Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Small Business

    Video Game Sales Took Another Hit in July, Report Says

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    August 15, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Long touted as one of the most recession-proof markets, the video game industry is currently feeling the continued effects of the economic downturn. Market research company NPD Group issued a depressing report in July concerning steep June video game sales declines, then announced that sales dropped even more dramatically in July, falling below even the pessimistic estimates of industry analysts.

      The NPD Group said video games sales in July followed a now five-month long decline in industry figures, with sales falling 24 percent from the same period in 2008, to $848.8 million. NPD analyst Anita Frazier cautioned in a statement that although year-to-date results are weak, there are some major titles set for release over the next several months, including the popular NFL football title “Madden” in August, which are likely to give the industry a much-needed boost in sales.

      NPD also said sales of gaming systems and consoles fell to $280.9 million, representing a 37 percent drop from the same period last year. Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter told the AP the numbers were worse than he had predicted, though he too felt the industry was poised for a turnaround-if the console makers can entice consumers. “We need hardware to turn around or the industry is going to be in trouble,” Pachter told the news agency.

      While the numbers were dismal, Nintendo once again managed to stay on top of the competition: The gaming company’s handheld DS player, which retails for around $130, sold 538,900 units. Nintendo’s popular console system, the motion control-based Wii, was the second-best-selling gaming device in July, racking up 252,500 sales. The Wii led sales in June, moving 362,000 units and holding onto its spot as the best-selling console for the 21st (now 22nd) consecutive month. The third best-selling device was Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which sold 202,900 units, down from 240,600 in June. Sony’s pricey PlayStation 3 console/Blu-ray player saw sales decline steeply to 121,800 units, down from 164,700 units in June.

      Software sales also dropped sharply to $437 million, a 26 percent drop compared with the same period last year. Once again, Nintendo led software sales with its “Wii Sports Resort” title and bookending the top five best-selling games with “Mario Kart,” originally released in April 2008. Frazier suggested that several titles, including a Beatles version of the popular music game “Rock Band” and a new chapter in Microsoft’s “Halo” saga, should result in a more stable industry ecosystem.

      As noted, NPD Group had reported a steep drop in hardware and software sales in the month of June, the worst year-over-year monthly decline since September 2000. According to NPD Group, video game software and hardware sales in the United States plunged $1.17 billion, or 31 percent, in June. Hardware sales fell 38 percent to $382.6 million, while software sales dropped 29 percent to $625.8 million. Video game accessory sales also declined by 22 percent in June.

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×