Retail Video Games Sales Fell For 7th Month

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Video game sales were down again last month according to NPD. Just how bad are video game sales? The number one selling game last month was Lego Batman 2. :eek:

Sales declined 29 percent in June to $700 million. Sales of console and portable software — the video games themselves — fell 29 percent from a year earlier to $329 million. Sales of hardware fell 45 percent to $201 million. That was offset partly by a 4 percent increase in sales of accessories, to $170 million.
 
The USA Today article goes into a lot more detail: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2012/07/npd-fewer-video-game-releases-keep-monthly-sales-down/1

The main reason sales have declined -- November 2011 was the last month that game sales and total industry sales did not fall -- is that fewer games are being released, says NPD analyst Anita Frazier. In the first six months of 2012, there were 34% fewer new releases (titles and individual versions across various platforms), compared to 2011, she says. New releases generated 4% fewer units sold, but actually brought in 2% more dollars, on average.

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The article talks about how digital sales have increased, and used games have remained steady. The video game industry looks to be doing just fine, though its going to be tougher on retailers than anyone else.
 
This wouldn't be the case, if the games that were released didn't SUCK!

As a PC gamer, all I get to look forward to is WoW clone MMORPG's, and crappy console ports! Oh Joooooyyyyy!!! :rolleyes:
 
Well, with the Summer Steam Sale, that will change for this month.

That is where the numbers get hazy. Steam doesn't release sales numbers so they don't get factored into this. So they aren't even calculating one of the largest factors of video game sales in NPD numbers. In the other article in USA Today, they estimated it. With all the fears of people showrooming and Amazon doing same day delivery, they are making more doom and gloom with digital game sales which have been happening for years. These numbers make great headlines.
 
Whats wrong with Lego Batman 2...

The lego franchise has been a saving grace for me. I have gotten the GF hooked on them and buy each one on release day. Gets me out of so much "why do you spend time playing games crap" over the years.

Not to mention I would rather spend $60 on a PS3 game then on roses that will die in 5 days.
 
Just not as many games out there that make me want to buy on release day. I can wait 6 months to buy it used or in bargain bin. Just nothing to really excite me.

Plus, I've been doing more PC gaming via Steam/Amazon/Origin, etc..
 
Probably because so many games released these days are just plain crap or remakes of games people are getting tired of buying. Also, people sticking with certain online multiplayer games rather than buying new games is probably another factor.
 
Probably because so many games released these days are just plain crap or remakes of games people are getting tired of buying. Also, people sticking with certain online multiplayer games rather than buying new games is probably another factor.

++1
 
That is where the numbers get hazy. Steam doesn't release sales numbers so they don't get factored into this. So they aren't even calculating one of the largest factors of video game sales in NPD numbers. In the other article in USA Today, they estimated it. With all the fears of people showrooming and Amazon doing same day delivery, they are making more doom and gloom with digital game sales which have been happening for years. These numbers make great headlines.

The numbers are for retail games.
 
The USA Today article goes into a lot more detail: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2012/07/npd-fewer-video-game-releases-keep-monthly-sales-down/1

The main reason sales have declined -- November 2011 was the last month that game sales and total industry sales did not fall -- is that fewer games are being released, says NPD analyst Anita Frazier. In the first six months of 2012, there were 34% fewer new releases (titles and individual versions across various platforms), compared to 2011, she says. New releases generated 4% fewer units sold, but actually brought in 2% more dollars, on average.

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The article talks about how digital sales have increased, and used games have remained steady. The video game industry looks to be doing just fine, though its going to be tougher on retailers than anyone else.

I guess they are releasing less games because they already have their teams developing for new consoles. Considering that a AAA title takes 2 years to develop, with Wii U this holiday and next Xbox next year, the teams are already working on titles for these systems (and I haven't even factored PS4 into the equation).
 
Think this might be the first article I've ever read on the decline in video games sales where piracy isn't blamed.
 
Think this might be the first article I've ever read on the decline in video games sales where piracy isn't blamed.

This exactly, and lets not forget that some pirates DO use piracy as another form of showrooming with a similar end result.

If the game companies want more money, they need to make better games, milking franchises is slowly turning even casual gamers away, it seems.
 
pretty much yes --

I was super excited about Diablo3 - plunked down almost 70 dollars for it, and it turned out to suck ass.

I got my refund, and will never be buying anything blizzard again (D3 was their last chance to win me back)

My money goes to BF3 (PC of course) i've gotten endless enjoyment out of it. The article sucks because it's the same as me going and asking 2 people off the street what they think about cats. And then writing an article saying how "50% of america absolutely hates cats"

The trend I see is the same one from movies. The same rehashed milked series over and over. Nothing is original anymore. The same reason I don't buy every 60 dollar game is the same as why I don't pay $25 for every movie release in theaters. It's the same crap that came out years ago with some new bling.
 
BF3 is the only game I have bought in 2 years that I feel I have gotten my moneys worth. Sad but I have not completed any game. Even Witcher 2 which is a great game but I tend to nod off on it for some reason.
 
pretty much yes --

I was super excited about Diablo3 - plunked down almost 70 dollars for it, and it turned out to suck ass.

I got my refund, and will never be buying anything blizzard again (D3 was their last chance to win me back)

My money goes to BF3 (PC of course) i've gotten endless enjoyment out of it. The article sucks because it's the same as me going and asking 2 people off the street what they think about cats. And then writing an article saying how "50% of america absolutely hates cats"

The trend I see is the same one from movies. The same rehashed milked series over and over. Nothing is original anymore. The same reason I don't buy every 60 dollar game is the same as why I don't pay $25 for every movie release in theaters. It's the same crap that came out years ago with some new bling.

