Port Washington, N.Y. – U.S. video game sales rebounded in
April, up 20% to $961.2 million from $802.4 million a year ago, according to a
report from market research firm NPD Group. Sales of game hardware were up 12%,
to $279.9 million; Microsoft said it sold 297,000 Xbox 360 units during the
month. “New physical retail sales of hardware, software and accessories
showed notable growth in April versus last year. A 17% increase in unit sales
translated into over 20% dollar growth due to higher average retail
prices,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.
Game software sales rose 26% in
April, to $503.2 million.
“Easter purchasing occurred in April this year as
opposed to March last year. The Easter timing shift could explain about $60
million of the growth, but even accounting for that shift, sales of new
physical product realized a notable increase versus last year,” NPD’s Frazier
noted.
The top-selling game in April was Warner Bros. Interactive’s
“Mortal Kombat 2011,” which sold just under 900,000 units.
Other big
sellers in April included Electronic Arts’ “Portal 2,” and LucasArts’
“Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.”
Related Links:
http://www.npd.com
