January Sales Down 34% From 2011
No new games are to blame for the lame sales figures.
The NPD group announced that its January sales figures and consumer spending on video games fell 34% to $750.6 million in the US. Hardware sales totaled $324 million, down 38% year over year. According to G4, these are the worst sales figures since January 2004.
"One factor for the double digit declines in new physical software was the lack of new launches, according to NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "New launches in January 2011 represented 13 percent of dollar sales and new launch performance dropped 99 percent in Jan 2012. Games like Dead Space 2, Little Big Planet 2, and DC Universe Online ranked within the top ten last year."
The Xbox 360 continues to be the top selling console for the 13th month in a row, with 270,000 units sold in January. "Historically, after several years in the console life cycle there is a softening of demand, but Xbox 360 continues to defy that convention," said Microsoft in a statement.
Xbox 360 sales are still down 29% from last year due to the low amount of games released in January for the system. The Wii and PlayStation 3 sold a combined total of 281,000 units while the 360 holds a 49% share of the hardware sales, a drastic decrease from last year. Below are the final charts for the month.
JANUARY 2012 US GAME SALES
OVERALL DOLLAR SALES
Total retail sales: $750.6 million (-34%)
Non-PC hardware: $199.5 million (-38%)
Non-PC software: $355.9 million (-38%)
Total software: $379.6 million (-37%)
Accessories: $195.2 million (-18%)
TOP 10 GAMES FOR JANUARY 2011
Title (Platforms) - Publisher
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360, PS3, PC) - Activision
2. Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3) - Ubisoft
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC) - Bethesda Softworks
4. NBA 2K12 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC) - Take-Two
5. Battlefield 3 (X360, PS3, PC) - EA
6. Madden NFL 12 (X360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP) - EA
7. Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - Nintendo
8. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (360, PS3, Wii, 3DS, PC) - Activision Blizzard
9. Zumba Fitness 2 (Wii) - Majesco
10. Saints Row: The Third (360, PS3, PC) - THQ
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