'Madden NFL 12' Delay a Major Factor in August Video Game Sales Decline

Video game sales took a nosedive in August, dropping 23 percent to $669.9 million, according to data from market research firm NPD Group Inc. cited by the Los Angeles Times.our editor recommends'Madden NFL 12' Sales Will Suffer With Players' LockoutE3 Daily Dispatch: New 'Madden NFL 12' Game Takes Page From TV Sports Broadcasts; Sony Remains Committed to Portable Gaming With PlayStation Vita By comparison, sales in August 2010 totaled $873.8 billion (the figure includes games, consoles and extras like controllers). Meanwhile, sales of console games dropped 34% to $264.8 million vs. $403.5 million a year ago. Console hardware sales were off 12 percent to $249.4 billion compared with $282.9 billion in August 2010. The drop is said to be largely in part to the delayed release of Electronic Arts' Madden NFL 12. The previous installment came out Aug. 10, but the newest didn't hit shelves until Aug. 30, meaning those sales won't be counted until September. Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, told the Times that the drops aren't as alarming as they might appear. "If we equalize for Madden, sales would be down less than 10%," he said. "So things are not as bad as they seem." Related Topics

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