Madden, Wii Fit top global Q3 game sales

Despite a worldwide banking crisis, video game sales increased 8 percent over last year in the third quarter.

Madden, Wii Fit top global Q3 game sales

Mario Kart and Wii Fit stay in quarterly top 5 (click for more Mario Kart screens)

From July through September, the following five games sold the most, according to integrated data from the NPD, Chart-Track, and Enterbrain released today (ordered by worldwide units sold):

1. Madden NFL 09, EA - 3 million
2. Wii Fit, Nintendo - 2.1 million
3. The Force Unleashed, LucasArts - 1.7 million
4. Pokemon Platinum, Nintendo - 1.5 million
5. Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo - 1.4 million

No surprises made the list, but it's interesting to note that both Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii made the top 5 for the second straight quarter -- games the NPD calls "evergreen titles."

And it seems gamers aren't that concerned as Wall Street scrambles to get its house in order. "In the U.S., third quarter total industry unit sales grew 8 percent versus 2007, even as the economy showed accelerating signs of recession," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "As would be expected at this point in the console lifecycle, games sales are starting to take the spotlight even as the average retail prices of games increased slightly. Heading into the critical fourth quarter, the U.S. games industry is on solid ground."

The "Top Global Markets Report" is based on software point of sale data from the three biggest video game markets in the world; USA, Japan, and UK.

See also: Top Global Markets Q2 Report