Japanese game sales see 24% drop in first half of 2009

Game sales in Japan are currently in a freefall, it would seem -- with a 24.4 percent year-on-year drop in hardware and software sales since the beginning of 2009, according to GI.biz.

More specifically, hardware sales have fallen right off Mt. Fuji, losing 27.6 percent compared to 2008, while software sales have taken a 21.8 percent hit.

For the first half of 2009, Japan's gaming market did a total of ¥218 million worth of business.

Click through the link for more depressing stats. We're going to go buy some earplugs to block out the wailing and gnashing of teeth currently taking place on the streets.