The game genre may now be second only to the evergreen 'shooter' in terms of sales, but that doesn't mean that all is looking rosy for this now vast category - having fallen off a cliff in recent months.

According to the ever vocal Michael Pachter, sales for February to June are down 49 percent, when and are combined.

You might think that a lack of new releases is behind this apathetic performance, but with 20 products available alongside a range of peripherals Pachter believes that players may simply be uninspired by the present crop of titles.

Still, with Guitar Hero 5 (among other GH spin-offs) and The Beatles: Rock Band on the way this winter, the genre has ample opportunity to make a comeback.

Thanks Gamasutra.com.

By Luke Guttridge