Market tracker NPD Group reports that PC gaming ruled the sales chart in May thanks to the release of Blizzard's action-RPG game, Diablo 3. This was the first time since July 2010 that a PC-only game was the best-selling title for the month, the firm said.
"New launches generated 31-percent more dollars this May than they did last May, largely due to the success of Diablo 3," Anita Frazier, the NPD Group's video game industry analyst, said in a statement.
NPD Group said that new releases across all platforms -- PC, consoles and portable devices -- generated 188-percent more in sales than they did in the same time period last year. However overall game software sales were down 28-percent from 2011 to $255.4 million USD, possibly due to 27-percent fewer titles introduced into retail.
The firm also stated that hardware sales fell 39-percent to $139 million, but was offset partly by a 7-percent increase in sales of accessories, to $122 million. Still, E3 2012 seemed a little hopeful despite a no-show on the next generation. "We saw some exciting content at E3 that will come to market in the latter part of the year, and when great content comes to market, gamers are still showing up at the stores to buy it," she said.
In the month of May, Blizzard's Diablo 3 saw one million units sold, trailed by Rockstar Games' Max Payne 3 and Ubisoft's Ghost Recond: Future Soldier, which each sold just above 400,000 units apiece. Both titles "underperformed," according to the firm, which pointed out that Rockstar's L.A. Noire moved nearly 900,000 units this time last year.
Here's the Top 10 list for May:
1. Diablo 3 -- PC -- Activision Blizzard Inc.
2. Max Payne 3 -- Xbox 360, PS3, PC -- Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
3. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier -- Xbox 360, PS3 -- Ubisoft Group.
4. Prototype 2 -- Xbox 360, PS3 -- Activision Blizzard Inc.
5. NBA 2K12 -- Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2, PC -- Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
6. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 -- Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC -- Activision Blizzard Inc.
7. Sniper Elite V2 -- Xbox 360, PS3 -- 505 Games
8. Battlefield 3 -- Xbox 360, PS3, PC -- Electronic Arts Inc.
9. Dragon's Dogma -- Xbox 360, PS3 -- Capcom USA
10. Just Dance 3 -- Xbox 360, PS3, Wii -- Ubisoft Group.
Note: only four out of ten games on the list above offer a PC version, yet the #1 title for the month of May is a PC-only game.
