January video-game sales plummet

The numbers are in for the video game industry in the US for January, and retail sales are starting the graph for the year off with a 34 percent nosedive down to $750.6 million.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier weighs in on the poor numbers, saying, “One factor for the double digit declines in new physical software was the lack of new launches. New launches in January 2011 represented 13 percent of dollar sales and new launch performance dropped 99 percent in Jan 2012. Games like Dead Space 2, Little Big Planet 2, and DC Universe Online ranked within the top ten last year.”

It’s no secret that January was a dry month for big releases, and the numbers show it, with new software sales across the platforms dropping 37 percent. However, digital content such as add-ons, DLC, social games and subscriptions brought in close to 400 million.

No surprises for the top performer, with Modern Warfare 3 continuing to lead the sales figures in January. What may surprise some however is all-star Skyrim getting edged out of second place by Ubisoft’s Just Dance 3. Battlefield 3 came in 5th, getting slam-dunked by Take-Two’s NBA 2K12.

It wasn’t just the software posting pitiful figures either, no games means no hardware interest, with sales falling 38 percent. Despite the poor numbers, Microsoft took the opportunity to brag their continued spot at the top of the console heap, posting best-selling numbers for their 13th month in a row. Sony and Nintendo chose not to share their exact sales figures, but Microsoft proudly announced their 270,000 units shipped.

Source: Gamespot

Tags: Battlefield 3, headline, january npd, just dance 3, Modern Warfare 3, nba2k12, video game sales