NPD Analysis Blog

Prototype 2 Tops April Sales; Overall Gaming Sales Down 32 Percent

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Posted May 10, 2012 - By Stephen Johnson

Prototype 2

Prototype 2 was the top-selling game in April. The supernaturally tinged dystopian action game beat out Kinect Star Wars and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, numbers two and three on the charts, respectively. This is great news if you're a fan of publisher Activision or developer Radical, but April was not a good month for gaming software as a whole. According to the figures released by industry analysts at the NPD Group, sales were down 32 percent versus last year.

RATING: Prototype 2 Review

“I think what the new physical retail content sales reflect a very light release schedule in terms of the amount of compelling new games," said the NPD's Anita Frazier in a statement. "Last April, the top seven titles outsold the top-selling title this year, and, simply stated, there were notably fewer new market introductions. I think it’s a simple as that because when we see compelling content come into the market, the games are still selling as well as ever – we just saw a lot less this April as compared to last.”

If you'd like the full top ten list of the best-selling games in April, click the "Read More" tag.

Tags: NPD Analysis, Videogames

Video Game Hardware Sales Sink In March

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Posted April 12, 2012 - By Stephen Johnson

The Console Wars: Rise of the Machines

Sales of video game hardware were down in March versus last year, continuing the industry's recent slump. Hardware sales totalled $323.5 million, down 35 percent from $494.5 million a year ago. Accessory sales were $222.5 million, down 8 percent from $241.4 million a year ago.

“While it was a disappointing month, and first quarter, for new physical retail sales of video games hardware, software and accessories, it wasn’t entirely unexpected given guidance we’ve seen from several sources," Anita Frazier, analyst at NPD said.

“Outside of new physical retail sales, we find that the consumer spend on content on used games, rentals, subscriptions, mobile games, social network games, digital full game downloads and add-on content accounted for an additional $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion across the U.S., U.K., France & Germany in Q1 2012.”

Tags: NPD Analysis, Videogames

Mass Effect 3 Was The Top Selling Game In March 2012

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Posted April 12, 2012 - By Leah Jackson

Mass Effect 3 Razer Peripherals Include DLC

In a month where so many new releases hit the shelves, it's utterly surprising that Mass Effect 3 came out on top as the number one selling game in March. Nevertheless, a congratulations is in order to EA and the BioWare team on putting out a title that fans are still talking about every single day and playing with a feverish passion.

“Mass Effect 3 sold more than twice as much as did Mass Effect 2 during its introductory month in January 2010,” said Anita Frazer, a NPD Group Analyst.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, MLB 12: The Show, NBA 2K12, and SSX rounded out the top five games sold in March according to the NPD Group. Gamers spent a total of $553.1MM on game software throughout March, which added up to 25 percent less than they spent on games last March.

To see which other five games topped the March sales chart hit the break.

Tags: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, NPD Analysis, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Wii, Xbox 360

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Tops February Sales Charts

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Posted March 8, 2012 - By Stephen Johnson

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Supports 32-Player Console Games?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the top-selling game across platforms for the month of February 2012, beating out both Final Fantasy 13-2 and UFC Undisputed 3, which came in second and third. That's not bad for a game that's been out since November.

We don't have exact sales numbers on how much each game made or anything, but we do know that overall software sales amounted to $464.4MM in February. That might seem like a lot, but it was actually a pretty bad month for the industry. Sales were down 23 percent compared to last year during the same time.

Also notable: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning had a solid showing. It was the fourth highest selling game for the month, which is particularly impressive because it's the first game from a new development company (38 Studios) and also is not a sequel. Every single other game on the top selling games list is a sequel, many from franchise that go back many, many years (Twisted Metal, Soul Calibur 5, Final Fantasy 13-2, NBA 2K). Hey, video game industry, maybe sales wouldn't be going down year-to-year if you guys put out more original games. Just a thought.

Anyway, click the cut for the top-ten best selling games in February 2012.

Tags: NPD Analysis, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Xbox 360

Xbox 360 Wins February Console Wars; Video Game Hardware Sales Down 18%

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Posted March 8, 2012 - By Leah Jackson

Xbox 360 Arcade And Xbox 360 Pro Getting Storage Upgrades?

The Xbox 360 won the February console wars, marking the 14th month that the console has sold more units than its competitors. 426,000 Xbox units were sold in February, marking the 12th consecutive month that the 360 has held more than 40% of the current generation console market share. The PlayStation 3 sold around 360,000 units, which is still quite impressive.

“The best-selling hardware platform for the month was Xbox 360 for the seventh month in a row. While most hardware platforms posted declines versus last year, all current-generation platforms improved sales over January 2012 by more than 50 percent," said Anita Frazier, NPD Analyst.

