Npd:8 month video game sales hit a 4-year low

In the early hours of September 11 in Beijing, market research firm NPD Group said video game sales in August hit a four-year low. Last month, sales of video game systems, software and accessories fell 10% per cent year-on-year in the U.S., with each small category falling, according to data from NPD in Thursday.　　Sales in July fell only 1% year-on-year.　　Retail revenues slid from 910.3 million to 818.9 million. Some game makers are still trying to maintain earnings. Sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 gaming consoles have risen compared with the same period last year. Xbox sold 356700 units, an increase of 66% year-on-year, three consecutive months top sales.　　But overall hardware sales in the industry were only $282.9 million trillion, down 5%. Game sales were 403.5 million dollars, down 14%. The "Hot American Football League 11" (Madden NFL 11), produced by EA, is the top selling and lucrative.　　The Xbox and PS version of the game sold 1.8 million sets, and the second Nintendo Super Mario-Galaxy 2 sold only 124600 sets. Accessories Sales total revenue of 132.4 million U.S. dollars, down 6%. (Yan Fei)