According to the most recent statistics put firth by the NPD Group on Thursday, sales of the US video game industry reported a 19 percent year-on-year drop in October, and a 16.4 percent drop compared to the September figures. The total sales in October stood at $1.07 billion, as against the year-before figures of $1.32 billion and the September figures of $1.28 billion in total sales. 

The latest plunge in revenue from videogame consoles and software marks the seventh monthly decline in a row. While there was a 23 percent fall in console sales, from last October’s $497 million to $380.7 million this October; the sales of the game software plunged 18 percent year-on-year, from the year-earlier $698.4 million to $572.7 million.

Commenting on the scenario, NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement: “The continued economic turmoil, and, in particular, the troubling unemployment rate is undoubtedly impacting industry sales. Our latest Economy Tracker indicated that although consumers' general opinion about the economy is improving, their outlook on their own personal situation is worsening.”

Though NPD is optimistic that the industry will do better in November, largely due to the record-breaking performance of ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ from Activision and the forthcoming holiday season, the disquieting October figures have apparently put the US video game industry on pace to report an overall decline for the year.