NPD: Game Sales Still Stink in October

Video game sales had another lousy month in October, failing to improve upon the money grab that was 2008, according to NPD Group. In North America, the Wii retook first place after sliding behind the Playstation 3 in September, selling 506,900 units to the PS3′s 320,600 units. The Xbox 360 placed last with 249,700 consoles sold. Combined, console sales dropped 10 percent in units compared to October 2008, so it seems that renewed interest from price cuts by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo has faded.

On the software side, sales were equally dismal, dropping 18 percent in revenue and 11 percent in unit sales compared to the same month last year. The disparity is due to less sales of more expensive items, such as Wii Fit and its included Balance Board, and music games, which fell from $137 million last year to $53 million this year. Still, there were some bright spots, like Uncharted 2: Drake’s Fortune, the Playstation 3-exclusive adventure game, selling 537,000 copies in the top spot, and Wii Fit Plus, which came in second with 441,000 sales, showing that not everyone’s ready to stow away those balance boards just yet. I’m particularly impressed with the performance of Borderlands, whose Xbox 360 version sold 418,000 units despite a relatively late October 20 release. For something that isn’t a sequel or endlessly-repeating franchise, that’s admirable, though a sequel is apparently a “no-brainer.” [via USA Today]