Videogame sales lift 37% in May
Wii still leading on hardware side
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 6/12/2008
JUNE 12 | Videogame industry sales maintained their impressive pace in May, rising 37% over the same month last year to hit $1.12 billion, according to NPD.
All individual game segments enjoyed double-digit bumps as well. Hardware rose 34% to $428.6 million; software, up 41% to $536.9 million; and accessories, up 30% to $150.8 million.
The Wii continues to far exceed monthly sales of other next-generation consoles, generating 675,100 in unit sales. Runners-up were PlayStation 3 with 208,700 units sold and Xbox 360 with 186,600 in unit sales.
Handhelds Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable sold 452,600 units and 182,300 units, respectively.
This overall momentum bodes well for the entire year’s outlook for the gaming business, NPD analyst Anita Frazier said.
“The U.S. videogames industry has generated $6.6 billion in sales so far this year, which exceeds total 1997 annual revenue,” said Frazier. “The industry is on pace to achieve revenue in the $21 billion to $23 billion range for 2008."
Year-to-date, the entire industry has lifted 32% over the same five-month frame in 2007.
On the software side, Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 was the top title in May, selling 871,300 copies. The rest of the Top 5, in descending order, were Wii Mario Kart (787,400), Wii Fit (687,700), Grand Theft Auto IV for the PS3 (442,900) and Wii Play (294,600).
