Games sales up, but overall revenue flat

In the first month, Bethesdas videogame Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim sold more copies than the prior installment fivefold. The discharge of high-profile game titles like "Cod: Modern Warfare 3," "Elder Skrolls V: Skyrim" and "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deceptiveness" increased videogame sales in November by 15%, based on NPD Group, but while hardware also moved from stores, discounting triggered overall revenue in the future in flat around $3 billion for that month. An uptick in sales was expected, with Activision's juggernaut "CodInch franchise once more breaking sales records upon its launch. But much hype for other game titles like Sony's third "Uncharted" and WB's Batman title "Arkham City" also compensated off. Software sales rose to almost $1.7 billion, up from nearly $1.5 billion last year, with "Cod: Modern Warfare 3," Bethesda's "Elder Skrolls V," Apple Something Electronic Arts "Battleground 3," Ubisoft's "Assassin's Creed: Facts," and "Just Dance" ranking one of the top 5 top retailers across all platforms. THQ's "Saint's Row: The 3rd,Inch "Uncharted 3" and Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword III" were also within the top ten but sales figures were lower for that latter two simply because they were exclusive game titles for that Ps 3 and Wii consoles, correspondingly. "This November marks the very best November on record for sales of recent physical content," stated NPD analyst Anita Frazier, topping November. 2008. NPD no more stops working specific sales figures for individual game titles. However it stated "Modern Warfare 3's" launch bested last year's "Cod: Black Operations" by 7%. As well as in 30 days, "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" is nearly 500, 000 models shy of matching "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" in lifetime sales, using its launch beating the prior installment five-fold in the first month. EA's "Battleground 3" can also be the very best-selling title for that franchise, while "Batman: Arkham City" offered well in month two and it is now just shy of "Batman: Arkham Asylum's" lifetime unit sales, NPD stated. Ubisoft was the only real writer with two games in NPD's top 5 listing of best-selling games with "Assassin's Creed" and "Just Dance 3." "Assassin's Creed: Revelations'" bow was 10% greater than last year's "Brotherhood," also in November. And also the "Just Dance" franchise has created no. 1 Wii game within the last 13 several weeks. Ubisoft controls 72% from the dance gaming sector. For hardware, "a decline in average retail cost in most groups except for portable hardware led to flat dollar sales despite the fact that unit sales increased for console hardware, in addition to console, portable, and PC software," stated NPD's Anita Frazier. Overall hardware sales were off 9% to $982 million over this past year. November was the 4th consecutive month by which Microsoft's Xbox 360 360 continues to be the very best selling hardware system. "The space between 360 sales and purchasers from the next top selling platform was the biggest we have seen since December 2008 once the Manufacturers DS was the very best selling system," Frazier stated. Accessory sales fell 34% to $274 million although a lot of the decline was because of Microsoft bowing the Kinect this past year. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com