U.S. retail sales of video-game software, hardware and accessories slumped 19 percent last month to $443 million as consumers shift to titles on mobile devices and await next-generation consoles.
Hardware sales fell 34 percent to $99.4 million from a year earlier, Port Washington, New York-based NPD Group Inc. said in an e-mail statement Thursday.
Software sales for current-generation consoles declined 19 percent to $210.1 million.
The games and consoles industry is in decline as consumers increasingly play Web-delivered titles on smartphones and tablets, while hard-core gamers are holding out for new entertainment systems from Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp.
Nintendo Co., based in Kyoto, Japan, led video-game hardware sales with its 3DS handheld console for a third month, the company said in an e-mail, citing NPD data. The 3DS title “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” sold more than 150,000 copies at retail, helping increase sales of the handheld by 14 percent over a year ago, according to Nintendo.
Sales of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console fell 47 percent to 107,000 units last month, enough to retain the No. 1 spot in the market for the 31st straight month. The Redmond, Washington- based company disclosed the figures, citing NPD, in a separate statement.
