November NPD: Black Ops Reigns, Monthly Records Broken

The NPD numbers are in for November and only one guess which game topped the software list.

But the best news is that it turned out to be the best November on record; the NPD Group has reported a monthly earning total of $2.95 billion, which is a 9% increase in overall sales of non-PC hardware, software and accessories. The previous best November came in 2008, but we beat it by around $30 million last month, and the Nintendo DS and Call of Duty: Black Ops were a big part of that upswing.

The DS sold more than any other platform, coming in at 1.5 million units and although Sony didn't release hardware numbers for the PS3 or PSP, we know the Xbox 360 was the best-selling console hardware system for November. Accessories were up the highest, thanks to PlayStation Move and Kinect popularity; revenues in this category jumped 69% to $413.3 million. Software sales rose 4% to $1.46 billion and of course, we have to remember about that $650 million debut week for Call of Duty: Black Ops .

Black Ops , by the way, is now the 7th best selling video game in US history, coming in at 8.4 million retail units in the US. The blockbuster accounted for 1/4 – that's 25%, people – of all US software units sold in November. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood came in second in the software category, and Gran Turismo 5 cracked into the Top 10 even though it was only available for one week at the end of the month.

And although we don't have hard figures from Sony, they did provide a few stats with their standard statement: firstly, PS3 hardware sales continue to increase month over month (up 112%), and secondly the PS3 had a 5% increase in year-to-date sales in November. Said Patrick Seybold, SCEA Sr. Director of Corporate Communications:

"This holiday season PlayStation celebrates, along with the video game industry, as NPD reports a 9% year over year industry increase in overall dollar sales. The early blockbuster success of PlayStation Move has undoubtedly helped to pave the way for us as we head into 2011. The library of hard core and social gamer titles currently on the store shelves (EyePet, Get Fit with Mel B, Gran Turismo 5, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, SingStar Dance) as well those to come (Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, LittleBigPlanet 2, Twisted Metal, Killzone 3) will only continue to solidify our place in the living room.

In fact, the strength of Move’s technology infrastructure in allowing our developers to make already released titles Move compatible, will help broaden the net of their existing PS3 titles, bringing them to life even further with PlayStation Move. We’re pleased that consumers continue to look to PlayStation for innovative and unique entertainment experiences. As we head into the new year, with almost every PlayStation Move sku in short supply and on allocation, I think we will continue to see a steady surge of positive growth for our home entertainment offerings simply because customers looking for strong product value, quality entertainment offerings, depth in gaming and content (original programming, NetFlix, Hulu Plus, NHL, MLB), will choose PlayStation."