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NEW YORK -- Sales of U.S. console and portable video game hardware, software and accessories rose 21% year-over-year for the first half of 2005, putting the industry on track for a record year, research firm NPD Group said. The gaming sector saw overall sales hit more than $4.1 billion for the January-June period compared with $3.4 billion in first-half 2004, driven by the fast-expanding portable gaming market and software sales gains, NPD said Thursday. The total game software market expanded 9.2% year-over-year to $2.8 billion for the first half of the year, the firm said. Sony's Gran Turismo 4 was the best-selling title for the period based on unit sales, followed by Nintendo's Pokemon Emerald and Electronic Arts' MVP Baseball 2005.

Shares of video game companies got a lift Monday on news that first-quarter sales of both software and hardware grew at a faster clip compared with same quarter a year ago. According to research firm NPD Group, U.S. retail sales of all things related to video games increased 23% to more than $2.2 billion, buttressed by a 162% gain in sales of portable gaming devices to $293 million and a 69% leap in portable game software to $264.5 million. The key category of console games saw sales rise 7% to more than $1 billion. As for individual gaming titles, NPD said that Sony Corp.'s Gran Turismo 4, at 1.1 million units sold in the first quarter, was the most popular game in the quarter, followed by Take-Two Interactive Software's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas at 505,000 units sold.

Warner Music Group said Friday that longtime entertainment industry analyst Jill Krutick has joined the company as senior vp investor relations and corporate development ... Movie Gallery, the third-largest U.S. video rental chain, said Friday that it plans to raise up to $325 million by selling senior notes in a private placement ... Analysts said Friday that the latest industry data from research firm NPD Group showed video game sales rose a strong 32% in March driven by improved hardware supply and the success of Sony Corp.'s Gran Turismo 4 racing game.