EA may not be able to count on Battlefield 3 lighting everyone's tires later this year, but the industry sorely missed the publisher's annual NFL game entry last month. Madden NFL had come to be an August fixture the industry could rely on to bring in the sales, but Madden NFL 12's August 30th release this time around meant it missed the NPD Group's reporting window for last month. As it turns out, with Madden NFL 12 barely missing the NPD's deadline, the research firm had no choice but to report a 23 percent year-on-year decline in sales for the North American gaming industry. The total $669.9 million USD reported for August proved even lower than the low $707.7 million USD scored back in July. Recall that July 2011 was already considered the worst month for the industry since October 2006. Software sales alone plummeted 37 percent on the lack Madden NFL 12 sales. On the other hand, that allowed Square Enix and Eidos' Deus Ex: Human Revolution to rise to the occassion. DXHR claimed the top spot for software sales in August, much to the delight of series fans hoping for franchise vindication. Mainstream and licensed titles padded out the rest of the list, though the 3DS remake of Zelda: Ocarina of Time managed to land back into the software top ten. Console hardware sales similarly saw year-on-year decline, though the blow there was softened largely through price cuts for the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PlayStation 3. Indeed, Nintendo boasts that 3DS hardware sales leaped to 235,000 units during August, a 260 percent increase, following the official price cut which Nintendo president Satoru Iwata himself saw fit to apologize for. August 2011 US Games Industry Summary Total Industry Sales - $669.9 million USD (-23%) Console Hardware Sales - $249.4 million USD (-12%) Console Software Sales - $264.8 million USD (-34%) Total Software Sales - $285.9 million USD (-37%) Accessory Sales - $134.7 million USD (-1%) August 2011 Software Sales Game Publisher Platform Release 1. Deus Ex: Human Revolution Square Enix PS3 / Xbox 360 / PC 08/2011 2. NCAA Football 12 Electronic Arts PS3 / Xbox 360 07/2011 3. Call of Duty: Black Ops Activision PS3 / Xbox 360 / PC / Wii / DS 11/2010 4. Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension Disney Interactive Studios PS3 / Wii / 3DS 08/2011 5. Cars 2 Disney Interactive Studios PS3 / Xbox 360 / PC / Wii / DS 06/2011 6. Just Dance Summer Party Ubisoft Wii 07/2011 7. Just Dance 2 Ubisoft Wii 10/2010 8. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Disney Interactive Studios PS3 / Xbox 360 / Wii / DS / 3DS / PSP / PC 10/2010 9. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D Nintendo 3DS 06/2011 10. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party Majesco PS3 / Xbox 360 / Wii 11/2010 Source: GameSpot Sections: Microsoft Consoles, Console Games, PC Games, Sony Consoles, Nintendo Consoles, Handheld Games
