Stats from sales analyst NPD have shown that the Canadian video games market suffered a like-for-like fall in sales in Q1 – the first time the territory has shown an annual dip since figures began in 2002.

Edge reports that retail sales of hardware and software fell by 8.5 per cent for Q1 2009 compared the first quarter of 2008. Sales of portable hardware fell by 21 per cent whilst home console sales fell 14.5 per cent.

“It may be tempting to attribute the decline in sales to the current state of the economy but on closer inspection the first quarter of 2009 lacked the number of blockbuster titles that drove sales during the same period last year,” NPD group manager Matthew Tattle stated.

“Guitar Hero and Rock Band experienced very strong sales in early 2008 while the release of Super Smash Bros Brawl helped bolster overall first quarter sales for the category.”

Whilst Japan has been experiencing market falls for quite some time, the Western games market had until now proved resilient to the brutal declines seen in other global sectors.