Videogame sales up 19% in 2008
Software climbed 26%, hardware 11%
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 1/15/2009
JAN. 15 | Videogame sales slowed during the final weeks of 2008, but the business still lifted 19% over 2007 to score $21.33 billion in record-breaking annual revenue, according to the NPD Group.
Wii Play was the top selling videogame title of 2008.
Back in October, NPD had been projecting year-end sales would top $22 billion. However, the first part of the year trumped the latter half in sales, after the U.S. economy slid deeper into a full-blown recession.
Annual hardware sales rose 11% to $7.81 billion. Software climbed 26% to $10.96 billion. Accessories jumped 14% to $2.57 billion.
Overall, NPD analysts say videogames were very healthy in 2008, especially considering the current retail environment. In December alone, videogame revenue increased 9% to $5.29 billion, the first month that total videogame revenue has topped $5 billion, according to NPD. During the entire year of 1997, videogame revenue totaled $5.1 billion.
“While industry growth has not continued at the blistering pace we saw during the second and third quarters, December's 9% increase over last December brings the year in 19% ahead of last year and sets a new record in total industry sales,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier said.
There was no change this year with Wii’s clear console dominance. In December, the system sold 2.15 million units, beating runners-up Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, at 1.44 million and 762,000 units sold, respectively.
Among the handhelds, Nintendo DS won out at 3.04 million units sold, over PlayStation Portable’s 1.02 million.
Wii proved strong in software as well, claiming the Top 4 best-selling 2008 game titles: Wii Play (moving 5.28 million units), Mario Kart (5 million), Wii Fit (4.53 million) and Super Smash Bros: Brawl (4.17 million).
Rounding out the Top 10 were Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360), Call of Duty: World at War (360), Gears of War 2 (360), Gears of War 2 (PS3), Madden NFL 09 (360) and Mario Kart (Nintendo DS).
