Video Game Sales Statistics Show a Slump
It seems that the current economic downturn has affected virtually all industries including the video game industry. Statistical reports have shown that video game sales as well as the sale of game software and equipment in the United States have fallen by 16% to about 908.7 million in August of 2009. This is a fall in sales for 6 consecutive months. This is evidently as a result of consumers cutting down on spending. It is expected however that recent console cuts by the giants Sony corporation and Microsoft Corporation will give the video game industry a boost in sales in the coming months. So what do the statistics show per each game console?
According to one analyst in the video game industry, these drops came in as expected and have not been a major surprise for game console manufacturers. It is expected that the slowing video game sales will create a storm for sales in the coming months as the holiday season picks momentum. While the industry sales are down 14% in the first 8 months across the United States, Nintendos Wii continues to retain its position as the best selling video game console in the United States. Nevertheless, a 38% drop in its video game sales resulted in a total sale of 277, 400 units. Number 2 on the list was Microsofts Xbox 360 and at number 3 was Sonys Playstation 3. While there have been drops in sales, the Xbox is the only console that seems to have shown some growth this year with a 17% rise in sales.
As it would have been expected, Playstation 3 experienced a price slash of $100 and is now available at $299 since August. Microsoft made a similar move afterwards later by lowering its high-end Xbox console to price it $299. What about the video game sales themselves? Madden NFL 10, the franchise of Electronic arts was the best selling game of August 2009 which sold 1.9 million units. Electronic Arts seem to sailing on smooth seas as analysts expect that The Beatles: Rock Band which is distributed by Electronic Arts could break the 1.9 million mark and sell at least 2 million units in its first month of release. However, the gaming industry continues to be optimistic and the trend of an economic comeback will likely give the industry further reason to keep their heads up. After all, in an economic downturn, video games are not a necessity.
