The NPD figures for July ’10 are out, and this month seems to have been really good for the developers and publishers. With the combined US sales of non-PC game software, hardware, and accessories decreasing by just 1 % to $846.5 million, the analysts, who were predicting sales in the US to be on an all time low this year, were surprised.
The hardware sales saw a 12 % increase in sales, when compared to those of July 2009, with the earnings of $313.8 million, handhelds and consoles put together.
Also, it looks like the Xbox 360 has regained the momentum it had lost in the past few months. After becoming the highest selling console in June, and second highest selling system overall (second to the DS; check the full figures here), the Xbox 360 has taken a step further, and has become the highest selling system of July in the States, according to the newly revealed NPD figures. With a 443,500 units sold, it has topped even the DS and the Wii, which sold 398,400 units and 253,900 units respectively. In fourth place was the PlayStation 3, with 214,500 units sold, and the PSP tail-ended the list with just 84,000 units.
These strong Xbox 360 sales can probably attributed to the newly released Xbox 360 S and the newly invoked $50 discount on previous Xbox 360 models. Also, we’re pretty sure the looming release of Halo: Reach and the casual-friendly Kinect have been attracting a lot of players to Microsoft’s home console.
As opposed to the hardware sector, where the sales were on the higher sides when compared to the figures for the same time last year, the software sales saw a drop of 8 %, with sales worth of $403.3 million for July. NCAA Football 11, EA’s recently released Football sim, took the first and second places- the Xbox 360 version sold a total of 368,000 units and topped the charts, while the PS3 version came second with sales of 298,800 units sold. Crackdown 2 was in third place, surprisingly enough, and seemed to be coming along pretty impressively with sales of 193,000 units. Super Mario Galaxy 2 was close behind, finishing in fourth place.
Here are the entire sales figures:
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
1. NCAA Football 11
System: Xbox 360 | Publisher: EA | Sales: 368,000
2. NCAA Football 11
System: PS3 | Publisher: EA | Sales: 298,800
3. Crackdown 2
System: Xbox 360 | Publisher: Microsoft | Sales: 193,000
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2
System: Wii | Publisher: Nintendo | Sales: 193,000
5. LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4
System: DS | Publisher: Warner Bros. | Sales: 141,700
6. Red Dead Redemption
System: Xbox 360 | Publisher: Take-Two Interactive | Sales: NA
7. LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4
System: Wii | Publisher: Warner Bros. | Sales: NA
8. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky
System: DS | Publisher: Square Enix | Sales: NA
9. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
System: Wii | Publisher: Nintendo | Sales: NA
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
System: Xbox 360 | Publisher: Activision | Sales: NA