath |
Windows, X360 |
| March 25 |
Obscure II |
Wii |
| March 28 |
| Dark Sector |
PS3, X360 |
| Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword |
NDS |
| Viking: Battle for Asgard |
PS3, X360 |
| April 1 |
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 |
Wii |
| April 2 |
Star Ocean: Second Evolution |
PSP |
| April 8 |
Assassin's Creed |
Windows |
| Baroque |
Wii |
| Supreme Commander |
X360 |
| April 10 |
Mario Kart Wii |
Wii |
| April 15 |
Ōkami |
Wii |
| Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys! |
NDS |
| April 22 |
Turok |
Windows |
| April 24 |
Valkyria Chronicles |
PS3 |
| April 29 |
Grand Theft Auto IV |
PS3, X360 |
| April 30 |
Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor |
Windows |
| May 2 |
Iron Man |
NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| May 5 |
Crosswords DS |
NDS |
| May 6 |
Boom Blox |
Mobile, Wii |
| Speed Racer |
NDS, Wii |
| May 13 |
Drone Tactics |
NDS |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian |
NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| May 15 |
Luminous Arc 2: Will |
NDS |
| May 17 |
Monster Madness: Grave Danger |
PS3 |
| May 20 |
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures |
Windows |
| May 21 |
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness |
Lin, Mac, Windows, X360 |
| May 23 |
Haze |
PS3 |
| May 27 |
Emergency Heroes |
Wii |
| Enemy Territory: Quake Wars |
PS3, X360 |
| May 28 |
Mass Effect |
Windows |
| May 30 |
Race Driver: GRID |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| June 3 |
Kung Fu Panda |
NDS, PS2, PS3, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures |
NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| Ninja Gaiden II |
X360 |
| Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy |
PS3, X360 |
| June 5 |
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit |
PS3, X360 |
| Fushigi no Dungeon - Furai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri Hime |
Wii |
| The Incredible Hulk |
NDS, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| June 10 |
Don King Presents: Prizefighter |
X360 |
| NASCAR 09 |
PS2, PS3, X360 |
| The Incredible Hulk |
Windows |
| June 12 |
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots |
PS3 |
| June 13 |
Civilization Revolution |
PS3, X360 |
| June 17 |
Supreme Ruler 2020 |
Windows |
| June 19 |
Mario Super Sluggers |
Wii |
| June 20 |
Alone in the Dark |
PS2, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| Top Spin 3 |
PS3, Wii, X360 |
| June 22 |
Guitar Hero: On Tour |
NDS |
| Rock Band |
Wii |
| June 23 |
Battlefield: Bad Company |
PS3, X360 |
| Top Spin 3 |
NDS |
| June 24 |
WALL-E |
NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| Big Beach Sports |
Wii |
| June 25 |
Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm |
X360 |
| June 26 |
Disgaea DS: Prince of the Demon World and the Red Moon |
NDS |
| Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World |
Wii |
| June 29 |
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith |
PS2, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| July 1 |
Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 |
NDS |
| July 3 |
Initial D Extreme Stage |
PS3 |
| Nanashi no Game |
NDS |
| Unreal Tournament 3 |
X360 |
| July 7 |
Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes |
iPod |
| July 8 |
Civilization Revolution |
NDS |
| Devil May Cry 4 |
Windows |
| July 10 |
Resident Evil Zero |
Wii |
| Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 |
PS2 |
| July 11 |
Dynasty Warriors 6 |
Windows |
| July 14 |
Major League Eating: The Game |
Wii |
| July 15 |
NCAA Football 09 |
PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360 |
| Space Chimps |
NDS, PS2, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| July 17 |
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride |
NDS |
| Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi |
PS3 |
| July 24 |
Siren: Blood Curse |
PS3 |
| Wario Land: The Shake Dimension |
Wii |
| July 29 |
MLB Power Pros 2008 |
PS2, Wii |
| Soulcalibur IV |
PS3, X360 |
| July 31 |
Fatal Frame IV |
Wii |
| Phantasy Star Portable |
PSP |
| Rhythm Heaven |
NDS |
| August 1 |
Race Driver: GRID |
NDS |
| August 7 |
Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Ken |
NDS |
| Tales of Vesperia |
X360 |
| August 12 |
Space Siege |
Windows |
| August 13 |
Madden NFL 09 |
NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, XB, X360 |
| August 19 |
Too Human |
X360 |
| August 21 |
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty |
PS3 |
| Sigma Harmonics |
NDS |
| August 22 |
Inazuma Eleven |
NDS |
| August 25 |
MLB Power Pros 2008 |
NDS |
| August 26 |
The Sims 2: Apartment Life |
Windows |
| The Sims 2: Apartment Pets |
NDS |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 |
PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360 |
| August 28 |
Afrika |
PS3 |
| Captain Rainbow |
Wii |
| August 31 |
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames |
PS2, PS3, Windows, X360 |
| September 2 |
Infinite Undiscovery |
X360 |
| Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise |
X360 |
| September 4 |
Blue Dragon Plus |
NDS |
| September 5 |
FaceBreaker |
PS3, X360 |
| S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky |
Windows |
| Spore |
Mac, mobile, NDS, Windows |
| Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise |
NDS |
| September 8 |
NHL 2K9 |
PS2, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| September 9 |
NHL 09 |
PS3, X360 |
| TNA iMPACT! |
PS2, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| September 11 |
One Piece: Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1 |
Wii |
| September 12 |
Crysis Warhead |
Windows |
| September 13 |
Pokémon Platinum |
NDS |
| September 14 |
Rock Band 2 |
X360 |
| September 16 |
Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2 |
Wii |
| Dance Dance Revolution X |
PS2 |
| Star Wars: The Force Unleashed |
NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360 |
| The Witcher: Enhanced Edition |
Windows |
| Pure |
PS3, X360, Windows |
| September 18 |
Dragon Ball: Origins |
NDS |
| Eternal Sonata |
PS3 |
| Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning |
Windows |
| September 22 |
Civilization IV: Colonization |
Windows |
| De Blob |
NDS, Wii, Windows |
| Kirby Super Star Ultra |
NDS |
| SimCity Creator |
Wii |
| September 23 |
Brothers in Arms: Double Time |
Wii |
| Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| Lego Batman: The Video Game |
NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| September 25 |
Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories |
PS3 |
| Cross Edge |
PS3 |
| Disaster: Day of Crisis |
Wii |
| World Destruction: Michibikareshi Ishi |
NDS |
| September 30 |
Silent Hill: Homecoming |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood |
NDS |
| October 2 |
Dynasty Warriors 6 |
PS2 |
| Ikki Tousen: Eloquent Fist |
PSP |
| October 7 |
Crash: Mind over Mutant |
NDS, PS2, PSP, Wii, X360 |
| Fracture |
PS3, X360 |
| NBA Live 09 |
PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360 |
| NBA 2K9 |
PS2, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| October 9 |
Macross Ace Frontier |
PSP |
| October 13 |
Blitz: The League II |
PS3, X360 |
| October 14 |
Dead Space |
PS3, X360 |
| FIFA 09 |
Mobile, NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| Rock Revolution |
NDS, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| Saints Row 2 |
PS3, X360 |
| SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation |
PS3 |
| Golden Axe: Beast Rider |
PS3, X360 |
| Boogie Superstar |
Wii |
| October 16 |
Culdcept DS |
NDS |
| Wii Music |
Wii |
| X3: Terran Conflict |
Windows |
| October 19 |
Rock Band 2 |
PS3 |
| October 20 |
Midnight Club: Los Angeles |
PS3, X360, PSP |
| NHL 09 |
Windows |
| Dead Space |
Windows |
| October 21 |
Bully: Scholarship Edition |
Windows |
| BioShock |
PS3 |
| Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia |
NDS |
| Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3 |
X360 |
| Far Cry 2 |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| Fable II |
X360 |
| Spider-Man: Web of Shadows |
NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon |
NDS, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| NBA 2K9 |
Windows |
| What's Cooking? with Jamie Oliver |
NDS |
| October 26 |
Guitar Hero World Tour |
Mac, PS2, PS3, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| October 27 |
MySims Kingdom |
NDS, Wii |
| October 28 |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 |
Windows |
| Fallout 3 |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| Goosebumps HorrorLand |
NDS, PS2, Wii |
| LittleBigPlanet |
PS3 |
| MotorStorm: Pacific Rift |
PS3 |
| MySims |
Windows |
| October 29 |
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 2 |
Lin, Mac, Windows, X360 |
| October 30 |
Valkyrie Profile: Toga wo Seou Mono |
NDS |
| Thunder Force VI |
PS2 |
| October 31 |
Don King Presents: Prizefighter |
NDS, Wii |
| Quantum of Solace |
NDS, PS2, PS3, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| November 3 |
Legendary |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| November 4 |
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm |
PS3 |
| Tom Clancy's EndWar |
NDS, PS3, PSP, X360 |
| Resistance 2 |
PS3 |
| November 7 |
Gears of War 2 |
X360 |
| Men of War |
Windows |
| Sacred 2 Fallen Angel |
Windows |
| November 11 |
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts |
X360 |
| Call of Duty: World at War |
NDS, PS3, Wii, Windows, X360, PS2 |
| Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 |