Nintendo had a successful February as well. They sold 625,000 total hardware units last month, and saw tons of growth across each of its product lines compared to January. Here's a quick breakdown:

Nintendo 3DS: 262,000, a 53 percent increase
Wii: 228,000, a 50 percent increase
Nintendo DS: 135,000, a 76 percent increase
Total: 625,000, a 57 percent increase

While that's the good news (for some, at least), video game hardware sales as a whole are down by 18% to $381.4M compared to $466.9M from February 2011. But compared to January, the console hardware numbers increased by 62% without the inclusion of the PlayStation Vita. If you want to account for the four days of retail sales in this reporting period, then that number jumps up to 87% which is pretty good.

'Fess up gamers, did you get a new console in February, and if so, what did you get? If you want to see which game topped the charts in February, check out our February software analysis.

Tags: NPD Analysis, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Xbox 360

January Was A Bad Month For Video Games: Sales Down 34 Percent

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Posted February 9, 2012 - By Leah Jackson

Console Check-in

Today, the NPD Group released its January sales figures, and the beginning of 2012 was not good at all. Total consumer spending on video games fell 34 percent to $750.6 million in the US. Video game hardware sales totaled only $324 million, down 38% year over year. That's the worst it's been 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."

Tags: NPD Analysis, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Wii, Xbox 360

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 And Just Dance 3 Among The Best-Selling Games Of 2011

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Posted January 12, 2012 - By Leah Jackson

Modern Warfare 3 Cover Art Revealed?

Surprise! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the best-selling game of 2011 according to the NPD Analysis. What is interesting however is the fact that Just Dance 3 claimed the number two spot, followed by a bunch of pretty hardcore titles. Sometimes people just need to dance. I get it.

NEWS: Video Game Sales Down 2% In 2011 According To NPD Analysis

I know all you want is to see the top ten list from 2011 and since I'm nice I'll show it to you. Here's the annual 2011 top 10 games from the NPD Group. Remember that these numbers represent physical retail only across all platforms, including PC.

1.) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC) Activision Blizzard
2.) Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3) Ubisoft
3.) Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC) Bethesda Softworks
4.) Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC) Electronic Arts
5.) Madden NFL 12 (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2) Electronic Arts
6.) Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, NDS, PC) Activision Blizzard
7.) Batman: Arkham City (360, PS3, PC) Warner Bros. Interactive
8.) Gears of War 3 (360) Microsoft
9.) Just Dance 2 (Wii) Ubisoft
10.) Assassin's Creed: Revelations (360, PS3, PC) Ubisoft

Tags: Nintendo 3DS, NPD Analysis, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Wii

Microsoft's Xbox 360 Becomes The Best-Selling Console Of 2011

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Posted January 12, 2012 - By Leah Jackson

Microsoft's Xbox 360 Becomes The Best-Selling Console Of 2011

Microsoft's Xbox 360 came out on top of the console war last year to become the best-selling platform of 2011. The console itself has been the best-selling console for 12 straight months in a row. According to the NPD Analysis group, the Xbox 360 captured 49% of consumer retail spending, accounting for $6.7 billion ($2.1 billion on consoles and $4.6 billion on games and accessories) in sales in the U.S. Microsoft's success comes down to more than 66 million Xbox 360 consoles sold and more than 18 million Kinect sensors sold, not to mention the fact that Xbox Live now has almost 40 million members.

NEWS: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 And Just Dance 3 Among The Best-Selling Games Of 2011

What's really surprising about the NPD Analysis isn't that the Xbox came out on top, but that the Wii and PS3 were apparently "neck and neck" in second place for the year. Sony's PlayStation 3 did increase its unit sales year over year, but all of the other platforms declined in unit sales versus 2010.

Tags: NPD Analysis, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Wii, Xbox 360

Video Game Sales Down 2% In 2011 According To NPD Analysis

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Posted January 12, 2012 - By Leah Jackson

Console Wars: Developers Already Working On Next Gen Xbox and PlayStation Consoles -- Will They Come Out In 2012?

According to the NPD Analysis group, video game sales in 2011 were down 2% compared to 2010. The total amount consumers spent on gaming content, via all monetization methods, including new physical video and PC games, used games, game rentals, subscriptions, digital full-game downloads, social network games, downloadable content, and mobile games, is between $16.3 to $16.6 billion.

Based on their data, physical content still accounts for most of the money spent on games. "U.S. retail sales of new physical video game content, which includes portable, console and PC game software, generated revenues of $9.3 billion." Yet even though this is a massive figure, it's still an 8% decline over the $10.1 billion generated in 2010, according to NPD.

