After six straight months of double-digit declines, US video game sales finally saw an improvement last month.
But the rebound was much more muted than analysts had hoped, a sign that the recession has cut deep into consumer spending on interactive entertainment. Even recent console price cuts weren’t enough to push hardware dollar sales higher year-over-year.
Market researcher NPD Group on Monday reported a 1 percent increase in sales of video game hardware, software and accessories last month compared with the same month last year. The total came to US$1.28 billion. Year-to-date sales were down 13 percent.
Hardware sales dropped 6 percent to US$472.3 million. For the first time since its launch three years ago, Sony Corp’s PlayStation 3 sold more units than both the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Corp’s Xbox 360.
“This portrays a very strong consumer reaction to the price decrease, as August and September both realized a lift of more than 70 percent over the prior month,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier of the PlayStation 3’s performance.
Sony cut the price of the PlayStation 3 by US$100 in August.
Microsoft also slashed the Xbox 360’s price by US$100 that month, and Nintendo cut the Wii’s price for the first time since its 2006 launch by US$50 late last month. The average retail price of console hardware declined 8 percent from September last year.
The top-selling gaming platform was still the handheld Nintendo DS, for the sixth month in a row.
Microsoft’s Halo 3: ODST was by far the month’s best-selling game. It helped push software sales 5 percent higher, to US$649.3 million, still well below what many analysts expected. David Magee of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey forecast an increase in the low double digits. Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter expected a 21 percent jump.
Both The Beatles: Rock Band and Guitar Hero 5 were among the top 10 best-selling games, along with Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort and Madden NFL 10 for the Xbox 360.
Shares of GameStop Corp fell US$0.30 to US$27.86 in after-hours trading.
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