U.S. video game retail sales increased for a third consecutive month in October as gamers geared up for the release of Sony and Microsoft's next-generation consoles, according to new data from The NPD Group.
The gaming industry last month brought in $791.1 million in retail sales of new hardware, software, and accessories, up 5 percent over October 2012, NPD said. NPD's Liam Callahan estimated that used and rental sales for the month totaled $89 million while digital format sales like mobile apps and social network games brought in an impressive $491 million, bringing total U.S. video game sales to 'just over' $1.3 billion in October.
The retail increases were largely driven by software sales, which climbed 10 percent from a year ago to $495.1 million, and accessory sales, which grew a modest 1 percent to $136.9 million. Hardware sales expectantly declined in October, falling 8 percent to $482.5 million as gamers waited for new systems to hit the market, though portable hardware sales minimized decreases in this segment of the market.
October marked the sixth consecutive month that the Nintendo 3DS led overall hardware sales. As for consoles, the Xbox 360 moved back to the top spot after PlayStation 3 took the crown in September.
Meanwhile, growth on the software side was driven by continued strong sales of Grand Theft Auto 5 and the launch of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y , Callahan said. GTA 5 was the top-selling game for the second month in a row, selling 'just fewer' than 1.1 million units, while Pokémon X and Pokémon Y came in second and third, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 games of the month were: Battlefield 4 in fourth place, followed by: Batman: Arkham Origins, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, NBS 2K14, Skylanders SWAP Force, Lego Marvel Super Heroes, and WWE 2K14.
Looking ahead, gaming industry sales are sure to get a boost for the rest of the year thanks to the PS4, which hits stores today, and Xbox One, which goes on sale Nov. 22.
'With the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One, we hope to see positive trends over November and December which would lead to an increase in software sales for the year,' Callahan said.
For more, see PCMag's full review of the PlayStation 4 and the slideshow above.
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