PORT WASHINGTON, NY, January 19, 2007 – According to leading marketing information provider, The NPD Group, U.S. retail sales of video games, which includes portable and console hardware, software and accessories, generated revenues of close to $12.5 billion, exceeding the previous record of $10.5 billion set in 2005.
Retail sales in the PC game software industry showed signs of growth, with revenues up one percent, exceeding $970 million in 2006, bringing the total console, portable and PC game industry close to $13.5 billion, an 18 percent increase over the previous year, and a 15% increase over the previous record achieved in 2002.
Aside from portable hardware which was flat year-over-year, all video game categories experienced robust growth, with the driving force in sales led by the console hardware, portable game software and portable game accessories categories, which saw respective dollar sales increases of 88 percent, 19 percent and 36 percent when compared to 2005.
Including PC games, total industry software sales were up 6 percent to $7.4 billion, from $7.0 billion in 2005.
“It’s refreshing to see an increase in retail sales of PC games after having experienced a few years of declines,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “With revenues from digital downloads and subscriptions on the rise as well, the pc games segment of the industry remains healthy.”
| 2006 Combined Top10 Video Game Titles Sorted By Units |
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| Rank | Title | Platforms | Publisher |
| 1 | Madden NFL 07* | 360,Wii,PS3,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA | Electronic Arts |
| 2 | Cars | 360,Wii,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA | THQ |
| 3 | Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy |
360,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA | LucasArts |
| 4 | NCAA Football 07 | 360,PSP,XBX,PS2 | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | New Super Mario Brothers | NDS | Nintendo |
| 6 | Need for Speed: Most Wanted | 360,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA | Electronic Arts |
| 7 | Gears of War** | 360 | Microsoft |
| 8 | Call Of Duty 3 | 360,Wii, PS3, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA | Activision |
| 9 | Lego Star Wars | XBX, PS2,GCN,GBA | Eidos |
| 10 | Fight Night Round 3 | 360,PS3,PSP,XBX,PS2 | Electronic Arts |
| *Includes Hall of Fame Edition **Includes Collector's Edition Source: The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service |
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| 2006 Top10 PC Game Titles Sorted By Units |
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| Rank | Item | Publisher | Release Date |
| 1 | World Of Warcraft* | Vivendi | Nov-04 |
| 2 | The Sims 2 | Electronic Arts | Sep-04 |
| 3 | The Sims 2 Open For Business Expansion Pack | Electronic Arts | Mar-06 |
| 4 | Star Wars: Empire At War | LucasArts | Feb-06 |
| 5 | The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack | Electronic Arts | Oct-06 |
| 6 | Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion* | Take II Interactive | Mar-06 |
| 7 | MS Age Of Empires III* | Microsoft | Oct-05 |
| 8 | The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff Expansion Pack | Electronic Arts | Apr-06 |
| 9 | Civilization IV | Take II Interactive | Oct-05 |
| 10 | The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack | Electronic Arts | Sep-05 |
| *Includes Collector's Edition
Source: The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service | |||
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, visit www.npd.com.