January NPD: Sales Down 5%, PS3 Software Up 25%

You just can't stop the Black Ops freight train.

The NPD has released the sales numbers for January, and overall sales for the industry fell 5%, down to $1.16 billion from $1.22 billion. Hardware fell the most, declining 8% to $324 million (well, not many tend to buy new consoles the month after Christmas), and as for software, sales fell 6% to $603.1 million. The top game was once again Call of Duty: Black Ops, followed by Just Dance 2 for the Wii and Dead Space 2. The latter's #3 slot is impressive considering it was only available for one week in January (it launched on the 25th), and LittleBigPlanet 2 enjoyed a strong showing at #4. Only accessories managed to rise in January, with an increase of 6%; it's yet another month where accessories did well, and it's mostly due to PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Kinect.

PS3 software did well - obviously, LBP2 contributed - and Sony's official statement on the NPD results is as follows. This from Patrick Seybold, SCEA Senior Director of Corporate Communications:

"January’s NPD numbers, reflecting a 25% increase in PS3 software sales, demonstrate continued momentum for the PlayStation ecosystem. As the only system with both stereoscopic 3D and precision motion controlled gaming, PlayStation is delivering a new era of immersive entertainment fueled by the industry’s strongest content lineup. Next week, with the arrival of one of the most anticipated titles of the year, Killzone 3, consumers’ expectations for exhilarating 3D graphics and fast-paced PlayStation Move action will be further elevated in living rooms around the world."

Tags: gaming industry, npd, january npd, game sales

2/17/2011 8:41:47 PM John Shepard

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Comments (41 posts)

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frylock25
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 9:50:30 PM
Reply

i bought lbp2 ce and im getting killzone 3 and the sharpshooter. enough money on sony for now

5 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 10:08:06 PM
Reply

And there are people out there who say exclusives don't matter and want everything to be multiplat.

Fools.

8 up, 2 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 10:20:41 PM

The funny thing is, where are Microsoft's software sales? Oh yeah, it's hard to have any with like 2 studios.

6 up, 1 down

frylock25
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 11:02:51 PM

what the hell does m$ sell lately anyway?

3 up, 2 down

Jawknee
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 11:07:05 PM

Kinectimals.

5 up, 2 down

Underdog15
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 7:10:17 AM

@Hiram

That's a load of BS, and you know it.

You are right about one thing though... that multiplat games that are good should get credit. Heck, ANY good game should get credit as far as I'm concerned. Many people who frequent this site know I'm in love with Assassin's Creed, which is a multiplat.

However, to say only fanboys care about exclusives is extremely uneducated. Exclusives, for whatever system they are on, tend to be the cream of the crop in terms of production values. And the reasons are out there. When a developer focuses on one system, they can haul out the goods in that system. When they are multiplat, one way or the other, exceptions need to be made and limitations are in place.

You can't get something of Gears, Uncharted 2, KZ3, and (More) quality in a multiplat. As much as I love and adore Assassin's Creed, you cannot deny that the production qualities are nowhere near as good as Uncharted 2 or many MANY other exclusives.

There are many reasons to prefer exclusives, and to say otherwise is really quite silly.

6 up, 4 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 7:45:19 AM

lol, he calls people who like exclusives fanboys then wishes everyone can play the games they like without being called a fanboy.

6 up, 2 down

Underdog15
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 8:26:03 AM

@World
And he thumbs down us and thumbs up himself.

@Hiram
How is that typical when I say all exclusives respective to their own systems are cream of the crop including Gears? (Which is a 360 game, by the way.)

Just answer what I said, and stop responding in a way that assumes I said something to serve your purpose.

But please... WHAT about what I said is a PS3 fanboy response? Enlighten me.

"Now I know why I didn't signup when I first found this site."

And now I know why I felt like you had an agenda as soon as you commented. This site is extremely well known for unbiased reviews. In fact, it's the only Playstation site that will tell you when a 360 version of a multiplat is the better version. Find me a pro 360 site that would do the same the other way around!

And as for the rest of your point about taking you for example, those points prove that you are either against exclusives or prefer other games... which is a matter of preference. It does not address ANY of the points I made about production qualities.

Last edited by Underdog15 on 2/18/2011 8:34:28 AM

6 up, 2 down

Underdog15
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 8:55:19 AM

@Hiram
Actually... now that I re-read it, I don't think you even read what I wrote. lol

5 up, 0 down

maxpontiac
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 9:32:35 AM

Well HiramJ, no one is forcing you to stay.

