US video game sales drop 11 pct in November
(AP)—U.S. retail sales of new video-game hardware, software and accessories fell 11 percent in November.
It was the 12th straight month of declining sales. But last month represented the smallest decrease so far this year, helped in part by the launch of Nintendo's new console, the Wii U.
Research firm NPD Group says sales slipped to $2.55 billion from $2.87 billion a year ago.
Sales of video games themselves, excluding PC titles, fell 11 percent to $1.43 billion. Sales of hardware, including the Wii U, fell 13 percent to $838.9 million. Sales of accessories fell 8 percent to $280.9 million.
The Wii U launched in the U.S. on Nov. 18 ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday sales day.
Despite the launch, Microsoft Corp. said its Xbox 360 remained the top-selling U.S. platform for the 23rd month in a row with 1.26 million units sold.
Cowen & Co. analyst Doug Creutz said the Wii U sold 425,000 units in its debut month.
The top-selling game titles of the month were "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2," ''Halo 4," ''Assassin's Creed 3" and "Just Dance 4."
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