Added: Everyone is waking up and realizing we don't want a Halo 12: Sarge Battles Herpes or Mass Effect 9: alien hooker edition. We are on Call of Duty 41 by now it seems.

Come up with some original stuff and stop charging 70 dollars for it and then tack on 30 worth of "DLC". Nobody wants to be the first in the pool, but if you come up with a game charge 20 bucks for it, and then pop out a few DLC packs, you could clean up. the modern warfare series have done well, just imagine how much more cash they would have gotten making the game $35 instead of $60. Increasing the user base by 2 or 3X means that much more return in the future.
 
Well, it could also be that current gen console systems are nearing their end cycles and some of the major games could be on hold as launch titles next year.
 
Well, with the Summer Steam Sale, that will change for this month.

NPD doesn't record STEAM or Origin sales, even though they say they record certain online sales sites, can take what NPD report with a pinch of salt, they are as obsolete as the first Apple computer.

And there hasn't been anything worth buying since Arkham City was released, maybe Mass Effect 3 (Arkham City was definitely worth it though) at a stretch.
 
The industry really, really needs a better report. So many things wrong with these - retail only, no digital/DLC/used/F2P/casual/smartphone/tablet etc. Also, make them quarterly or yearly instead of monthly. Some months see more releases than others, having a "oh we had such a bad month" report is hugely misleading.
 
I am not excited about any new CoD game. Same engine, different textures/maps. Nothing really to get me in there. BF3 on PC is awesome. There are some other games that are good, but not worth $60-$65. I'd buy it at $30, though. But, I've been burned a few times. I've been buying a few of the $20 "Platinum Hits" type of games. Past their prime, but great games.

Come out with something DIFFERENT and it'll make a ton of cash. Minecraft, etc. are great games that just broke through with different gameplay and got a great following.
 
That is where the numbers get hazy. Steam doesn't release sales numbers so they don't get factored into this. So they aren't even calculating one of the largest factors of video game sales in NPD numbers. In the other article in USA Today, they estimated it. With all the fears of people showrooming and Amazon doing same day delivery, they are making more doom and gloom with digital game sales which have been happening for years. These numbers make great headlines.

You know, this is a very good point. I have a sneaking suspiscion that if you included sales from Steam and all other digital distribution outlets, I'm willing to bet that you'd find that game sales actually increased some of those months.

I dare you to find PC games in the store. It's almost impossible.
 
You know, this is a very good point. I have a sneaking suspiscion that if you included sales from Steam and all other digital distribution outlets, I'm willing to bet that you'd find that game sales actually increased some of those months.

I dare you to find PC games in the store. It's almost impossible.

Yep
 
"Video game sales were down again last month"

and on the upside, it's now summer and kids are playing OUTSIDE
 
In the last six months I've only purchased a handful of games.
  • Mass Effect 3
  • Arkham City
  • The Darkness II
All three were console ports. The first one was an OK port, but the crappy textures were unforgivable. Arkham City is an example of a GOOD console port. This is how it should always be done if you are going to do it at all. The Darkness II is an example of a fun game which is way too short and is still a terrible console port.

I still need to give Mas Payne 3 a try and I'm looking forward to Transformers the Fall of Cybertron. That's about all I can think of that I've got to look forward to. And I know the latter will be a console port. I just hope it will be a better port than the first game was.
 
I was thinking it was just me in that there is nothing I want to play. Went back to TF2 and have been having a great time.
 
game sales fell ??!

well, hurry up and get the next COD out !! and make more of them

we should be at COD 12 by now.
 
Diablo 3 bummed me out pretty bad.

I'm hoping Guild Wars 2 is interesting, but who knows when it will come out.
 
I've been wanting to give Diablo 3 a shot, but not at full price.

Save your money, it isn't worth it at full price, I found that out firsthand.

You'll likely get 20-25 hours of fun out of it, after that, it tapers off once you realize how repetitive it is.

Diablo 3 players have been leaving in droves, and Blizzard has noticed.
 
if you look at game ratings, majority of games ranked over 9/10 were made before and around 2007.
 
I've been wanting to give Diablo 3 a shot, but not at full price.

I have a feeling this game will be $50-$60 for a while. It's not being treated like a normal game, it's being treated like an MMO. So I wouldn't expect this to fall down to the $20 range, unless they just get desperate or realize what they did.
 
You know, this is a very good point. I have a sneaking suspiscion that if you included sales from Steam and all other digital distribution outlets, I'm willing to bet that you'd find that game sales actually increased some of those months.

I dare you to find PC games in the store. It's almost impossible.
+100

We was at GameStop yesterday so my boy could pick up another headset for his XBox and I decided to see what they had for PC games and all I could find was maybe 8 plus a small book for DD sales, that's it. Walmart has more PC games on hand than GameStop does around here :(.
 
I laugh at these reports, of course game sales fell very few games are sold at certain quarterly... MY amazing pshyic powers will predict summer and fall sales will sky rocket... am I amazing for guessing that or is it common sense?
 
Retail?! Who da fuck buys boxes anymore? (ok, you two still do, but the rest of us purchase online now via steam etc) ;)
 
Retail?! Who da fuck buys boxes anymore? (ok, you two still do, but the rest of us purchase online now via steam etc) ;)
I have 3 friends on mine that prefer box copies and will do pretty much everything possible to get it that way. I much prefer DD as I have no use for all the boxes taking up space.
 
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