Video game sales plunge in September

Make that 10 consecutive months of decline for the video game industry.

New phyiscal retail sales of video games were down 24% in September to $848 million, according to data from NPD Group. However, the media research firm points out figures only represent about half of the total dollars spent on video games in the U.S.

When including used game sales, game rentals and "digital format sales," consumers spent just under $1.6 billion, says NPD analyst Liam Callahan.

Hardware sales posted the biggest drop compared to this time last year, falling 39%. But Callahan says there are hints of a potential rebound. "Hardware sales are up on an average sales per week basis compared to August for the (Nintendo DS), 3DS, PS3, Vita and (Xbox) 360, which points to momentum heading into the holiday season," he says.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 marked its 19th straight month as the top-selling home console, selling 270,000 in September. Neither Nintendo nor Sony revealed sales details for the Wii and PlayStation 3. However, that figure is down from the 438,000 Xbox 360 consoles sold this time last year.

As for software, Electronic Arts' pro football sim Madden NFL 13 was the best-selling game in September, boasting the "best month one performance at retail for a Madden title ever," notes Callahan.

In August, EA revealed Madden NFL 13 sold 900,000 copies on opening day, up 7% compared to last year's game.

Another big winner in September was the 2K Games first-person shooter Borderlands 2, Callahan says the sequel "exceeded the first month's unit sales of the first game which launched in October 2009 by 234%."

However, neither title could help pull overall software sales out of its funk, finishing down 18%. The top 10 software titles for September:

1. Madden NFL 13 (Electronic Arts)

2. Borderlands 2 (2K Games)

3. FIFA Soccer 13 (EA)

4. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo)

5. Guild Wars 2 (NCsoft)

6. NHL 13 (EA)

7. World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (Blizzard Entertainment)

8. NCAA Football 13 (EA)

9. Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes (Warner Bros. Interactive)

10. Battlefield 3 (EA)

Several high-profile titles debut in October, including stealth title Dishonored, pro hoops simulation NBA 2K13 and first-person shooter Medal of Honor: Warfighter, which could ignite a rebound in video game sales.

"While year-over-year declines are present in video game software, we are seeing momentum leading up to the holidays when looking at August sales compared to September, which were up 67% on an average sales-per-week basis," says Callahan.