Video games saw stronger-than-expected sales in February despite a continued shortage of the Xbox 360.
Sales of game software in North America reached nearly $669 million for the month, up 47% from the same period last year, according to data released by the NPD Group Thursday afternoon.
Analysts were expecting game sales to grow between 25-30%. The month was led by continued strong sales of the "Call of Duty" and "Guitar Hero" franchises from Activision, though Capcom's "Devil May Cry 4" game also racked up strong sales for the month, according to the NPD report.
On the hardware side, the Nintendo Wii continued to lead in sales for next- generation consoles with 432,000 units sold.
The PlayStation 3 from Sony (SNE) moved more than 280,000 units for the month while the Xbox 360 from Microsoft (MSFT) sold 254,600 units. Microsoft said the device remained "in a supply constrained situation" that started in January.
"Call of Duty 4" from Activision (ATVI) was the top selling game title for the fourth month in a row, moving more than 296,000 units for the Xbox 360 version alone.
The same version of the "Devil May Cry 4" release moved more than 295,000 units.
Activision sold more than 222,000 units of "Guitar Hero III" for the Wii. A rival title -- "Rock Band" from Electronic Arts (ERTS) -- sold 161,800 units for the Xbox 360.
Source: CNN Money
