US retail sales of video games fell for 6th month

(AP) — A new study says U.S. retail sales of video-game hardware, software and accessories fell 28 percent in May to $517 million. It's the sixth-consecutive month of decline.

Sales of console and portable software — the video games themselves — fell 32 percent from a year earlier to $255 million, while sales of hardware fell 39 percent to $139 million. That was offset partly by a 7 percent increase in sales of accessories, to $122 million.

Market tracker NPD Group issued the report Thursday. It tracks sales of new physical products — about 50 percent to 60 percent of the total spending. Excluded are sales of used games and rentals as well as digital and social-network spending.

The top-selling game in May was Activision Blizzard Inc.'s "Diablo III" for PCs.