Videogame sales up 11% in November

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Videogame sales up 11% in November, Halo 2 outsold San Andreas

According to a report from Reuters this morning, sales of video games rose about 11 percent in the United States in November, analysts said on Friday, with two key titles responsible for almost 30 percent of all games sold in the month. Citing data from the NPD Group, analysts said Halo 2 sold 3.3 million units in November, while Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sold 1.5 million units.

But without those two blockbusters sales would have been down in the month, and the overall growth rate for November was less than most analysts estimated.

"We expect negative investor reaction to the relatively low growth rate for the month, especially in light of the fact that overall sales without contribution from Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas would have been down 21 percent over last year," Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in a note to clients.

Analysts also noted that Microsoft's Xbox console saw unit sales rise almost 52 percent in the month over a year earlier, while Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 had an 18 percent year-over-year unit decline. The PS2 has been in short supply in parts of the country this holiday season. According to a report from Reuters, sales of video games rose about 11 percent in the United States in November, analysts said on Friday, with two key titles responsible for almost 30 percent of all games sold in the month. Citing data from the NPD Group, analysts said Halo 2 sold 3.3 million units in November, while Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sold 1.5 million units.

But without those two blockbusters sales would have been down in the month, and the overall growth rate for November was less than most analysts estimated.

"We expect negative investor reaction to the relatively low growth rate for the month, especially in light of the fact that overall sales without contribution from Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas would have been down 21 percent over last year," Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in a note to clients.

Analysts also noted that Microsoft's Xbox console saw unit sales rise almost 52 percent in the month over a year earlier, while Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 had an 18 percent year-over-year unit decline. The PS2 has been in short supply in parts of the country this holiday season.