2007 was another rock & roll year for the video game industry. NDP came out with some numbers to back that up:
- The US video game industry sales rocketed to a record high $17.9 billion dollars in 2007
- Nintendo reigning as champion of the console battle, ahead of Microsoft and Sony
- Sales of video game consoles, software and accessories rose “an astounding” 43% on the strength of all 3 categories
- Nintendo DS handheld game devices and Wii consoles were the top hardware sellers, ranking first and second respectively.
- Nintendo generated 52% of the video game devices sold in the United States.
- 8.5 million Nintendo DS devices were sold in the United States last year, while buyers snatched up approximately 6.3 million Wii game consoles. “By the end of 2007 we were sold out of virtually all hardware, and much of our stock of software and accessories was sold out as well,” said Cammie Dunaway, the executive vice president of marketing at Nintendo of America.
- Nintendo expects “that momentum to continue in 2008″.
- Sony sold 3.97 million PS2 consoles and 2.56 million of its newer PS3 consoles in the United States.
- Microsoft last year sold 4.62 million Xbox 360 consoles, which debuted in the market in November of 2005, a year before Wii and PS3 were released.
- Approximately $8.64B was spent in the United States on game software for consoles and portable devices.- “Halo 3″ was the top video game title, with 4.8 million copies sold.
- Activision’s “Guitar Hero” game raked in $820 million, a new one-year record for video game franchise sales in the United States.
- Nintendo’s “Mario Brothers” holds the throne as top-selling franchise of all time.
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