3 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 10:11:27 AM

Hiram: Teenage fanboys? Based on your reply, it seems to me that just about everyone here is older than you. You don't read what anyone writes, assume they're all fanboys because this is a PS-oriented site, and then say something entirely absurd about how exclusives don't matter.

If you want to have a combative attitude, don't post. If you want to post intelligently - which you haven't really done yet - then feel free to stay.

Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 2/18/2011 10:11:41 AM

4 up, 2 down

Jawknee
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 11:46:29 AM

Thank you for proving my point HiramJ. Always best to hear it right from the horses mouth.

1 up, 2 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 1:04:27 PM

bought > brought

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 10:19:24 PM
Reply

Just Dance 2? What the hell is going on in Wiiworld? I swear those people are space aliens.

1 up, 1 down

Alienange
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 10:48:04 PM

What do you mean? My kids love that game.

2 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 11:07:53 PM

I'm glad they do, but if it's holding some of the highest sales then there are a lot more people in their late twenties and early thirties gyrating in their living rooms than I had previously surmised.

1 up, 0 down

GuernicaReborn
Thursday, February 17, 2011 @ 11:23:03 PM

I always found that game title kind of ironic... If you really wanted to "just dance," you don't need a video game to do it. Hell, even music is optional. Just start dancing.

4 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 12:24:31 AM

That's what I do, I just break out in some crazy pop-lockin outside on the steps.

3 up, 0 down

kraygen
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 12:32:52 AM
Reply

If only there were some NPD numbers that were global, bet we'd see even more PS3 love.

5 up, 0 down

Scarecrow
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 12:48:50 AM

Japan and most of Europe. Spain, Germany, and France truly love the ps3. It's mostly the UK that supports the 360 in Europe.

2 up, 0 down

kraygen
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 1:18:16 AM

Exactly, so does M$ pay the NPD to not do world wide numbers or something? Some company needs to stand up and crunch the numbers.

Love to see sony slapping that on american commercials, "World wide population chooses Ps3 over 360."

3 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 3:46:20 AM

The UK is too much like a kind of little America. US cultural imperialism has quite effectively infiltrated the entire nation, and yet Brits still think they are unaffected by it...LOL!

NPD won't ever do a global picture, they are specific to the NA market, as far as I can remember. Even so, it's clear that with the exception of the two main English speaking nations on Earth, the world loves PlayStation.

3 up, 3 down

maxpontiac
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 9:34:49 AM

Considering NPD doesn't use figures from Walmart, I take their figures with a grain of salt.

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 11:48:37 AM

The Brits are the OG's of imperialism. Not sure if you're trying to be funny or just taking another cheap shot at your adoptive country.

0 up, 2 down

kraygen
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 1:16:12 PM

@ max

All large corporations are biased and twisted to their own agenda's. I take every bit of news with a grain of salt.

I didn't know that NPD didn't factor in walmart, that is just pathetic, aren't they responsible for half the sales in America? lol.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 4:58:18 PM

Actually Jawknee, I was taking a cheep shot at the country of my birth. But the effect is much the same.

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 6:07:50 PM

Ah, gotcha. ;)

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 9:12:28 PM

No worries, Just like the US, the UK is (and surely ought to be) big enough and old enough to take a few cheap shots and even laugh at itself occasionally.

0 up, 0 down

Scarecrow
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 12:50:05 AM
Reply

Great numbers, seeing LBP2 reassures me that great platform/unique games are still the best kind.

That game's story mode alone is worth the $60 for me. So much fun, and so many new gadgets/properties.

3 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 1:24:48 AM
Reply

So, PS3 software sales continue to grow, even in a month of overall decline in gaming spend. Sometime or other, it is going to become painfully clear that the apparent success of the 360 squat sales is due to repeat buys by 360 owners looking to trade up to a more reliable unit. Sagging software sales in the face of supposedly strong console sales is an odd combination, as is the relatively unchanged number of XBL subscribers. PS3 continues to grow software sales steadily as it's own unit sales remain constant. It seems logical to presume that PS3s are predominantly going to new customers/gamers, and 360s are not so predominantly going to new customers/gamers. In other words, 360 Squats are bought as replacements, PS3s are bought as new game consoles.

4 up, 0 down

Bonampak
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 2:20:17 PM

Not to sound like a pro M$ fanatic, but total retail spend on Xbox 360 topped $551 million in January, making it the top selling console platform for the 10th month in a row. I mean, those are just the facts.

