The economic recession affects everyone and the video gaming industry makes no exception. According to the latest stats provided by the NPD Group, the video gaming industry fell 17 percent in terms of sales compared to the previous year. It is the first time in the current recession when this industry has recorded sales drops. 

 

According to the report from NPD Group, the industry recorded total sales of $1.43 billion, down 17 percent from $1.72 billion a year earlier. Hardware sales suffered the most as they recorded a 18 percent sales drop, while software sales were down 17 percent. 

 

In March, the vide games sales dropped lower than analysts had forecasted, but there still is a considerable amount of optimist about the industry’s strength and future. 

 

The best-selling vide game of the month was Resident Evil 5, developed by Capcom. The game sold 1.5 million copies (Xbox 360 version – 938,000 copies, PS3 version – 585,000 copies). In the hardware sector, Nintento remained the master as it sold more than 1.1 million Wii gaming consoles and 563,000 DS handhelds. The Japanese company, the world’s largest maker of handheld game machines, also sold 805,000 copies of the No. 2 title Pokemon Platinum.

 

Nintendo’s Wii sales in the United States declined for the first time in 14 months and, consequently, the company lost 6.6 percent to of its shares price to close at 26,180 yen on the Osaka Securities Exchange. 

 

“The severe sales result in the U.S. prompted disappointment among investors,” said Shigeo Kikuchi, analyst at Takagi Securities Co. in Tokyo, Bloomberg reported. 

 

“Nintendo had been perceived as one of the winners.”