Videogame Sales Increase 34 percent According to NPD Funworld

That figure is up 34 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to a research report released by NPD Funworld. The statistics showed sales by number of units for game hardware, software and accessories rose 12 percent for the first nine months of the year. The strong growth was largely driven by Sony’s Playstation 2, NPD said. The statistics do not take into account the two new game consoles launched last week, Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s Gamecube. NPD said the presence of those two consoles would likely drive the industry to a record year, surpassing 1999’s $6.1 billion in revenues. Of the 10 best-selling games in the period, five were published by Nintendo of America. Trailing Nintendo were Sony’s game division and Activision, with two games each. The list was rounded out with one game from Electronic Arts.