Tags: NPD Analysis, Videogames

Xbox 360 Leads November Sales Pack, According to NPD Group

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Posted December 9, 2011 - By Stephen Johnson

Console Wars: Developers Already Working On Next Gen Xbox and PlayStation Consoles -- Will They Come Out In 2012?

According to industry analysts at the NPD Group, the Xbox 360 topped the video game hardware sales charts in the all important holiday shopping month of November. The Xbox 360 sold 1.7 million units in the month. Overall, the industry's performance in terms of hardware sales was good in November, matching last year's sales numbers for the same time period. This is a pretty big accomplishment, when you consider that all three main consoles are nearing the end of their lifespan.

Tags: NPD Analysis, Videogames

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 And Skyrim Top November Video Game Sales: NPD Analysis

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Posted December 9, 2011 - By Leah Jackson

Modern Warfare 3 Cover Art Revealed?

Unsurprisingly, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim topped the video game sales charts in November, according to the NPD analysis group. MW3, from Publisher Activision Blizzard, sold $775 million in its first five days on the market so it's not too surprising that they came in at the number one spot. Battlefield 3, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Just Dance 3 rounded out the top five.

According to the NPD Analysis group, “This November marks the best November on record for sales of new physical content. November 2008 was previously the best November on record.” They went on to mention that, “In one month, Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is just about half a million units shy of matching Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion in lifetime sales. Its first month performance was a five-fold increase over Oblivion’s first month sales," and they attributed the high sales to "outstanding review scores" like the our own Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim review.

To check out the rest of November's Top 10 check after the break.

Tags: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, NPD Analysis, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Wii, Xbox 360

Xbox 360 And Nintendo 3DS Led October Hardware Sales According To NPD

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Posted November 11, 2011 - By Nikole Zivalich

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 and the Nintendo 3DS (and the DS) led US hardware sales for the month of October according to the NPD. Microsoft's console saw a 20% growth from last October and 3DS/DS sales were up 25%. According to Microsoft they sold 393,000 units last month allowing them to continue their reign as the top console in US for 2011. Nintendo and Sony have not released their specific console numbers for October at this time. Overall October was a good month for hardware sales.

“On an average sales per week basis, October 2011 unit sales of 3DS, DS, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 platforms all saw an increase over September 2011, which was a 5-week retail month (Oct'11 was a 4-week retail month).”

Is there a new console in your future?

Tags: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, NPD Analysis, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Xbox 360

Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City And NBA 2K12 Help October Software Sales Soar

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Has Sold Almost 15 Million Copies; Leads 2010-2011 Sales According To NPD Analysis

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Posted November 9, 2011 - By Leah Jackson

Black Ops: First Strike DLC Review -- Is This Call of Duty Map Pack Worth It?

As part of a Ubisoft earnings report touting that Dance Central 2 sold over 5 million copies, it's was revealed that Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Black Ops is the real winner, selling almost 15 million units since its November 2010 release. According to a NPD analysis report from the 2010 holiday season, Black Ops sold over 12 million copies then, and has since gone on to sell almost 3 million more.

NEWS: Call of Duty: Black Ops Sales Top $650 Million In Five Days, Sets Entertainment Launch Record

Here's the full list of the top-selling new retail titles in the U.S. from January 2010 through September 2011.

Black Ops Activision Blizzard 14,983,459
Just Dance 2 Ubisoft 5,245,480
Madden NFL 11 EA 5,195,251
Halo: Reach Microsoft 4,746,560
New Super Mario Wii Nintendo 4,231,423
NBA 2K11 Take 2 4,202,926
Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver Nintendo 3,943,889
Red Dead Redemption Take 2 3,877,037
Wii Fit Plus Nintendo 3,577,800
Pokemon Black/White Nintendo 3,581,789
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Ubisoft 3,141,187

Tags: Nintendo DS, NPD Analysis, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Wii, Xbox 360

Gears Of War 3, Dead Island, Deus Ex: Hardcore Games Rule September Sales Chart

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Posted October 13, 2011 - By Stephen Johnson

Dead Island

Research analysts at the NPD group just released their video game sales numbers for the month of September, and while sales overall across the industry were down 6 percent from last year, software sales for the month were up a bit from 2010's numbers, and showed strong sales for "core" games. In fact, with the exception of Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, and seasonal sports titles, the entire top ten is composed of deep, mature games like Gears of War 3, Deus Ex and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. There's not a Just Dance or Zumba Fitness to be seen.

Perhaps the most interesting entry on the list is Dead Island. The open-world Action RPG is not a sequel or part of a franchise, and is from Deep Silver, a smaller publisher that probably isn't used to topping charts. I'm sure champagne bottles are being opened at the DS offices... I mean, as a break from working on Dead Island 2, a game I imagine is in frantic development.

The Top Ten games in September are under the "Read More" tag.

Tags: NPD Analysis, Videogames