The retail sale of video game hardware, software and accessories in the U.S. dropped 24 percent in September, a report from market research firm NPD Group said Thursday.
Video game sales fell from $1.11 billion last year to $848 million in September. The biggest slide was in hardware sales that saw a decline of 39 percent. Software sales fell by 18 percent, while sales of accessories were down 11 percent, the NPD Group report stated.
The sale of Nintendo Wii U beginning Nov. 18 should boost the sales of video game hardware, said NPD analyst Liam Callahan. He also added that it might get better with "momentum heading into the holiday season." He estimated that consumers have probably spent around $1.6 billion on games in the month of September.
Analysts like Doug Creutz of Cowen & Co. predicted an even sharper drop of 28 percent. Decline of video game sales continues for the 10th consecutive month, The Associated Press reported.
Though there has been a sharp rise in mobile phone-based games, it's not been able to compensate for the decline.
NPD also said that Madden NFL 13 from Electronic Arts was the top-selling title of the month. This was followed by Take 2 Interactive Software's Borderlands 2 and EA's FIFA Soccer 13.
Callahan said that Madden NFL 13 sold 11 percent more than its previous edition Madden NFL 12. In its very first week, Madden sold 1.65 million units, EA reported earlier this month, while Borderlands 2 sold 1.48 million units in September, Game Informer said.
The best-selling titles list for September is:
1. Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV)
2. Borderlands 2 (360, PS3, PC)
3. FIFA Soccer 13 (360, PS3, PSV, Wii, 3DS, PSP)
4. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)
5. Guild Wars 2 (PC)
6. NHL 13 (360, PS3)
7. World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (PC)
8. NCAA Football 13 (360, PS3)
9. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Wii, 360, NDS, PS3, 3DS, PSV, PC)
10. Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)
(Courtesy: IGN)