Sure we can spin those numbers and make the claim that people buy a 360 to replace a broken one.

But then I've heard 360 fans saying that the PS3 sells mainly because consumers use it as a blu-ray player. So the spin surely can go both ways.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 5:00:25 PM

Sure the spin can go either way, but if you see sharply increased console unit sales for three or four months straight, and yet game sales don't improve and actually decrease, for the same console, what does that tell you? Facts are facts.

Just as if you see console sales for a particular console increasing steadily and game sales increasing at a far greater rate for that same console, you can conclude something too.

2 up, 0 down

___________
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 1:51:52 AM
Reply

nice to see DS2 raking in really good sales!
hope EA dont milk the series too much though, if this turns into the next assassins creed there going to wish they had a horses head in their bed!

0 up, 1 down

Excelsior1
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 8:05:21 AM
Reply

it's nice that ps3 software sales are up, but it was is last place in hardware sales in dec by al lot...approximattely 670,000 units behind the the 360 in that all importantant dec month.

i'm no microsoft fan, but their sales have really taken off sense the squat came out. my 360 loving friends have all bought one in addition to the one thay already have. when i ask why they say becuase it looks so awesome, or to be used with kinect.

i'm not going to lie guys, i am a huge sony fan. it pains me to see sony in last place.

2 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 8:56:06 AM

Don't let it pain you. Sony will overtake them, easily.

1 up, 0 down

Ignitus
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 2:29:35 PM

Don't fall for that. Mind your own business. Enjoy your console and games of choice. To each their own.
I own both and I can care less who sells more of this and more of that. I enjoy the games and this competition is having benefits for us.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 5:03:42 PM

But you have just said the whole reason yourself. People are buying secondary systems to replace or augment their existing 360. Those folks don't buy any more games. If they did then the apparent sarp increase in hardware sales of the 360 would be matched by an equally sharp increase in software sales. When in fact PS3 software sales are increasing, 360 software sales are not.

In this console gaming business, Sony's aim is to make money not through selling the actual console but through the royalties and license fees for games and accessories. Seeing month on month grown in software sales for the PS3 is very good news for Sony.

0 up, 0 down

JDC80
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 2:59:08 PM
Reply

I prefer the PS3 and while I'm not a fan of the 360 I don't go trolling on pro 360 sites to trash it. It seems for the most part 360 fans have gone out their way to trash the PS3 read the comment on pro-PS3 videos on Youtube or PS3 related topics on gaming sites.
As for multi-vs exclusives I love any good game rather it's PS3 only or it's multi-platform but what set PS3 exclusives apart is that companies like ND or Sucker Punch have the ability to make the best possible game with the PS3 hardware.
While multi-platform have to make it fit around both systems and sometimes water down the PS3 version because they have to make sure the game can run on the 360.

0 up, 0 down

Bonampak
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 3:33:44 PM

The reason you see more 360 fanboys around the net, is because a lot of 8-12 year old kids happen to make up a big chunk of the 360 user base.

I mean people talk about the Wii being the kiddy system. But that's false. At least with this current generation it is. The only kids that play on that console are the kids that have yet to learn how to manipulate their parents to get what they really want. Once those kids can actually do that, they almost always gravitate to a next-gen system. Mostly to a 360.

Why? Because its the gangsta system of choice that most hip-hop artists and rappers buy. And you know how kids are. They want to be as macho as those rappers are.

I mean, you go Xbox Live and you come face to face with a legion of under-supervised tweens acting all ghetto on your arse. Its ridiculous.

So that's why you often find them all over the net.

Here's my experience with one of them: At Gamasutra there is this kid called Kevin Jones that does nothing but talk about how great the 360 and MS are. And if anyone tries to give Sony or Nintendo any praise, he will attack you like the rabid fanboy that he is.

1 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Friday, February 18, 2011 @ 3:58:14 PM

Indeed. Anytime I am at the store looking for a game to buy, I see 20 somethings and older in the PS3 section where as there are kids with their mommies in the 360 section.

1 up, 0 down

jimmyhandsome
Saturday, February 19, 2011 @ 10:57:46 AM

I guess that means no one older than teenagers play Xbox then, Jawknee! You should do more deeply thought out investigations in your mall and report back to us on what demographics buy Burger King over the chinese food stand.

0 up, 0 down

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