According to The NPD Group, Canadian videogame retailers saw year-to-date 2007 (YTD'07) retail sales of videogames reach $498 million, a 61 percent increase over $310 million generated during the same time period last year.

According to NPD, all categories experienced exponential growth for the first half of 2007 (Jan. – June). Sales of videogame hardware, which includes console and portable products, exceeded $205 million, a 111 percent increase over YTD'06. Combined videogame software sales for portables and consoles reached $205.5 million, accounting for 46 per cent of total industry sales in Canada.

The accessories category, which includes products such as controllers and memory cards for consoles and portables, saw an increase of 68 percent, generating $62 million.

"The video game industry in Canada is strong and continues to perform extraordinarily well," said Darrel Ryce, Director of Technology and Entertainment, The NPD Group. "This marks the fifth consecutive mid-year time period in Canada when sales were higher than the same time period from the previous year. What is so exceptional about year-to-date 2007 is that the growth is so significant."

2007 Mid-Year Top 10 Video Game Titles, Ranked by Units Sold

1. Wii Play w/Remote (Wii)
2. Pokemon Diamond (NintendoDS)
3. Xbox Value Pack (Xbox)
4. Pokemon Pearl (NintendoDS)
5. God of War II (PlayStation2)
6. PlayStation2 Value Pack (PlayStation2)
7. Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess (Wii)
8. New Super Mario Bros. (NintendoDS)
9. Super Paper Mario (Wii)
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii)

Source: The NPD Group / Point-of-Sale