By Martyn Williams
Sales of video game hardware and software were down by around one-third in June compared to the same month last year, according to data released late Thursday. After initially showing positive growth as the U.S. slid into recession, the latest figures mark the fourth month of declines and the largest year-on-year decline in almost 9 years.
"The first half of the year has been tough largely due to comparisons against a stellar first half performance last year, but still, this level of decline is certainly going to cause some pain and reflection in the industry," said Anita Frazier, a games analyst with NPD Group, in an e-mailed statement.
The entire video game market in the U.S. was worth US$1.2 billion in June, down 31 percent from the same period last year, according to NPD Group. Software accounted for more than half the market with sales of $625.8 million, down 29 percent on June last year, while game hardware sales came in at $382.6 million, down 38 percent.
A weak US economy and historically slow summer sales conspired to push North American hardware sales down. Down but not out: Nintendo led the way with robust DS and Wii hardware sales, while the Xbox 360 stayed resilient.
North American hardware sales: June 2009 (NPD Group)
* 1. NDS: 766,500
* 2. Wii: 361,700
* 3. X360: 240,600
* 4. PS3: 164,700
* 5. PSP: 163,500
* 6. PS2: 152,700
Software sales were led by the Xbox 360 version of Radical's open-world game Prototype. EA Sports also enjoyed a strong month led by its Wii Fit competitor EA Sports Active, a strong opening showing for Tiger Woods 10 for the Wii, and a nearly 50/50 sales split between Fight Night Round 4 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
North American software sales: June 2009 (NPD Group)
* 1. Prototype (Xbox 360) 419,900
* 2. UFC 2009: Undisputed (Xbox 360) 338,300
* 3. EA Sports Active (Wii) 289,100
* 4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii) 272,400
* 5. Wii Fit (Wii) 271,600
* 6. Fight Night Rd. 4 (Xbox 360) 260,800
* 7. Fight Night Rd. 4 (PS3) 210,300
* 8. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) 202,100
* 9. Red Faction: Guerrilla (Xbox 360) 199,400
* 10. Infamous (PS3) 192,700
With Nintendo making a strong showing, Cammie Dunaway, NOA's EVP of sales and marketing, offered the following quote:
?More consumers continued to gravitate toward products that offer quality experiences and great value for the whole family....Consumers again selected Nintendo systems for those experiences, particularly our hand-helds.?
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