Football Scores EA Top Spot

Hardware sales rose 77% during the month to $380.8 million and totaled $2.7 billion for the year. Console hardware sales soared 140.7% in July to $286 million, compared with $111.8 million the year before.

Nintendo's Wii showed no signs of slowing down, with 425,000 systems sold during the month. Consumers bought 222,000 Sony PS2s and 170,000 Microsoft Xbox 360s.

The Madden Effect

Software sales were up 11% to $419.2 million during the month and touched $3.3 billion for the year. Sales of game accessories were up 51% in July to $125.4 million.

"July is typically one of the slower months for the video-game industry, falling between June and the related Father's Day, and graduation gift occasions -- and before Madden month," said Frazier. Madden football, one of EA's biggest sports-related titles, released last week.

EA's other football game, NCAA Football 08, for the Xbox 360 ruled the charts, while the PS2 version came in fourth with 236,000 copies sold. The PS3 version of the game ranked sold 156,000 copies and ranked sixth on the charts.

Rival Activision's Guitar Hero game ranked second, while the Transformers game for the PS2 came in ninth with 138,000 copies sold in the month. The company's Guitar Hero 2 game for the Xbox 360 sold 108,000 copies and came in 10th.

Nintendo's Wii Play game sold 278,000 units and came in third on the charts, while the company's Wii Mario Party 8 title sold 177,000 copies and ranked fifth.

Portable game hardware sales declined 1% during July to $94.9 million. Nintendo DS sold 405,000 systems, while Sony sold 214,000 PlayStation Portables.

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