The venerable NPD released the latest figures for video game sales in January 2012 and concluded that it has dropped to $379.6 million, declining 37% compared to sales in January 2011. This has freaked out analysts at Wedbush and Sterne Agee who estimated a decline of only 15%, especially Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter:
It also makes no sense that sales are below the level from 2004, when games were cheaper and the installed base of consoles was much lower. … I don't know if the NPD is getting faulty data, but these numbers make no sense.
In other words: "Wwwaaaaahhhh!!! Watch me cover my ass."
NPD anaylst Anita Frasier explains that there were hardly any new releases, nor any of much significance, this January (most worthy of note came out in very late January). Last year's January saw the release of Dead Space 2, Little Big Planet 2, and DC Universe Online. Meanwhile, Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3, and Battlefield 3 have everyone's attention. So, except for Pachter, anyone really that surprised?
