Wii to Reclaim Top Spot as October Sales Fall

The NPD Group will be releasing its October U.S. game sales figures on Thursday afternoon, and although the industry saw a slight recovery in September, October is not looking so good. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter expects software sales of $635 million, down 9% compared to last year’s $697 million, and EEDAR's Jesse Divnich believes sales will be down 11% at $620 million. A struggling retail economy and overall lower average selling prices (ASPs) are two major components of the expected decline.

Hardware sales are expected to be down year-over-year as well, despite the recent price cuts on consoles. Although PS3 flew to the top of the charts in September, October should once again reveal Wii dominance. EEDAR predicts the Wii sold 635,000 units along with 450,000 DS handhelds. EEDAR also predicts the PS3 outsold the Xbox 360, 320K vs. 280K. Pachter's predictions are similar: 555K for Wii, 340K for Xbox 360, and 380K for PS3. "EEDAR expects Nintendo to hold onto its console supremacy in November and December," added Divnich. 

Overall for the month, top sellers are expected to include Nintendo’s Wii Fit Plus, Electronic Arts’ Brutal Legend, Activision’s DJ Hero, Take-Two’s Borderlands, Sony’s Uncharted 2 and Ratchet & Clank, Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport 3, and THQ’s WWE Smackdown.