NPD forecasts record year for game sales

Research group NPDFunworld has released a report based on its sales data that shows that 2002 is likely to break the all-time record for game sales, which was set last year. Sales for games and game hardware for the first 10 months of the year have topped $6 billion, which is up 25 percent over the same period last year. The fourth quarter traditionally accounts for half of all game sales, and at least $4 billion in sales is expected this holiday season, which would push the year past 2001's sales of $9.4 billion.

NPD reports that one of the most important recent trends has been increasing sales of Mature-rated games like Halo, Grand Theft Auto III, and Resident Evil. The overall share of Mature-rated games for the last 12 months has jumped to 13 percent, as compared with 6 percent for the 12 preceding months.

Here's a list of the best-selling video games for January through October:

Rank / Title / Publisher / Release Date / Average Price
1 / Grand Theft Auto III (PS2) / Rockstar / October 2001 / $50
2 / Madden NFL 2003 (PS2) / Electronic Arts / August 2002 / $49
3 / Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) / Rockstar / October 2002 / $48
4 / Medal Honor Frontline (PS2) / Electronic Arts / May 2002 / $50
5 / Super Mario Advance 2 (GBA) / Nintendo / February 2002 / $30
6 / Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (PS2) / SCEA / July 2001 / $26
7 / Spider-Man: The Movie (PS2) / Activision / April 2002 / $49
8 / Halo (Xbox) / Microsoft / November 2001 / $49
9 / Super Mario Sunshine (GC) / Nintendo / August 2002 / $50
10 / Final Fantasy X (PS2) / Square EA / December 2001 / $50