Jesse Divnich, Director of Analytical Services with Electronic Entertainment
Design and Research (EEDAR), has issued a new report on the impact of multiplayer gaming on video game sales at retail. He breaks it down by looking specifically at the three major consoles. Not too surprisingly, because the Xbox 360 has been a leader in online gaming, multiplayer seems to have a great effect on sales for Microsoft's platform.

For the Xbox 360, implementing both offline and online multiplayer features in games produces "significantly greater retail sales than offering just one or no type of multiplayer," according to EEDAR.

"This is an interesting trend; video games are often portrayed by society as an outlet that discourages social interactivity," commented Divnich. "The Xbox 360, however, a market primarily consisting of veteran gamers, overwhelmingly prefers a plethora of social features in their games. While it may be a stretch to say that hours of gibbing on Halo 3 somehow strengthens one's interpersonal skills, the data does point to the popularity of games that offer interactive social components."

While the Wii has far fewer games that offer online play, games that offer offline multiplayer have shown higher retail sales. Wii games that do have online multiplayer components, however, such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Guitar Hero III and Mario Kart Wii, have done well and have helped raise the unit sales average, notes EEDAR. "While online multiplayer is a new feature for the Wii, we believe that this is an indication of an emerging trend; we suggest that publishers take this opportunity to begin adding an online multiplayer component in their Wii titles," said Divnich.

Looking at Sony's PS3, EEDAR found that games with only an offline multiplayer component have seen "lackluster sales." Furthermore, titles with online, both or no multiplayer components have "near the same average sales," the report indicated.

"We attribute this to the PS3's high cost of entry (its hardware price), as consumers who enjoy social features in their games likely purchased on of the other two cheaper home consoles," explained Divnich. "Gamers that prefer games with both multiplayer components likely went with the Xbox 360, while fans of offline multiplayer games (living room socialites) most likely bought a Wii. Publishers, however, should expect a more competitively priced PS3 in the coming years in addition to upgrades on the PSN network. This will likely increase the market share in both the mainstream and veteran markets. Long-term, we expect data trends on the PS3's multiplayer features to be similar to the current trends on the Xbox 360."