April video game sales decline 17 percent

NEW YORK (AP) — Lacking the big hits that made the year-ago period a standout, U.S. video game sales dropped sharply in April for the second month in a row as customers continued to watch their wallets.

Market researcher NPD group said late Thursday that retail sales of game software, hardware and accessories dropped 17 percent last month, to $1.03 billion.

Software sales plunged 23 percent to $510.7 million, more than many analysts had expected. Hardware sales, meanwhile, declined 8 percent to $391.6 million.