[ALL] Total games sales year-over-year are down 32%

[Chrispy]

The NPD Group has revealed hardware and software sales charts for April, 2012 (specifically spanning April 1st through April 28th).

Here are the top ten best-selling games for that four week period:

1.) Prototype 2 (360, PS3)
2.) Kinect: Star Wars (360)
3.) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC)
4.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (360, PS3)
5.) NBA 2K12 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PC, PS2)
6.) The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings (360, PC)
7.) Mario Party 9 (Wii)
8.) Mass Effect 3 (360, PS3, PC)
9.) Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3)
10.) MLB 12: The Show (PS3, PSV)

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is represented the most times on the list, with PlayStation 3 closely behind it. There’s parity between Wii and PC this month, and a PlayStation Vita game is represented as well.

When looking at both hardware and software sales year-over-year, however, there’s a significant change from 2011. Total sales of games is down 32%, from $930.9 million to $630.4 million. Hardware is also down 32% year over year, and software is down 42% year over year. Strangely, video game accessories actually ticked up 1% from this time last year.

Even with the overall industry severely lagging, Microsoft released a statement about Xbox 360’s performance, noting that it sold 236,000 units in April in the United States. The console holds a 47% share of current-gen home consoles, and this marks the 14th month in a row Xbox 360 has been above 40% in that category. It has been the best-selling console in the United States for 16 months in a row. Gamers spent $261 million on Xbox 360 games, “more than the spend on the other two current-generation consoles combined.”

Sony also released an NPD statement, though they didn’t provide any numbers. “According to the April NPD, the PlayStation ecosystem continues to grow with exclusive titles such as MLB 12: The Show landing in the top five SKUs. Digital-only titles, including Journey for PS3 and Escape Plan for PS Vita, helped to further bolster growth.”

Nintendo declined to send an NPD report for this month in time for publish.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05...+twitter&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

 

[ThomasTomasz]

So are they using the first quarter of 2012 to project the entire year to compare with 2011? Because that doesn't make sense to compare anything to 2011, as it was one of the best years in gaming we've seen in some time (and the best two month period for sure) and right now, there's only been two major titles released so far, in The Show and ME3.

 

[Swarley]

April 1 to April 28? Really? B/c we know EVERYBODY wanted Kinect Star Wars.

 

[padman59]

So are they using the first quarter of 2012 to project the entire year to compare with 2011? Because that doesn't make sense to compare anything to 2011, as it was one of the best years in gaming we've seen in some time (and the best two month period for sure) and right now, there's only been two major titles released so far, in The Show and ME3.

I think they're just comparing April 2011 to April 2012, but I have to agree with your sentiment. For Q1 this year, there simply haven't been many games that have had the same buzz around them compared to the releases that hit the market in Q1 last year (Dead Space 2, Portal 2, and Mass Effect 2 (PS3) to name a few).

That's not to say that the games released so far this year are necessarily bad, but they haven't brought near as much excitement.

 

[Twigg4075]

But yet games are still $60. I know developments costs are up significantly since last gen but we are at the end of this cycle. Why aren't games $40 at this point? It seems logical. Slice the MSRP of games $20 and purchases go way up.

But that brings me to another point. When are game companies, console maker, etc going to nut up and start charging various prices for games? It makes no sense to have Starhwak for $60 and Asura's Wrath for the same price. It seems Sony is starting to dabble in that with the Vita but companies need to take it much further. Yes I know there is the occasional budget game, but I'm not counting those.

Also, nice to see that Prototype seems to be doing ok.

 

[MrBill]

Expanding on what Twigg said, I'd like to see a comparison of game sales per console over a 3-4 year period (broken down by console/quarter) that coincides with the end of the lifecycle for that generation of consoles. That would be a more apples to apples comparison that just loosely throwing out numbers for a given quarter compared to the previous years quarter.

I think we all agree that this year hasn't had much int the way of killer titles but I'm not sure the sky is falling either.

 

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Mary Kate and Ashleys Barnyard fun 2 should swing things in May.

 

[jms493]

Call of duty....sells millions and increases every year. People play it and dont buy anything else.

Not just call of duty though....but they are a huge factor.