Video game sales were down by 23 percent in May, according to the latest data from NPD Group. The bright spot of the report is the ongoing domination by Nintendo, whose hardware and associated games outsold the competition by nearly 2 to 1.
As CNET's Lance Whitney reported, "NPD blamed most of the decline on the lack of blockbuster games rather than the weak economy. The report noted that last year's sales were boosted by the launch of popular software titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV. Nintendo's Wii Fit also was a hot commodity in 2008."
While there are a wealth of new games coming in 2009, including what appear to be some winners for PS3 and Xbox, Nintendo platform games made up just shy of 50 percent of the top 10 sales in May:
- UFC 2009 Undisputed(THQ) Xbox 360 - 679,600
- Wii Fit(Nintendo) Wii - 352,800
- EA Sports Active(EA) Wii - 345,800
- UFC 2009 Undisputed(THQ) PS3 - 334,400
- Infamous(Sony) PS3 - 175,900
- Pokemon Platinum(Nintendo) DS - 168,900
- Mario Kart(Nintendo) Wii - 158,300
- Punch Out!!(Nintendo) Wii - 156,900
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged(Activision) Xbox 360 - 120,700
- Wii Play(Nintendo) Wii - 109,800
Total other vendor software: 1,310,600
Nintendo also remains strong in the console business, with sales of the Nintendo DS and Wii nearly doubling the competition.
- Nintendo DS: 633,500
- Wii: 289,500
- Xbox 360: 175,000
- PlayStation 3: 131,000
- PlayStation 2: 117,000
- PSP: 100,400
New games, including a few blockbusters, would certainly alter the scenery a bit.
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