Xbox 360 tops charts as US game sales drop 1% in July - NPD

Many analysts predicting another steep decline in July US game industry sales got a pleasant surprise today, when NPD reported that revenues were virtually flat year-over-year. For the period running from July 4 to July 31, combined US sales of non-PC game software, hardware, and accessories sank just 1 percent to $846.5 million.

The most robust sector was hardware, which actually saw a 12 percent increase versus the same reporting period last year, with a total of $313.8 million worth of consoles and handhelds sold. Unlike in virtually every other month since Halo 3 launched in September 2007, the Xbox 360 was the top-selling platform, with 443,500 units sold.

The introduction of the slimline Xbox 360--and the discounting of the older 360 models by $50--was a major factor in its sales surge, allowing it to beat the DS's 398,400-unit haul and the Wii's 253,900-unit total. In fourth was the PlayStation 3 with 214,500 units, followed by the PSP with just 84,000 units.

Meanwhile, software sales were down 8 percent to $403.3 million for July. NPD's top 10 was dominated by Electronic Arts' NCAA Football 11, which took first place on the 360 with 368,000 units and second on the PS3 with 298,800 units. The 360-exclusive Crackdown 2 came in third with 208,800 units, followed by returning Wii favorite Super Mario Galaxy 2 with 193,000 units. Rounding out the top five was Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 with 141,700 units.

NPD no longer provides figures for the bottom half of its monthly top 10 chart, but the 360 edition of Red Dead Redemption managed to lasso sixth place, followed by the Wii iteration of Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4. In seventh was Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS), followed by New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the 360.

JULY 2010 US GAME SALES

OVERALL DOLLAR SALES
Games: $$846.5 million (-1%)
Hardware: $313.8 million (+12%)
Software: $403.3 million (-8%)
Accessories: $129.3 million (-2%)

HARDWARE SALES
Xbox 360: 443,500
DS: 398,400
Wii: 253,900
PlayStation 3: 214,500
PSP: 84,000

TOP 10 GAMES (by SKU)
Title / Platform / Publisher / Release Date / Units sold
1. NCAA Football 11 / 360 / Electronic Arts / July-10 / 368,000
2. NCAA Football 11 / PS3/ Electronic Arts / July-10 / 298,800
3. Crackdown 2 / 360 / Microsoft/ July-10 / 208,800
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 / Wii / Nintendo / May-10 / 193,000
5. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 / DS / Warner Bros. / Jun-10 / 141,700
6. Red Dead Redemption / 360 / Take-Two / May-10 /
7. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 / Wii / Warner Bros. / Jun-10
8. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies / DS / Square Enix / July-10
9. New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Wii / Nintendo / Nov-09
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 / 360 / Activision / Nov-09

Source: The NPD Group