NPD: Madden NFL 13 tops US September sales

Gamers caught football fever in September. The NPD Group reported September industry sales figures for the United States today, revealing Madden NFL 13 as the month's best-seller. Sales of the new game jumped 11 percent over last year's iteration.

Madden vaulted over the competition in September.

Another top performer for September was Borderlands 2. It took the number two spot for the month, and bested the first-month sales of the original Borderlands by 234 percent. Specific sales figures were not revealed.

Overall, total software sales were down 14 percent year-over-year. NPD analyst Liam Callahan attributed this downturn to a stronger slate of new titles launching this time last year that included Gears of War 3 and Dead Island.

The retail PC game sector was a bright spot for the month, rising 12 percent year-over-year. This boost was attributed to the high-profile recent launches of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Guild Wars 2, and Diablo III.

Hardware took the biggest hit during September, diving 39 percent year-on-year to $210.9 million. However, Callahan believes there is reason to be optimistic.

“Hardware sales are up on an average sales per week basis compared to August for the NDS, 3DS, PS3, Vita, and 360, which points to momentum heading into the holiday season,” Callahan said.

NPD did not divulge specific sales figures for hardware, but Microsoft spokesperson Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb chimed in over Twitter, revealing the Xbox 360 moved 270,000 units during September. He claims the Xbox 360 now represents 49 percent of total current-generation console marketshare for the US.

Of note, Electronic Arts titles accounted for 50 percent of September's best-selling games and no Call of Duty game broke the top ten list.

SEPTEMBER US GAME SALES (August 26-September 29)
OVERALL DOLLAR SALES

Total retail sales: $843.3 million (-24%)
Non-PC hardware: $210.9 million (-39%)
Non-PC software: $497.4 million (-18%)
Accessories: $139.9 million (-11%)
Total software: $547.3 million (-14%)

TOP 10 GAMES FOR SEPTEMBER 2012
Title (Platforms) - Publisher

1. Madden NFL 13 (X360, PS3, Wii, PS Vita) - Electronic Arts
2. Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - Take-Two Interactive
3. FIFA Soccer 13 (PS3, X360, PS Vita, Wii, 3DS, PSP) - Electronic Arts
4. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) - Nintendo
5. Guild Wars 2 (PC) - NCSoft
6. NHL 13 (X360, PS3) - Electronic Arts
7. World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (PC) - Activision Blizzard
8. NCAA Football 13 (X360, PS3) - Electronic Arts
9. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (X360, Wii, 3DS, DS, PS3, PS Vita, PC) - Warner Bros. Interactive
10. Battlefield 3 (X360, PS3, PC) - Electronic Arts