NPD Gaming Sales thru Oct 2007

Having crossed the $10 billion revenue mark as of the end of October, with its two biggest revenue generating months still to come. October '07 saw the industry pull in $1.1 billion, across hardware and software, ensuring that this year will be its best. Much of that revenue can be chalked up to higher console prices for the Wii and PlayStation 3, plus some very strong selling software.

Anita Frazier from the NPD Group points out that "This year sales have already achieved the annual sales number for 2005 - and the two biggest months are yet to come. I think we'll see not only record-breaking revenues but record-breaking year-over-year growth when the final numbers are tallied."

The best selling games, across all platforms, for the year are as follows, with more year-to-date sales data after the list.

1. Halo 3 - 3,700,000
2. Madden NFL 08 - 3,200,000
3. Guitar Hero II - 2,800,00
4. Wii Play (w/ Remote) - 2,500,000
5. Pokemon Diamond - 2,100,000
6. Pokemon Pearl - 1,500,000
7. Spider-Man 3 - 1,400,000
8. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock - 1,400,000

The year-to-date total revenue is actually at $10.5 billion, up from $7 billion at the same point last year, making for a 49% increase year over year. Total video game hardware sales are now at $4.1 billion, up from $2.2 billion from the previous year. Finally, video game software sales are at $5.0 billion, up 23% from the previous year's take. It's slightly less impressive than the 85% increase in hardware, especially considering the higher price points for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 software, not to mention various flavors of Guitar Hero, which can run up to $99 per SKU.