Element of surprise

The excellent hardware figures for Black Friday week weren’t enough to offset the North American video game industry’s continued decline in November. According to the NPD group, numbers for the period fell by 11 per cent year-over-year, with sales amounting to $2.55 billion, compared to $2.87 billion in 2011.

Hardware sales were responsible for $838.9 million this November, a 13 per cent decrease over 2011’s slightly more robust $962.2 million. That’s despite the arrival of a brand new platform in the Wii U.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was the top-selling system yet again, registering 1.26 million units during the month. We know that the PlayStation 3 sold 525,000 units during Black Friday week, so it’s safe to assume that the console wasn’t too far behind. However, Sony's yet to provide full figures for the entire period.

Software sales mirrored the overall industry’s decline, dwindling by 11 per cent overall. In total, physical content brought in $1.46 billion this November, as opposed to $1.65 billion in 2011. Unsurprisingly, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was the best selling game for the period, alongside Assassin’s Creed III.

We’ve included the full North American software top-ten in the space below. Let us know about your November purchases in the comments section.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (360, PS3, PC, Wii U)
2. Halo 4 (360)
3. Assassin's Creed 3 (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
4. Just Dance 4 (Wii, 360, Wii U, PS3)
5. Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, Wii U)
6. Skylanders Giants (Wii, 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii U)
7. Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2012 (PS3, 360, PSV, PC)
8. NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, Wii U, PC)
9. WWE 13 (360, PS3, Wii)
10. FIFA Soccer 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, 3DS, Wii U, PSP)