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NPD: Modern Warfare, Just Dance Lead A Lackluster January

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by Jeff Marchiafava on February 09, 2012 at 06:20 PM
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With a top 10 sellers list that contains few surprises, NPD is reporting low numbers for the month of January.

NPD is reporting that total sales for games, systems, and accessories dropped 34% from January of last year, coming to $750.6 million compared to 2011's $1.14 billion. The most noteworthy statistic is that sales of new games for the month of January are down 99% from last year, when they accounted for 13% of sales. While that sounds like a shocking drop, it's worth noting that the two biggest game releases of the month, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and SoulCalibur V, both released on Jan 31. Last year's January contained releases including Dead Space 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, and DC Universe Online.

While the lack of new titles seems like a valid reason for sluggish sales, Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter is skeptical of NPD's latest numbers. NPD is claiming that software sales for the month were $355.9 million, whereas for the past seven years January software sales have averaged $518 million. Speaking with USA Today, Pachter stated that it "...makes no sense that sales are below the level from 2004, when games were cheaper and the installed base of consoles was much lower. ... I don't know if the NPD is getting faulty data, but these numbers make no sense."

Whether Pachter's intuition is right or not, here's the list of the top selling games of January:

  1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
  2. Just Dance 3
  3. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  4. NBA 2K12
  5. Battlefield 3
  6. Madden NFL 12
  7. Mario Kart 7
  8. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
  9. Zumba Fitness 2: Party Yourself
  10. Saints Row: The Third

[Source: USA Today]

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  • by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 06:25 PM
    I remember getting ME2, LBP2, and DS2 on day one last year.
  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 06:31 PM

    I don't think NPD accounts for digital distribution.  More and more people are purchasing digitally, which may account for the lower numbers.  

  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 06:31 PM
    This "Pachter" guy sounds like kind of a dummy. Games cost more this year, and he's confused why they didn't make more money? I think the 50 to $60 price increase on computer titles hurt the market. Didn't anyone ever teach this guy that raising your price doesn't necessarily mean more money?
  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 06:41 PM
    Such a shame that Mario Kart 7 is so low on that list. Such a great game. Although, I am quite pleased to see Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim still selling so well. :)
  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 06:46 PM
    Zumba Fitness?!?!?! What is that doing there???
  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 07:36 PM

    Its because nothing came out in January and everyone is playing Skyrim like normal lifeless people! 200 hours and proud!

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    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 07:38 PM
    Of course gaming is lacking this time of year. It's *** JANUARY. 2011 was one of the biggest years in gaming and later this years will be even bigger. The Post-Christmas months are when everyone relaxes & plays the game(s) they got for said holiday. January - August are usually the slow months. Of course, until all the conventions start up again. GDC, E3, TGS and so on. Then The Cycle begins anew.
  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 07:52 PM
    Glad to see Skyrim doing well. I hope this sends a message to the industry that an RPG can do very well even in the mainstream market that seems to be obsessed with shooters these days. Hopefully that means more AAA RPGs being developed that aren't just from Bioware or Bethesda.
  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 08:12 PM

    Probably because everyone already has thier copy...

  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 08:30 PM

    Meh, I would expect sales to go down in January. Most people got games for Christmas to hold them over, so the average consumer isn't jumping up to buy new games when they already have a bunch at home.

  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 09:01 PM

    .......

  •
    by Thursday, February 09, 2012 at 10:39 PM

    Whenever I see that picture of Just Dance I always think of the poor guy who has to be the friggin camel.

  • by Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:11 AM

    All the pre-holiday big title releases set up one big time Jan letdown.

  • by Friday, February 10, 2012 at 08:25 AM

    well I have 3 of the 10 guess which =P

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    by Friday, February 10, 2012 at 09:21 AM

    mmodern warfare whats that.

  •
    by Friday, February 10, 2012 at 09:32 AM

    After the 2011 holiday releases, and the great games that released throughout the year, this drop in game sales for January was pretty much expected. Many gamers(including myself) shelled out a lot of money on some of the biggest games of the year. It's natural for a lot of people to not be so quick to spend more money on games, when they may have a decent backlog of games(new and old)that they may still want to play and finish, before even thinking about another new game purchase IMO.

  •
    by Friday, February 10, 2012 at 09:55 AM

    Pachter also said GTA V would launch before E3 2012. I have nothing against him, but he's not as good an analyst as people like to think he is.

  •
    by Friday, February 10, 2012 at 09:58 PM

    Hey didnt the last time they had a report like this wasnt just dance 2 and modern warfare 2 on the top of the list