Video game sales slip 6th month in a row

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Madden NFL 10 tops chart of best-selling games. Credit: Electronic Arts.

Boom! Not even John Madden and his trademark expressions could avert the crash in video game sales in August, which fell 16% from a year ago.

The drop was the industry’s sixth consecutive monthly decline, according to a report released today from market research firm NPD Group Inc.

That means sales of games and game consoles must grow 14% in the last four months to the year in order for 2009 sales to be flat with 2008, said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Last month, even sales of Madden NFL 10, a popular football simulation game developed by Electronic Arts Inc., were down from a year ago, prompting EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello to say, “It is discouraging that one of our highest-rated and best-marketed Madden titles in years is facing strong headwinds.”

Here are last month’s top-selling titles:

1. Madden NFL 10 (Xbox 360)
2. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo Wii)
3. Madden NFL 10 (PlayStation 3)
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360)
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)
6. Madden NFL 10 (PlayStation 2)
7. Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PlayStation Portable)
8. Wii Fit (Wii)
9. Mario Kart (Wii)
10. Fossil Fighters (Nintendo DS)

Source: NPD Group Inc.

-- Alex Pham

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter@AlexPham.