Report: U.S. Video Game Sales Down 5% to $19.3 Billion in 2010

Port Washington, N.Y. – U.S. video game sales declined for
the second straight year in 2010, with total spending on hardware, software and
accessories down 5% to $19.3 billion, according to a report from market
research firm NPD Group. Spending on all game software content was flat in
2010, coming in at an estimated $15.4-$15.6 billion. "This year, declines
in portable and console game sales were offset by new physical PC game sales,
which increased by 3%, and increases in the consumer spend occurring via
digital download, mobile gaming apps, social network games, and used
games," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Microsoft’s (NASD:  MSFT) Xbox 360 was the only
hardware system to see a year-over-year sales increase in 2010; in December,
the company sold a record 1.86 million units.

However, the Nintendo DS was the
best-selling hardware system in December, and now counts an installed base of
47 million units sold in the U.S. — surpassing the PlayStation 2.

The
top-selling game in December was Activision Blizzard’s (NASD:  ATVI) "Call of Duty:
Black Ops," was has now sold more than 12 million units across all
platforms — more than twice as many as the second best-selling title of the
year, Electronic Arts’ (NASD:  ERTS) "Madden NFL 11," NPD noted.

Among PC games, "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" and "Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty" were the best-selling titles of 2010, together accounting for 14% of all PC game sales.

Related Links:
http://www.npd.com