Slump deepens for video game sector
2013-03-15 22:11
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Washington - US video game sales extended their decline in
February with a 25% monthly drop compared with a year ago, according to an
industry tracker.
NPD Group said on Thursday that total sales of hardware,
software and accessories were $810m in February, down from $1.09bn 12 months
earlier.
Video game hardware sales were down a whopping 36% despite
the launch late last year of the new version of Nintendo's Wii console and PS
Vita from Sony.
NPD said Microsoft's Xbox 360 was the top-selling device
for the 19th consecutive month.
But analyst Liam Callahan said much of that decline is
being offset by games in other formats, including digital subscriptions and
mobile gaming apps.
"These sales figures represent new physical retail
sales of hardware, software and accessories, which account for roughly 50% of
the total consumer spend on games," he said.
Adding in digital format sales, subscriptions, mobile
apps and social network games, he said total consumer spending on the sector in
February would be around $1.2bn.
The top selling game in the month was Dead Space 3, a
third-person shooter game available on the Xbox, PlayStation and PC.
- SAPA
