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Video Game Sales Shatter Annual Record

Despite softening economy, $18B total in US marks 43% jump

By Laila Weir,  Newser User

Posted Jan 18, 2008 10:23 AM CST
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(Newser) – More video games were sold in 2007 than ever before, with a total of $17.94 billion marking a 43% increase over 2006, reports the AP. Much of the growth came from sales of Nintendo's chronically undersupplied Wii and Microsoft's Halo 3, market researcher NPD Group said. Nintendo dominated gaming system sales, moving 6.3 million Wii units and 8.5 million of the most popular system, the portable DS.

The bestselling game, Halo 3, helped drive sales of the Xbox 360 to 4.6 million units. Sony’s PlayStation 3 lagged but reached 2.6 million by year’s end. "I think the industry has become much more generally accepted as a mainstream form of entertainment over the last couple of years, and that sets it up well for future expansion," said an NPD analyst.

This screen shot provided by Nintendo shows a scene from Dance Dance Revolution for the Nintendo Wii. (AP Photo/Nintendo)
This screen shot provided by Nintendo shows a scene from "Dance Dance Revolution" for the Nintendo Wii. (AP Photo/Nintendo)   (Associated Press)
Video game fan Robert Overson, 31 from Highland, CA challenges his son Mathew, 10 to a Wii Sports tennis match game at the E for All Expo on Thurs., Oct. 18, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA. The expo is the first electronic gaming show for the general public where attendees...
Video game fan Robert Overson, 31 from Highland, CA challenges his son Mathew, 10 to a Wii Sports tennis match game at the E for All Expo on Thurs., Oct. 18, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA. The expo is the first...   (Associated Press)
Wii game Super Mario Galaxy. (PRNewsFoto/Nintendo)
Wii game Super Mario Galaxy. (PRNewsFoto/Nintendo)   (Associated Press)
This image, provided by Nintendo of America Inc., is from the video game Mario Party 8 _ the first in the Mario Party series of frantically short snippets to be released for the Wii. (AP Photo/Nintendo of America Inc.)
This image, provided by Nintendo of America Inc., is from the video game "Mario Party 8" _ the first in the "Mario Party" series of frantically short snippets to be released for the Wii. (AP Photo/Nintendo...   (Associated Press)
Nintendo DS(TM) and Wii(TM) finished strong in 2007, commanding sales in the holiday shopping period and finishing the year as the two best-selling video game systems in the United States, according to new data just released by the independent NPD Group. Nintendo DS was the top-selling U.S. system of...
Nintendo DS(TM) and Wii(TM) finished strong in 2007, commanding sales in the holiday shopping period and finishing the year as the two best-selling video game systems in the United States, according to...   (Associated Press)
A model demonstrates Nintendo Co.'s new game Wii Fit, during a press event at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, east of Tokyo, in this Oct. 10, 2007 file photo. The booming popularity of Nintendo's Wii console and DS handheld sent the combined sales of game machines and...
A model demonstrates Nintendo Co.'s new game "Wii Fit," during a press event at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba, east of Tokyo, in this Oct. 10, 2007 file photo. The booming popularity of...   (Associated Press)
In this photo provided by Nintendo Co., controllers for the Wii video game system are shown Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007, as they pass through the company's distribution center in North Bend, Wash. Nintendo says it has tripled its distribution workforce to meet consumer demand for the holidays. (AP Photo/Nintendo Co....
In this photo provided by Nintendo Co., controllers for the Wii video game system are shown Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007, as they pass through the company's distribution center in North Bend, Wash. Nintendo...   (Associated Press)
A Nintendo Wii game console on display in a case at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. This year, it looks like the gift everybody is looking for is the same as last year
A Nintendo Wii game console on display in a case at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. This year, it looks like the gift everybody is looking for is the same as last year   (Associated Press)
A Nintendo Wii game console is seen on display at a Best Buy store in Mountain View, Calif., in this Nov. 20, 2007 file photo. Best Buy Co. on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007 said third-quarter profit jumped 52 percent, ahead of analyst expectations, boosted by an extra week of holiday...
A Nintendo Wii game console is seen on display at a Best Buy store in Mountain View, Calif., in this Nov. 20, 2007 file photo. Best Buy Co. on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007 said third-quarter profit jumped...   (Associated Press)
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Nintendo won big in '07
Los Angeles Times

Hardware fueled strong 2006 sales; games dominated '07
San Jose Mercury News

Sky's the limit for Nintendo--if supply can keep pace
Ars Technica

Breakdown of the monthly numbers
Wall Street Journal Subscription

 
Nintendo • Nintendo Wii • Xbox 360 • PlayStation 3 • Xbox • Halo 3 • Nintendo DS • NPD Group • video games

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