November NPD: Wii breaks 2m, Gears 2 breaks 1.5m ... what recession?

Despite all the talk of recessions and global economic crises (crisises?), the video game industry once again seems unfazed. According to the NPD Group, North American industry sales totaled $2.91 billion for November, approximately 10% higher than the same month last year. Of that, $1.45b came from software while hardware took in $1.21b and accessories $255.4 million. As you can see below, the big winners of the month were the Wii (average to 68K sold per day!) followed by the DS (avg. 52K daily). For the fourth month in a row, the Xbox 360 has outsold the PlayStation 3, and has sold double that of Sony's console for the eighth month in the two-year battle.

On the software side of things, Gears of War 2 must be very pleased with itself, with Marcus Fenix and the gang selling 1.56 million units – that's four times as many copies as Nathan Hale's Resistance 2 – securing the top spot for November. But not so fast, Delta Squad! Factoring in both "next-gen" platforms, Call of Duty: World at War sold an incredible 2 million units, with the Xbox 360 release commanding an impressive 70% of those numbers. Check full software sales numbers after the break.

- Wii: 2.04m 1.237m (154%)
- DS: 1.57m 1.079m (220%)
- Xbox 360: 836K 465K (125%)
- PSP: 421K 228K (118%)
- PS3: 378K 188K (99%)
- PS2: 206K 70K (51%)


1. Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 – 1.56 million
2. Call of Duty: World at War - Xbox 360 – 1.41 million
3. Wii Play w/ remote - Wii – 796K
4. Wii Fit - Wii – 697K
5. Mario Kart - Wii – 637K
6. Call of Duty: World at War - PS3 – 597K
7. Guitar Hero: World Tour - Wii – 475K
8. Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360 – 410K
9. Resistance 2 - PS3 – 385K
10. Wii Music - Wii – 297K