U.S. retail sales of video-game players and software rose 2 percent to $1.1 billion in September from a year earlier, led by continued strong purchases of consoles from Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

Spending on game hardware, including consoles, more than doubled to $432.7 million last month, researcher NPD Group Inc. said Thursday in an e-mailed statement.

A new generation of video-game machines, introduced late last year, has led to a rebound in consumer spending after two years of industry decline. Spending on consoles more than tripled last month, NPD said.

Software sales shrank 36 percent to $481.2 million from a year earlier, when spending surged with the introduction of a new version of Grand Theft Auto by Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., NPD said.

The top-selling title last month was Destiny, from Activision Blizzard Inc., followed by Madden NFL 15 and FIFA 15, both from Electronic Arts Inc.