X360 |
| FaceBreaker |
Wii |
| Mirror's Edge |
PS3, X360 |
| WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 |
Mobile, NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360 |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels |
Wii |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance |
NDS |
| Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff |
NDS |
| November 12 |
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 |
PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| November 13 |
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King |
Windows |
| November 14 |
Football Manager 2009 |
Windows, Mac, PSP |
| November 16 |
Animal Crossing: City Folk |
Wii |
| Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe |
PS3, X360 |
| Shaun White Snowboarding |
PS3, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| November 17 |
Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades |
NDS |
| Skate It |
NDS, Wii |
| November 18 |
Alone in the Dark: Inferno |
PS3 |
| Ultimate Band |
NDS, Wii |
| Castlevania Judgment |
Wii |
| Left 4 Dead |
Windows, X360 |
| Need for Speed: Undercover |
Mobile, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| Sonic Unleashed |
PS2, PS3, Wii, X360 |
| Tomb Raider: Underworld |
NDS, PS2, PS3, Wii, Windows, X360 |
| Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party |
NDS, Wii |
| Naruto: The Broken Bond |
X360 |
| November 20 |
The Last Remnant |
X360 |
| November 25 |
Chrono Trigger |
NDS |
| Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force |
NDS |
| November 27 |
Patapon 2 |
PSP |
| Rune Factory Frontier |
Wii |
| December 1 |
Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon |
X360 |
| December 2 |
Prince of Persia: The Fallen King |
NDS |
| Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars |
Wii |
| Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi |
NDS |
| Grand Theft Auto IV |
Windows |
| Prince of Persia |
PS3, X360 |
| Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories |
PS2 |
| December 4 |
Rygar: The Battle of Argus |
Wii |
| December 9 |
Prince of Persia |
Windows |
| December 11 |
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero |
NDS |
| December 16 |
Rise of the Argonauts |
PS3, Windows, X360 |
| December 18 |
Dissidia: Final Fantasy |
PSP |
| Suikoden Tierkreis |
NDS |
| Tales of Hearts |
NDS |
| December 25 |
White Knight Chronicles |
PS3 |
| RIZ-ZOAWD |
NDS |
[edit] Hardware and software sales
- See also: List of best-selling game consoles and List of best-selling video games
[edit] Canada
Video game console sales in Canada (first seven months of 2008)[24]
| Place |
Console |
Units sold |
| 1 |
Wii |
376,000 |
| 2 |
PlayStation 3 |
200,000 |
| 3 |
Xbox 360 |
154,000 |
Video game console sales in Japan (March 31, 2008 to September 28, 2008)[25][26]
| Place |
Console |
Units sold |
| 1 |
PSP-1000 and PSP-2000 |
1,583,731 |
| 2 |
Nintendo DS and DS Lite |
1,314,919 |
| 3 |
Wii |
1,105,174 |
| 4 |
PlayStation 3 |
352,457 |
| 5 |
Xbox 360 |
138,740 |
Best-selling video games in Japan (March 31, 2008 to September 28, 2008)[25][26]
Best-selling video games of 2008 in Japan (December 31, 2007 – December 21, 2008)[27][28]
| Place |
Title |
Platform |
Publisher |
Units sold |
| 1 |
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G |
PSP |
Capcom |
2,507,400 |
| 2 |
Pokémon Platinum |
NDS |
Pokémon |
2,125,348 |
| 3 |
Wii Fit |
Wii |
Nintendo |
2,024,113 |
| 4 |
Mario Kart Wii |
Wii |
Nintendo |
1,973,089 |
| 5 |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
Wii |
Nintendo |
1,808,709 |
| 6 |
Rhythm Heaven |
NDS |
Nintendo |
1,320,047 |
| 7 |
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride |
NDS |
Square Enix |
1,228,014 |
| 8 |
Kirby Super Star Ultra |
NDS |
Nintendo |
724,608 |
| 9 |
Animal Crossing City Folk |
Wii |
Nintendo |
709,640 |
| 10 |
Wii Sports |
Wii |
Nintendo |
694,765 |
[edit] United States
Video game console sales in the US (first six months of 2008)[29]
| Place |
Console |
Units sold |
| 1 |
Wii |
3.5 million |
| 2 |
PlayStation 3 |
1.6 million |
| 3 |
Xbox 360 |
1.34 million |
Best-selling video games in the US (first ten months of 2008)[30]
- Based on figures from the NPD Group via IGN;[31][32] the games' publishers are listed in brackets:
Best-selling video games of 2008 in the US (by platform)a[›]
^ a: In the IGN articles used as sources, IGN lists the titles as the "Top 10 Sellers in 2008"; however, the IGN articles were published on December 9–12, 2008, so the articles might not take into account November and December sales figures, as the NPD Group did not release November's console game sales figures until December 11, 2008.[38]
- Based on figures from the NPD Group:
Best-selling console games of all time in the US (as of May 1, 2008)[39]
