None The gaming industry continues to grow every year, and 2006 was no exception. Here’s a look at the numbers. The NPD Group announced that the industry generated $12.5 billion during 2006. This number does not take into account PC games. The amount has risen from $10.5 billion in 2005. December alone generated $3.7 billion due partly to the launch of the Wii and PlayStation 3. Nintendo sold 1.1 million Wiis in the U.S. through December 31, according to NPD. This number clearly beats PS3 and Xbox 360 launch sales. 687,300 PlayStation 3s were sold by December 31 in the U.S. In 2005, Microsoft sold 607,000 units from the time it launched until the end of the year in the U.S. Madden NFL 07 was the clear winner in the software sales market, outselling its closest competitor, New Super Mario Bros., by 800,000 copies sold. Gears of War found itself in third place. World of Warcraft dominated the MMORPG market again this year. The game now boasts over 8 million subscribers. All that to say, it was a pretty good year for gamers.
