NPD: Video game sales slide 5% in January, hardware down 8%

By on Feb 18, 2011 at 9:24 PM
Gaming February 18, 2011

Industry watcher NPD Group says sales of video game software in the U.S. declined by 5% year-over-year in January 2011, totaling $576 million. Console sales were down 8% to $324 million. On the back of continued strong sales of the Microsoft Kinect and PlayStation Move motion-based controllers, sales of video games accessories increased 6% year-over-year to $235 million. The only console to see growth in January was Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which sold 381,000 units — a 14.1% increase year-over-year. NPD ranked January’s software title sales as follows:

  1. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision Blizzard) – Xbox 360, PS3, Wi, DS, PC
  2. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft) – Wii
  3. Dead Space 2 (Electronic Arts) – Xbox 360, PS3, PC
  4. Little Big Planet 2 (Sony) – PS3
  5. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Majesco) – Wii, Xbox 360, PS3
  6. NBA 2K11 (Take-Two Interactive) – Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, PS2, PC
  7. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft) – Xbox 360, PS3
  8. Dance Central (MTV Games) – Xbox 360
  9. Michael Jackson The Experience (Ubisoft) – Wii, DS, PSP
  10. DC Universe Online: The Next Legend Is You (Sony) – PS3, PC

Overall, the U.S. gaming industry took in $1.14 billion excluding PC sales — a 4% slide versus the same month in 2010.

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17 Comments

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  • Huh

    Fix the load more entries bug please!

  • Anonymous

    Just Dance 2..Wii..in second place? I guess people like to dance.

  • Anonymous

    Surprised bgr didn’t attribute this to the iPhone somehow

    • man_up

      dude u whine so much on this site…

  • Anonymous

    I’m surprised I the iTouch isn’t considered a console but the ds and psp is.

    • JD Deitch

      Actually, to use the correct industry jargon, “console hardware” is the nonportable machines (xbox, ps3, wii), while “portable hardware” is exactly that (ds, psp). The reason for the absence of iGames (I’ll use this to refer to all apps destined for an iPod/iPhone/iPad) in the NPD reporting lies with how and from whom the data are collected.

      The figures Zach is reporting come from NPD’s retail (point-of-sale) service. This is a service in which NPD works with retailers to collect, process and report retailers sales at the SKU level. As we know, Apple is the only seller of iGames. Thus in order for iGames data to appear in the list, Apple has to be willing to provide this data to NPD. They also have to be willing to allow NPD to report this data since NPD has very careful rules about exposing sales of retailer exclusives, which, in effect, is exactly what iGames are.

      So… no iGames in the list means that either Apple is not furnishing this information or that NPD is not able to show it because of the exposure rules. Honestly I’m not sure which it is. While I presently work for NPD’s Research Science department, I am not currently working with the US Video Games team.

      • Anonymous

        Wow man awesome reply. I never knew how it worked. Info like that should be in the article. Thanks a bunch!

  • Anonymous

    And also looks like sOny should of hopped on that MJ action with the ps3. They missing out on some white glove nonsense !

  • Anonymous

    that picture is creepy ….in a “1960′s view of the future” kind of way

  • http://twitter.com/hawaiiinsomniac hawaiiinsomniac

    Sweet… Hopefully its time for a price drop!! PRICE WAR!!

    • Senor Chang

      That’s what I’m talking about. PS3 for me, then Wii for mom. Yes.

      • Chut Pata

        You disappoint me MS fanboy, I thought you would say XBox360. You must have forgotten MS is in gaming as well, and everything about MS has to be the greatest thing in the world for you.

  • http://www.itechmax.com Umar Anjum

    What kind of a controller is that. What the hell are they playing?

  • Chut Pata

    I hope with the departure of Dubya, the fascination with killing and getting killed is fading away.

  • JohnPA2006

    OK so this is an older picture in this article.
    those are Xbox360 controllers connected to a kiosk, for people to come sit down and play.
    The hot girl in the green shirt, obviously is payed by Microsoft to sit there and act like she is having fun playing that game, but if she was a genuine player, she would be in mid cursing, or someone would be tea bagging her right now. Nobody sits there that happy looking or with that good posture playing xbox.

    • JohnPA2006

      Paid…. not Payed, sorry.

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