Andre Yoskowitz
2 Jul 2010 12:14
The NPD Group has released their latest U.S. video game industry sales figures, and unsurprisingly the industry was down again for the month of May.
Overall sales fell 5 percent year-over-year (YoY), with hardware dragging the numbers down with a 20 percent plummet. Software, on the other hand, rose 4 percent for the period.
Sales of software, hardware and accessories fell to $823.5 million, hardware fell to $241.5 million, and software rose to $466.3 million.
Software was given a big boost by Red Dead Redemption, which sold 1.51 million units for the month. Super Mario Galaxy followed at 563,000 units sold.
On the hardware side, the normally strong DS and Wii sales were sluggish, and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 continued their sluggish 2010 pace. The PSP practically fell off the map, having one its slowest months in history.
Says lead NPD analyst Anita Fraizer: "Console hardware unit sales are, in fact, flat to last year. Declines in sales result from a lower average selling price this year compared to last. The portable hardware category contributed the most to the decline in hardware sales for the month, yet the DS is the best-selling hardware system for May."
Numbers via GameSpot:
OVERALL DOLLAR SALES
Games: $823.5 million (-5%)
Hardware: $241.5 million (-20%)
Software: $466.3 million (+4%)
Accessories: $115.7 million (+3%)
HARDWARE SALES
DS: 383,700
Wii: 334,800
Xbox 360: 194,600
PlayStation 3: 154,500
PSP: 59,400