With big-name gaming companies such as Atari already in financial troubles, news that February’s total sales dropped by an overall 5 percent isn’t good. Software itself was down 13 percent or a whopping $340 million. A few games, however, did see good sales figures, including EA’s Fight Night Round 3 and the latest Super Mario title.
Although the slump was expected due to the limbo in waiting for the other two next-gen consoles to hit the scene, the numbers were grim for the current gen software titles, which dropped by $135 million. Next gen sales, however, were up $95 million.
Five games sold over 100,000 units for the month, as compared with nine titles that did so in February 2004. The top seller on PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360 was EA's Fight Night Round 3. Nintendo's Super Mario Strikers claimed the top spot on the GameCube chart, while Take-Two's GTA: Liberty City Stories was #1 in portable game sales.
"Everything was going right last year, and this year we are navigating the tricky waters of console transition," Anita Frazier, Interactive Entertainment analyst, NPD Group.
On the hardware front, sales were actually up 22 percent, but the Xbox 360 wasn't any easier to find. In fact, Microsoft shipped only 161,000 units in February compared to 250,000 in January. The total Xbox 360 installed base now stands at just over 1 million. Just like last year, though, it was the handheld sector that boosted the market.
Game Daily
What I want to know is what gamers are waiting for? Are you holding on to your cash for the next next-gen console to hit? If so, which one? Are you holding out for a specific title? Let us know by visiting our forums!
Related:
Sales Woes For EA, Activision, Midway
Xbox 360 To Blame For Video Game Sales Decline?
Japan's software sales crash and burn
Atari In More Trouble
Comments >>
