(click image for larger view)
In its first report of non-store sales for the video game industry, the NPD Group said Friday that when non-traditional sales are added to the total consumer spend, the final number is nearly 40% more than sales at physical retail stores alone.
Until now, the NPD Group had only considered physical retail sales; a methodology criticized by industry players who argued the approach didn't paint an accurate picture of total sales. The latest NPD figures show critics were right, even though store sales still make up the majority of industry sales.
Overall consumer spend on video game hardware, content, and accessories in the first half of the year ranged from $9.5 billion to $9.7 billion, of which $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion was in non-traditional sales, NPD said. The research firm acknowledged that its new way of tracking consumer spending provided an "expanded, more comprehensive measure of a dynamic and rapidly changing games industry."
On Thursday, NPD released sales of video game software and equipment in physical stores for the month of September. Overall sales were down 8% from the same month a year ago to $1.18 billion.
Sales of hardware, which includes the Sony PlayStation 3, the Microsoft Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii and portable consoles made by Sony and Nintendo, fell 19% year over year to $383 million, while software sales dropped 6% to $614 million. Sales of game accessories rose 13% from a year ago to $180 million, driven in part by the release of the Move, Sony's motion-sensing controller for the PS3.
SEE ALSO:
.svg)
