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Here’s a quick glance at what the games industry in North America looked like in April 2010, in terms of revenue and overall growth, and it isn’t a pretty picture. Videogame software sales dropped by 22% — from $512 million to $398.5 million — compared to April 2009. Meanwhile, hardware sales dropped 37% from $392.3 million to $249.3 million.
| Dollar sales | Apr-09 | Apr-10 | CHG | YTD Apr-09 | YTD Apr-10 | CHG |
| Videogames | $1.03B | $766.2M | -26% | $5.29B | $4.73B | -11% |
| Hardware | $392.3M | $249.3M | -37% | $1.83B | $1.47B | -20% |
| Software | $512.0M | $398.5M | -22% | $2.73B | $2.52B | -8% |
| Accessories* | $129.6M | $118.4M | -9% | $733.4M | $748.0M | 2% |
NPD analyst Anita Frazier points out that one of the primary reasons behind the across-the-board declines could be the timing of Easter purchases taking place in March this year, as opposed to April. This would help explain the drop-offs in April software sales.
In April 2009, consumers spent approximately $55 million in videogame purchases. The loss of these sales in April 2010 accounts for about 21% of the overall decline compared to last year. Another reason cited was a significant drop in portable games revenue. It’s also worth noting that the NPD group do not release data for the iPhone, iPad and digitally-purchased content, all of which contribute significantly to revenue.
Many thanks to the NPD group for providing Siliconera with a copy of their report.
