- See also: NPD 2008 in review
January 2009 NPD sales figures coverage: January 4 to January 31. Released on February 12, 2009.
Key facts to note in this month's NPD report are that the Nintendo had a monstrous sales month with many people seeing Wii systems in stock at US stores and only 1 PS3 game in the Top 20.
- Analysis by NPD's own Anita Frazier:
Even in these tough economic times, the fact that total sales were able to realize a 13 percent increase in revenue (compared to Jan 2007) speaks to the continued strength of video games as one of the leading entertainment industries in the U.S.
At this point in the console lifecycle, we would expect to see a greater percentage of total industry sales generated by software sales, but the continued strength in hardware sales is changing that scenario a bit. This will have a long-term positive impact on the industry as the user base expands. Software sales still increased 10 percent over last January, indicating that continued strong hardware sales are not occurring at the expense of software sales.
Only two of the top 10 games this month were new releases. The continued strength of games that have been in the market for some time clues us into just how many new consumers are coming into the industry. This broadening of the audience for gaming will help buoy the industry through these tough economic times, provided they have enough compelling content to keep them interested.
Accessory sales were up 11 percent over last year, and strong hardware sales usually are accompanied by strong accessory sales as consumers pick up additional peripherals to help them enjoy their gaming experiences.
Notable releases[]
- Skate 2
Hardware sales[]
- Wii - 679,200
- Nintendo DS - 510,800
- Xbox 360 - 309,000
- PlayStation 3 - 203,200
- PlayStation Portable - 172,300
- PlayStation 2 - 101,200
Top 20 software sales[]
- Wii Fit W/Balance Board (Wii) 777k
- Wii Play W/Remote (Wii) 415k
- Mario Kart Wii W/Wheel (Wii) 292k
- Left 4 Dead (360) 243k
- Call Of Duty: World at War* (360) 235k
- Skate 2 (360) 199k
- Guitar Hero World Tour* (Wii) 155k
- New Super Mario Bros. (DS) 135k
- Mario Kart DS (DS)132k
- Lord Of The Rings: Conquest (360) 113k
- Call of Duty: World at War (PS3)
- Gears of War 2* (X360)
- Fallout 3* (X360)
- Jillian Michael's Fitness Ultimatum 2009 (Wii)
- Link's Crossbow Training (Wii)
- My Fitness Coach (Wii)
- Rock Band 2* (X360)
- Guitar Hero: World Tour* (X360)
- Call of Duty: World at War (Wii)
- LEGO Star Wars (Wii)
- Includes Collector's, Limited, Legendary, Bundles (Guitars) Editions.
Video game revenues[]
- Total sales: $1.33 Billion
- Hardware sales: $445.4 Million
- Software sales: $676.6 Million
- Accessories: $209.8
See also[]
External links[]
- Games Industry Grows Despite Economy
- Top 10 by platform
- NPD Top 20
- Sales analysis
- PC Top 20 retail games
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