NPD April US VG Sales: Prototype 2 tops charts. Overall industry down 32%

[garyopa]

XBOX 360 is again the best selling console.



NPD just released their VG 'sales data'. Prototype 2 tops dismal April sales, but it sold *less* than 236K!

The NPD Group just released its US retail sales charts for the month of April. Overall, they were pretty low, as industry-wide sales went down 32 percent year-over-year!

OVERALL DOLLAR SALES

Total consumer spend (rentals, used sales, digital estimates included): $1 billion
Total retail sales: $630.4 million (-32%)
Non-PC hardware: $189.7 million (-32%)
Non-PC software: $292.1 million (-42%)
Total software: $307.2 million (-42%)
Accessories: $148.6 million (+1%)

Software sales alone really nosedived by 42 percent. Looks like, the best selling game sold *less* than 236K, as apparently, "last April, the top seven titles outsold the top-selling title this year, and, simply stated, there were notably fewer new market introductions..."

Here's the Top 10 (Software):

TOP 10 GAMES FOR APRIL 2012
Title (Platforms) - Publisher

1. Prototype 2 (X360, PS3) - Activision - Less than 236K, perhaps significantly.
2. Star Wars Kinect (X360) - Microsoft
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360, PS3, Wii, PC) - Activision
4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (X360, PS3) - Electronic Arts
5. NBA 2K12 (X360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC) - Take-Two
6. The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings - Enhanced Edition (X360) - Warner Bros.
7. Mario Party 9 (Wii) - Nintendo
8. Mass Effect 3 (X360, PS3, PC) - Electronic Arts
9. Just Dance 3 (Wii, X360, PS3) - Ubisoft
10. MLB 12: The Show (PS3, PSV) - Sony

As of now, only Microsoft has released the sales data for their console:

* Xbox 360 - 236K (-20.5%) (Best selling console this month)

Here's MS Press release:

Xbox 360 continues to hold the number one spot in the U.S., selling more units in April than any other console; marking the 16th consecutive month as the best-selling console in the U.S.

April 2012 U.S. NPD highlights:

· Holding 47 percent share of current-generation console sales, Xbox 360 sold 236,000 units in April, maintaining the number-one console spot in the U.S. This marks the 14th consecutive month Xbox 360 has held more than 40 percent of the current-generation console market share. (Source: NPD Group, April 2012)

· Total retail spend on the Xbox 360 platform in April (hardware, software and accessories) reached $261 million, the most for any console in the U.S. and more than the spend on the other two current-generation consoles combined. (Source: NPD Group, April 2012)

· During the month of April, “Kinect Star Wars” held the number one game title in the U.S. Xbox 360 held seven of the top 10 U.S. console game titles including: “Kinect Star Wars,” “The Witcher Two: Assassin of Kings Enhanced ED,” “Prototype 2,” “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13,” “Mass Effect 3,” “NBA 2K12” and “Major League Baseball 2K12.” (Source: NPD Group, April 2012)

On June 4 at 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT, the Xbox 360 E3 media briefing will take place at The Galen Center in Los Angeles to premier blockbuster games and entertainment experiences set for release in 2012 and beyond. The briefing, “Xbox: Entertainment Evolved” will air live and commercial-free on Spike TV, and for the first time ever on Xbox LIVE.

And Sony's one:

According to the April NPD, the PlayStation ecosystem continues to grow with exclusive titles such as MLB12: The Show landing in the top 5 SKUs. Digital-only software titles, including Journey for PS3 and Escape Plan for PS Vita, helped to further bolster growth. PS Vita is gaining momentum as major new software titles like Mortal Kombat and social applications, such as Skype, saw strong demand with consumers. With E3 around the corner, PlayStation remains laser focused on continuing to deliver the industry's best gaming experiences.

-- Dan Race, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at SCEA

Nintendo didn't release any info at the time of this writing. As for the Xenoblade Chronicles US release, this is what Eurogamer said:

Acclaimed Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles was a retailer exclusive, so is excluded from NPD's monthly report.

Well, there you go. Nobody knows if the game managed to reach the top-10 (if it was accounted), but it won't be surprising as sales were pretty bad overall.

NEWS SOURCE #1: http://www.gamespot.com/news/prototy...-sales-6376131
NEWS SOURCE #2: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=473707

Our thanks to 'Gauss' for this news story!

[billysastard]

Well, there you go. Nobody knows if the game managed to reach the top-10 (if it was accounted), but it won't be surprising as sales were pretty bad overall.

it made sales that put into the number 3 slot based on the sales at gamestop alone although of course some people will have bought it online directly from nintendo, its just a pity that its classed as a retailer exclusive so ignored by npd