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NPD April 2013: Injustice On Top, New Game Sales Down 25% From April 2012
It's that time again. The April 2013 NPD report is now available, with Warner Brothers and NetherRealm Studios sitting atop the list of best selling titles. Sales continue on a downward trend, with significant losses over last April.
Microsoft's Xbox is on top in the United States for the 21st consecutive month, selling 130,000 units according to the Redmond, Washington-based company. Spending on the platform across hardware, software, and accessories was $208 million, down from last month, which was almost double that.
Total retail spending, according to the NPD Group was $495.2 million (compared to $630 million in the same period last year). Hardware sales represented $109.5 million ($187.8 million in 2012), and console, handheld, and PC software is on the decline again at $267.8 million ($307.2 million in 2012). Skylanders Giants and Call of Duty: Black Ops II continue to hang tough in the top ten. Last month's victor, Bioshock Infinite, slips to third, with Dead Island Riptide taking the silver medal in between it and top dog Injustice: Gods Among Us. New releases had a stronger month than last April, and this month marks the first time since Mortal Kombat's release in 2011 that a fighting game is on top.
Nintendo should be pleased with Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon in the same place as last month and the appearance of Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins for 3DS sitting in the ninth spot. Nintendo reports that its first=party 3DS software sales are up 52% over last April, which is the second month in a row of huge gains.
Here are the best selling games of April 2013:
- Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U)
- Dead Island: Riptide (360, PS3, PC)
- Bioshock Infinite (360, PS3, PC)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (360, PS3, PC, Wii U)
- Defiance (360, PS3, PC)
- Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
- NBA 2k13 (360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)
- Skylanders Giants (Wii, 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii U)
- Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins (3DS)
- MLB 13: The Show (PS3, Vita)
In comparison to the decline in video game spending, overall retail spending is up across most of the country according to the federal government.
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