Xbox 360 of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) became the best-selling game console in the US market for sixteen months in a row. The NPD Group revealed that the Xbox 360 saw 236,000 units sold as it comprised 47 percent of all game console sales last month. The game console has continued its dominant position in the market even as the industry is currently experiencing a slowdown.
Consumers spent around $261 million for the Xbox 360 including software and accessories. The sales of the Xbox 360 are bigger compared to the total combined sales for the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.
Xbox 360
Seven of the top ten game titles for April were for the Xbox 360 including the Kinect Star Wars which topped the list. Also included on the list were The Witcher Two, Prototype 2, Mass Effect 3, and NBA 2K12.
Despite the strong showing for the Xbox 360, the game industry is currently experiencing a slowdown as hardware sales have declined by 32 percent compared to last year. A 42 percent decline was also noted for software sales although a one percent increase was shown by hardware accessories sales.
The slow sales for April were attributed to Easter since it happened near the start of the month which resulted to most of the sales for the season occurring the month before. According to Anita Frazier of NPD, Easter purchases normally account for an additional ten percent in revenue during the month it occurs and since the occasion happened near the start of April, most of the sales were noted in the previous month.
Even as the sales of the Xbox 360 continue to be dominant in the industry, upcoming hardware releases are expected to increase sales for the year. According to Michael Pachter, these hardware and software releases may result to a growth in sales for the year.
