February 10, 2012 - 12:08 AMT
Video game sales down in January

Video game sales plummeted in January, in part because few new games were released during the month, USA Today reported.

Total sales of games, game systems and accessories dropped 34% for the month, accounting for $750.6 million, compared with $1.14 billion in January 2011, according to data from market research firm The NPD Group.

Sales of hardware and software had similar declines. Consumers spent $355.9 million on games and $199.5 million on game systems - both figures down 38% from last year. Sales of video game accessories accounted for $195.2 million, down 18%.

The Top 10 selling games of January are: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision Blizzard); Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft); Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks); NBA 2K12 (Take 2 Interactive); Battlefield 3 (Electronic Arts); Madden NFL 12 (Electronic Arts); Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo); Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Activision Blizzard); Zumba Fitness 2: Party Yourself (Majesco); Saints Row: The Third (THQ).