San Francisco (CA) – A recent report published by NPD indicates that video game sales plummeted a whopping 29 per in July. Microsoft – which remains unfazed by the alarming statistics – claims the Xbox 360 was the console industry’s “sole bright spot” in 2009.
“Amid a tough economic climate, Xbox 360 is the only home console showing growth in the US this year, offering wallet-watching consumers the best value with a USD 199 starting price, the broadest selection of games for everyone, and innovative social and entertainment experiences they can’t get anywhere else,” Microsoft said in an official statement obtained by GamesIndustry.
Microsoft’s Chris Lewis expressed similar sentiments to MCV.
“Our installed base is now well over nine million in Europe, where we enjoy about 27 per cent of the current share of the console market,” explained Lewis. “This calendar year, we’re the only console showing positive growth. That’s 22 per cent on the first half against a market that is down to a similar margin overall. So we are bucking that trend.”
It should be noted that Anita Frazier of NPD appears to have confirmed Microsoft’s claim.
“Hardware sales have slowed considerably on nearly every platform,” said Frazier. “The Xbox 360 is the only console system showing a unit sales increase year-to-date, [although] the DS has the highest sales of all hardware platforms both for the month, and year-to-date.”
