XBLA games rivalling retail 360 sales in Australia

Microsoft says Worms 2 and Battlefield 1943 would have topped the retail charts on their release.

We often get to hear about sales figures for games sold at retail, but it's rare to get any concrete sales info on games released digitally. Just how well are these downloadable games selling?

According to a Microsoft Australia, speaking to Kotaku AU at a recent Xbox press event, in many cases Xbox LIVE Arcade games have outsold retail releases.

Kotaku AU reports that Microsoft's Summer of Arcade promotion would have created five Top 10 entries in the Australian retail sales charts, had downloadable game sales been included. Microsoft has already stated that Shadow Complex was purchased over 200,000 times in its first week. Furthermore, Worms 2 and Battlefield 1943 would not only have made the retail Top 10, but topped the chart.

While Microsoft is comparing the sales of games priced around £10 with those around £40, it's still a good indication that well promoted digital download games can achieve very solid sales.