Video Game Sales Decline
U.S. sales of video game hardware, software and accessories totaled $1.27 billion in September with software sales falling 6 percent and hardware sales down 9 percent, NPD said.
Last September's numbers were bolstered by the highly anticipated release of the popular "Halo 3" game, resulting in a 75 percent increase from September 2006. This September, there was no such blockbuster. The top selling game was LucasArts' "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed," which debuted in September, with 610,000 units for the Xbox 360, 325,000 units for the PS3, and 223,000 units for the Wii.
In terms of hardware, Nintendo's Wii outsold its competitors combined: 687,000 units in September. Xbox 360 sold 347,200 units last month, compared with Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 console sales of 232,400.
Four games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 best-selling games of the month, including Wii Fit at No. 2 with nearly 518,000 sold; Mario Kart Wii at No. 4 with more than 353,000 sold, Wii Play at No. 7 with nearly 243,000 sold and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for Wii at No. 8 with more than 223,000 sold.