2001 sales break industry records

The NPD Group, a company that tracks video game sales and trends, is reporting that 2001 saw record sales in the industry. According to the company, the sales of hardware, software, and accessories rose 43 percent, causing the industry to grow from $6.6 billion in 2000 to $9.4 billion in 2001. Naturally, the NPD cites the launch of the Game Boy Advance, the GameCube, and the Xbox as the primary reasons for the increase in sales, though sales of accessories have also been a healthy contributor, with an increase of 47 percent from 2000.

"Last year was a tremendous rebound from a slightly lower sales year in 2000," said Ilene Haase, director of toys and video games at NPD. "The impact from the next-generation console systems was nothing short of record-breaking during the holidays. Three different gaming consoles, priced at $200 to $300 price points, sold through more than a million pieces last holiday season."