Video game hardware and software sales decline in Oct.

Video game software and hardware sales in the United States took a sharp dive in October, down 19 percent in October to right around $1.07 billion, according to sales data collected by research group NPD. Console hardware sales fell 23 percent from the same period a year ago, while software sales dropped 18 percent.

Sales of video game accessories were down 2 percent. In Oct. the Wii managed to climb back up on the top of the heap ahead of the PS3 and Xbox 360, despite price cuts for both systems in Sept. The Wii sold 507K units in the U.S., followed by 457.600K units for the DS, 321K units of the PS3 and 250K of the Xbox 360. The PSP and PS2 sold 174.6K and 117.8K, respectively.

Sony’s Uncharted 2 managed to move about half a million copies in October, followed by Wii Fit Plus (441K), the Xbox 360 version of 2K Games’ Borderlands (418K), Wii Sports Resort (314K), NBA 2K10 on Xbox 360 (311K), and Halo 3 ODST (271K).

Aion, Champions Online top Sept. PC charts

I’m sure that NCsoft is delighted and more than a little relieved that its newest massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Aion, has topped U.S. retail charts for the month of Sept., according to sales data from NPD Group.

Another MMO, Champions Online, also managed to take the number 3 spot in Sept., followed by World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and the Aion Collector’s Edition SKU.

That means that 4 out of the 5 top spots in Sept. were occupied by MMO releases. Out of the top ten, six were MMO products  - and of those, 3 were World of Warcraft related. Go figure. Anyway here’s the top ten for the moth of Sept.:

Best Selling PC Game Software for Sept. 2009:

1. Aion (NCsoft)

2. The Sims 3 (Electronic Arts)

3. Champions Online (Atari)

4. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Blizzard)

5. Aion Collector’s Edition (NCsoft)

6. Mumbo Jumbo Assortment (Mumbo Jumbo)

7. The Sims 2: Double Deluxe (Electronic Arts)

8. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest (Blizzard)

9. Reel Deal Slots: Treasures of the Far East (Phantom EFX)

10. World of Warcraft (Blizzard)

Nintendo Points the Finger at Pirates

So, you’re a software pirate and you’re looking to take a little working vacation, eh? Problem is, you want to visit the world but still hock your shady wares without too much extra stress. No worries, guys. Nintendo’s already got your itinerary planned out.

Every year since 1974, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, which handles the development and recommendation of US trade policy, has put together its annual “Special 301 Report”, which “examines in detail the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property rights” in the global marketplace. The USTR invites comments from a variety of businesses, and this year, Nintendo added its two cents worth to the talks, pulling no punches by singling out countries where it says piracy is rampant, asking the United States to take further steps to fight it.

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DSi Gets Dated and Priced for U.S. Market

With all the different video game news that’s been coming out lately, one thing suspicious in its absence is any mention of the Nintendo DSi. Well, Nintendo can’t have any of that, so the company took this morning to finally give the U.S. market a date to mark on its calendar, as well as a price to start saving up for. In a release sent out this morning, Nintendo announced that the DSi will hit U.S. shelves on April 5th at a retail price of $169.99. For the fashion conscious gamer out there, the DSi will make its stateside arrival in black, but not white. Giving the import markets something more to salivate over, the U.S. will initially replace the white model with a new blue color.

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Game Industry Jobs on the Rise

According to research data from Think Services employment in the video game industry is up 12 percent from just over a year ago. Polling of companies in the United States, the Game Developer Research project found that 44,400 people are currently employed in the game industry - up from 39,700 in 2007. Canadian companies also saw an increase in staffing and number of studios, with total employees up around 17 percent — to 9,500 from 8,100.

In total, the North American game industry increased in size 13 percent, from 47,800 to 53,900 staffers. The numbers also reveal that Canada is becoming an important hot spot for the industry thanks to companies like EA, Ubisoft and many others.

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NPD: Girls Like Games

A new study by the NPD Group entitled “Girl Power: Understanding This Important Consumer Segment,” reveals that girls 2 - 14 years of age are spending more times playing games. This data is a no-brainer given the push by companies like Ubisoft to tap into the girl gamer market. This in and of itself is sad, because Ubisoft and other companies now catering to this demographic should really focus on creating games for age groups rather than pandering to gender.  Kids need more games like Drawn To Life and fewer games based on franchises like Bratz and Barbie. Of course, that’s just my opinion and I could be wrong.

According to NPD industry analyst, Anita Frazier, 50 percent of girls ages 2 - 14 years old still play with traditional gender-focused toys like dolls, arts and crafts and stuffed animals. The study also finds that the increase in the use of virtual worlds and social networking sites are not being properly monetized by publishers.