Black Ops 2, Halo 4 help, but don’t save video game industry

November saw the release of Halo 4 and Call of Duty 4, two very popular titles that many hoped would save the video game industry in terms of sales and revenue. They helped, but they didn't solve the industry's problems.

Total video game sales for November 2012, as reported by the NPD Group, were down 11% compared to the same period last year. The bright side is that unit declines are tied with August 2012 for "the smallest year-over-year declines so far this year."

Some other notables is that when comparing the performance of the top five titles from this year to last, the NPD noticed a rise in unit sales of 5%. It was the games outside of the top five, which sold less compared to last year, that led to overall declines.

NPD also recognized that while there were fewer titles launching this November versus November 2011, "these new titles are holding their own and generating the same number of dollars per title on average."

"Unfortunately, declines this month stemmed from softer sales from catalog titles, which launched outside this month, with dollars sales down 11%, collectively."

Overall, total video game sales for November 2012 were $2.55 billion. Below are the top games, all platforms included:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Activision)
2. Halo 4 (Microsoft/343 Industries)
3. Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft)
4. Just Dance 4 (Ubisoft)
5. Madden NFL 13 (Electronic Arts)
6. Skylanders Giants (Activision)
7. Need For Speed: Most Wanted (EA)
8. NBA 2K13 (2K Sports)
9. WWE 13 (THQ)
10. FIFA Soccer 13 (EA)