August software sales totaled $338 million, up slightly from last year’s $337 for the same month. Sales were up 7% from July, and year-to-date sales are up 9%. As expected, Electronic Arts ran away with the top-selling game of the month in Madden NFL 06. The title sold approx. 2.5 million units compared with 400,000 fewer a year ago. Combined with NCAA, EA had a 43.1% market share for the month of August.
Nintendo managed second highest-market share for August, dominating the handheld market. Nintendogs’ three editions placed second, third, and fifth in the handhelds chart. While this comes as little surprise due to the enormous hype surrounding the game, it is important to note that Nintendogs was released in the latter part of the month. Pokemon Emerald for the Game Boy Advance was the top-selling handheld game for August.
