Ben-DutkaNo offense to EA Sports or anything, but any month where two versions of NCAA Football 11 top the charts is a slow one for the industry. Don't get mad, EA; we're just making a point…besides, we like your game .
Anyway, even though July proved to be a pretty uninteresting month from a gamer's standpoint, it was a good one from an analyst/business standpoint. This is because despite the prediction that July would see another steep decline, July turned out to be almost flat, falling only 1% in the year-over-year comparison. If you look at the hardware, that section actually saw a 12% increase and for one of the first times since September of 2007 (when Halo 3 launched), the Xbox 360 claimed the top spot with 443,500 units sold. Unsurprisingly, the introduction of the new slim 360 along with a $50 price drop for older versions helped it to beat out the Nintendo DS (398,400) and the Wii (253,900). The PS3 sold 214,500 while the PSP moved only around 84,000 units.
Software fell 8% to $403.3 million for the month, although the aforementioned NCAA Football 11 dominated the charts. Accessories fell 2%. Other games high on the monthly chart were Crackdown 2 , Super Mario Galaxy 2 , and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 . For Sony's part, they note that the PS3 enjoyed its 12th consecutive month of year-over-year growth, and there are currently 13 million PS3 systems in US homes. And actually, those 214,500 consoles sold in July represent a 76% increase compared to July 2009, and PS3 sales are up 45% year-to-date (Jan-July 09 vs. Jan-July 10). Said Patrick Seybold, SCEA Senior Director of Corporate Communications:
"With the holidays just around the corner, there’s no question the critical role video games will play to drive consumer interest and entertainment spend this season. We know consumers are looking for more reasons to gather in their living rooms and are looking for content options that are compelling, relevant and offer fun for the entire family. PlayStation is the best company to deliver this total entertainment solution for every consumer. We’re also amply prepared to feed the consumer demand with new innovations like PlayStation Move coming next month, and unbelievably realistic 3D gaming experiences like Gran Turismo 5, in addition to anticipated games such as LittleBigPlanet 2 and EyePet coming later this holiday."
