Analyst: U.S. games sales were down big last month — but in a 'pretty good' way

The story of the games industry at U.S. retailers in 2014 is pretty clear at this point: Console sales are up because of Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Software sales are down because few people are excited about Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games. That continued in September.

New games sold 36 percent less at U.S. retailers in September compared to the same period in 2013, according to yesterday’s NPD report. While that might look like an enormous drop, it is better than what some analysts were predicting. That’s because September 2013 saw the release of the massive blockbuster hit Grand Theft Auto V. Even with Destiny debuting this September, few games can match the hype and sales of developer Rockstar’s open-world crime series. So that the industry did better than analysts expected is a sign that consumer spending on games is healthy.