Videogames Recover

Is the recession over for gaming?

1 min read

Good news for all you game makers out there.  This week, the Wall Street Journal reports that videogames are looking to score a comeback. See more below:

WSJ 10/14/09

Sales of video-game software have been on the decline for six consecutive months, but analysts expect a return to positive growth when sales data for September are reported Thursday afternoon.  U.S. game sales in the month of September will be released late in the day Thursday by the NPD Group. On average, analysts are expecting software sales to grow about 15% compared with the same period last year, according to a tally of forecasts by MarketWatch.

Game sales have been showing declines for the last six months, as the slumping economy and tough comparisons have made the current year a difficult one for the industry.  By the end of August, total industry sales were $9.07 billion, according to NPD data. That's down 14% from sales for the same period last year.

Analysts widely expect the current year's total sales to come in flat with last year, but the sector will need to have a strong holiday-sales period to get to that point. Several of the year's most anticipated titles, including "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," have yet to hit store shelves.  "Overall, September sales and retail data indicate that the preholiday season is off to a good start," said Jesse Divnich of Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, a game market-research firm, in a report this week. "These results will bring some much-needed pressure relief to both publishers and retailers alike amid concerns the economy may still have posed a threat to holiday-season performance."

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