The PSP is a system that one doesn’t usually expect to see performing well in terms of software sold outside of Japan. Given the relatively slow hardware sales and ease of piracy on the device — although, Sony have taken countermeasures against this of late — the wide assumption is that PSP market is a hotbed of illegally-obtained software.
Even Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which released earlier in the year, failed to chart in the NPD top-ten. That’s why seeing Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep at #6 for the month of September is an impressive sight.
The difference, however, is that the NPD Group doesn’t provide data on digitally-downloaded games. While Peace Walker was also made available for download on the PlayStation Network, Birth by Sleep remains a physical retail release only.
In case you’re wondering, the last PSP game before Birth by Sleep to chart in the NPD top-ten was also a Square Enix title. It was Dissidia: Final Fantasy, which charted at #7 with 130,000 units in August 2009.
Other interesting candidates include Capcom’s Dead Rising 2 at #3 and Metroid: Other M at #9. The NPD Group doesn’t provide sales numbers to the public any more, however, so it’s impossible to tell how each of these games sold.
| Rank | Title | System | Publisher |
| 01. | Halo: Reach | 360 | Microsoft |
| 02. | Madden NFL 11 | PS3, 360, Wii, PSP, PS2 | Electronic Arts |
| 03. | Dead Rising 2 | PS3, 360, PC | Capcom |
| 04. | NHL 11 | PS3, 360 | Electronic Arts |
| 05. | Fifa Soccer 11 | PS3, 360, DS, PSP, PS2 | Warner Bros. |
| 06. | Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep | PSP | Square Enix |
| 07. | Mafia II | PS3, 360, PC | Take Two |
| 08. | Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions | PS3, 360, Wii, DS | Activision Blizzard |
| 09. | Metroid: Other M | Wii | Nintendo |
| 10. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | PS3, 360, PC | Activision Blizzard |
