NEW YORK, N.Y. - U.S. retail sales of video-game hardware, software and accessories fell for a sixth consecutive month in May.
According to market tracker NPD Group, sales fell 28 per cent from a year earlier to $517 million. The study tracks sales of new physical products — about 50 per cent to 60 per cent of the total spending. Excluded are sales of used games and rentals as well as digital and social-network spending.
Sales of console and portable software — the video games themselves — fell 32 per cent from a year earlier to $255 million, while sales of hardware fell 39 per cent to $139 million. That was offset partly by a 7 per cent increase in sales of accessories, to $122 million.
NPD also listed the top-selling games in May and said it was the first time since July 2010 that a PC-only game was a top seller for the month.
The top 10 are:
1. "Diablo III" for PCs, Activision Blizzard Inc.
2. "Max Payne 3" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PCs, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
3. "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Ubisoft Group.
4. "Prototype 2" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Activision Blizzard Inc.
5. "NBA 2K12" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, PCs, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
6. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PCs, Activision Blizzard Inc.
7. "Sniper Elite V2" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, 505 Games
8. "Battlefield 3" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PCs, Electronic Arts Inc.
9. "Dragon's Dogma" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Capcom USA
10. "Just Dance 3" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Ubisoft Group.
Microsoft Corp. makes the Xbox 360, Sony Corp. makes the PlayStation devices and Nintendo Co. makes the Wii.
