Videogames slump in Feb

Despite the launch of Sony's Ps Vita, the videogames biz saw sales decline 20% in Feb to $1 billion in comparison to 2011. That's still up versus the 34% hit the general industry required in The month of january.Feb game sales are propped up, though, when invoice discounting in used game sales, digital downloads, social networking and mobile games, rental fees and subscription revenue, that could account for the next $550 million to $600 million throughout the month, NPD Group stated.Still sales of software across all platforms stepped 24% to $464 million, while hardware was off 18% to $381 million.Using the Vita getting hit U.S. store shelves February. 22, there have been just four times of sales for that Vita. With no handheld, hardware sales rose 62% over The month of january. Using the Vita, the amount increases to 82%.Microsoft's Xbox 360 360 brought in hardware sales because the best-selling console for that seventh month consecutively, assisted through the Kinect.Total retail invest in the Xbox 360 360 platform in Feb (including hardware, software and add-ons) added as much as $383 million, probably the most for just about any console within the U.S.Activision's "Cod: Modern Warfare 3" was the very best-selling bet on the month, then Square Enix's "Final Fantasy XIII-2," THQ's "UFC Undisputed 3," Apple Something Electronic Arts "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" (from baseball pitcher Curt Schilling's 38 Galleries), and Ubisoft's "Just Dance 3."A decline in catalog sales was blamed for that decline in content sales at retail, with games that released this year selling 32% less models in Feb than this past year, NPD stated. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com