The past six months have seen sales of the videogame industry sliding each month, however, the latest data from US tracking firm NPD Group shows that sales increased by 1% to $1.28 billion in September.

Software sales soared by 5% to $649.32 million while accessories also recorded a 2% increase to $157.33 million. Hardware sales were the only category to suffer a decline this month, dropping 6% to $472.28 million, suffering after the prices of all three consoles were slashed. According to NPD Analyst Anita Frazier, “The industry managed a modest increase over September 2008, and generated the second bestselling September on record after 2007 when Halo 3 released and sold over 3 million copies that month.”

“On a unit sales basis, the industry was flat. The increase in revenues is driven by a rise in average retail prices in all categories with the exception of console hardware in which the average retail price decreased 8% from last September.”

PS3 outsells Wii, 360

The Nintendo DS remained the best-selling console in the US for September with 524 200 units, now having topped the hardware sales for six consecutive months. However, the big news of the month was that the PS3 outsold not only the Xbox 360 but also the Wii, taking over the top spot in console hardware sales for the first month. The PS3 finished second with 491 800 units, placing it ahead of the Wii in third place with 462 800 units.

The Xbox 360 followed with 352 600 units, the PSP with 190 400 and the PS2 with 146 000. Frazier commented “All three console manufacturers enjoyed the impact of lower prices on unit sales as the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 realized an increase over August of 87%, 33%, and 31% respectively, on an average sales per week basis (keeping in mind September was a 5-week month compared to 4-weeks in August).”

“Compared to last September, the PS3 was the big winner, more than doubling last year’s sales. This portrays a very strong consumer reaction to the price decrease as August and September both realized a lift of more than 70% over the prior month. This is the first month that the PS3 has captured the top spot in console hardware sales.”

Halo 3: ODST tops

Halo 3: ODST dominated the software chart, taking the number one spot with 1.52 million copies. Frazier believes that “Halo 3 certainly impacted the industry two years ago (Sep’07) when it was launched, and this year, Halo 3: ODST realized impressive sales making it the 6th best-selling SKU launch of all time. Five of the top 10 software items for the month were on the Xbox 360 platform.”

Wii Sports Resort followed with 442 900 copies while Madden NFL 10 for the Xbox 360 dropped to third place with 289 600 copies and the PS3 version fell to sixth with 246 500 copies. Frazier was quick to comment “Madden NFL 10 made up some ground this month. Although when launched in August the game sold 19% fewer units than its predecessor a year prior, with a second month of sales in, that deficit has been reduced to 13%, which bodes very well for the title through the holiday season.”

The Beatles: Rock Band trumps Guitar Hero 5

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story was new at number 4 with 258 100 copies while The Beatles: Rock Band also debuted strongly this month. The Xbox 360 version of The Beatles: Rock Band sold 254 000 copies to claim fifth while the Wii version occupied tenth with 208 600 copies.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 also sold well in its first month, taking the number 8 spot with 236 000 copies while Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PS3 stuck it out in the Top 10 at number 8 with 212 500 copies. The Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero 5 debuted at number 9 with 210 800 copies.

Speaking of the Rock Band/Guitar Hero battle, Frazier commented “We know all eyes are going to be on the Rock Band and Guitar Hero sales since the music/dance genre has been so closely followed by many this year. Both titles captured a spot in the top 10 for the month and at the item level, across all platforms, The Beatles: Rock Band came in third behind Halo 3: ODST and Madden NFL 10 while Guitar Hero 5 came in fourth. The Beatles: Rock Band achieved this level of success with an average retail price premium of 130% to the average retail price for software overall. The sales of Rock Band and Guitar Hero led the music/dance genre to a 72% dollar sales increase over September 2008.”

US Videogame Industry Totals for September 2009

Below is a list of the category, followed by the total and the change in brackets.

• Video games - $1.28 billion (+1%)
• Video games hardware - $472.28 million (-6%)
• Video games software - $649.32 million (+5%)
• Video game accessories - $157.33 million (+2%)

Hardware Sales for September 2009

• Nintendo DS – 524 200
• PS3 – 491 800
• Wii – 462 800
• Xbox 360 – 352 600
• PSP – 190 400
• PS2 – 146 000

Top Ten Software Sales for September 2009

• Halo 3: ODST (Microsoft, Xbox 360) – 1.52 million
• Wii Sports Resort with Wii Motion Plus (Nintendo, Wii) – 442 900
• Madden NFL 10 (EA, Xbox 360) – 289 600
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (Nintendo, NDS) – 258 100
• The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games, Xbox 360) – 254 000
• Madden NFL 10 (EA, PS3) – 246 500
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (Activision, Xbox 360) – 236 000
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos, PS3) – 212 500
• Guitar Hero 5 (Activision, Xbox 360) – 210 800
• The Beatles: Rock Band (EA, Wii) – 208 600

(Figures include Collector’s Edition and non-hardware bundles)

Source: NPD