U.S. video game sales for May were down 14 percent, coming in at $743.1
million, according to sales from NPD Group. While the firm said that May's
numbers represented the lowest recorded monthly retail performance in years,
NPD analyst Anita Frazier cautioned that the figures did not include
digital sales numbers.
"Keeping in mind that these sales figures represent just the new
physical portion of the market for video game hardware, software, and
accessories and not the growing portion of the industry that is comprised of
digital format content distribution”
During May, Microsoft had the best-selling home console, selling
270,000 units in the U.S. Frazier added that the Xbox 360 contributed around 34
percent of revenues year-to-date, which includes hardware, software, such as
Kinect at retail. Kinect and other factors have helped Microsoft gain 7 share
points over last year. The Firm said that video game hardware generated $228.9 million during May
which was down 5 percent from the year before. But even though video game
hardware sales have declined, it did not impact Sony and Microsoft sales during
the month. The combined sales of the PS3 and Xbox 360 were up 28 percent.
The top ten games - retail sales only across all platforms including PC -
for the month of May were:
1. L.A. Noire (Xbox 360, PS3)
2. Brink (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
3. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Wii, Xbox 360, DS, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC)
4. Portal 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
5. Mortal Kombat 2011 (PS3, Xbox 360)
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PC)
7. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3)
8. NBA 2K11 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, PC)
9. Just Dance 2 (Wii)
10. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC)