Video Game Sales Slide 17 Percent In April

The video game market, which has been somewhat resilient throughout the recession, suffered its second consecutive month of falling sales.

For April, the video game industry posted revenue of $1.03 billion, a 16.6 percent drop from the $1.24 billion it achieved in April 2008, The NPD Group said. For April 2009, hardware sales were roughly $392 million, software and game sales were about $511 million and video game accessories sales were $129 million, The NPD Group said.

Along with being down year over year, monthly sales slid 30 percent sequentially in April, down from $1.43 billion in March.

NPD analyst Anita Frasier cautioned in a statement that while it appears the video game market has softened, "it's important to remember that April is being compared against a month -- April 2008 -- that realized nearly 50 percent growth over April 2007."

Frazier was also quick to point out that April's video game sales marked the second-best April on record, with console sales down just 5 percent. She attributed the rest of the revenue drop to reduced "average selling prices."

In April, the Nintendo DSi was the big seller, pushing more than one million units in the month, while sales of nearly every other game console dropped compared to the year before.

Nintendo DS units (including DSi) sold 1.04 million compared to the 414,800 one year prior, according to The NPD Group. The Wii sold 340,000 units in April 2009, a drop from the 714,200 it sold in April 2008. Other popular consoles also lost traction in April 2009. Sales of the Sony PSP fell to 116,000 from 192,700 a year ago; Xbox 360 sales dropped from 188,000 o 175,000 year over year; and sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 slipped from 187,000 in April 2008 to 127,000 in April 2009. Sales of Sony's PlayStation 2, however, rose to 172,200 in April, up from 124,400 the same month a year ago.

"I think the introduction of the DSi just captured a lot of folks' attention for the month," Frazier said.

While the Nintendo Wii's more than 50 percent sales slide is the most significant drop, Frazier said the numbers can be deceiving.

"It is important to remember that last April [2008], Wii hardware sales were fueled by two huge new titles: Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart," she said in the statement. "Taking that into account, Wii unit sales are still very strong."

Additionally, April 2008 saw hot new games released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, including Grand Theft Auto IV, which boosted sales for the month.

In April 2009, Frazier said, no comparable hot video game titles were released that could recapture the high sales of one year ago.