US retail videogame sales hit their lowest level since October 2006 last month, according to market research firm NPD Group.
The nation's retailers saw sales fall 26 per cent year on year, from 2010's $961.3 million to $707.7 million. Every sector of the market saw declines, but the steepest falls were in sales of hardware, which slumped 29 per cent, and software, which fell 30 per cent.
The month's best-selling game was NCAA Football 12, ahead of Cars 2 and the indefatigable Call Of Duty: Black Ops. Zumba Fitness didn't quite replicate its outstanding UK performance - where it has been number one for eight weeks in a row - but was the seventh-best selling game of the month.
There was even bad news for Microsoft, with Xbox 360 suffering its first year-on-year decline in sales since December 2009. That, however, can largely be explained by last July being the console's third-best month of the year thanks to the launch of the Xbox 360 slim.
Despite the declines at retail, NPD analyst Anita Frazier expects the industry as a whole to have grown by the end of the year. "We have measured some remarkable growth in other ways that consumers are acquiring content, including digital sales of full games and add-on content, mobile games, and social network gaming.
"Growth in these areas, combined with a flat to modest decline in new physical sales, should result in 2011 showing growth over 2010."
Frazier expects August's results to be similar, with software sales to fall significantly following the delay to EA's Madden NFL 12.
Comments
1The economy is in the tank. I would say they're all doing quite well considering they're selling something people don't need.