US: June games market jumps 53 per cent year-on-year

The North American June sales figures from NPD have shown that total spending on gaming in the territory for the period hit $1.69 billion – up an incredible 53 per cent compared to the same month last year.

Breaking the figure down, hardware sales were up 54 per cent from $399 million last June to $615 million this time out, and software sales rose from $542 million to $873 million – a rise of 61 per cent.

The release and success of Metal Gear Solid 4, and the associated boost in PS3 sales, along with Nintendo’s ongoing Wii and DS success were said to be the key drivers of the growth.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier said of the stats: The video games industry continues to perform in the face of an ever-increasingly difficult economic environment as many turn to more in-home entertainment.

Even if growth slows over the back half of 2008, the industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues of over $22 billion for the year.”