AfterDawn: News

Video game sales crash in January

2010 started off very poorly for the video game industry, with overall revenue dropping year-on-year by 13 percent, to $1.17 billion USD.

Hardware sales dropped an astounding 21 percent year-on-year, to $353.7 million and software sales were not too much better, dropping 12 percent year-on-year to $597.9 million. Accessories were the lone bright spot, seeing growth of 2 percent to $217 million.



The Wii was the top console seller, as usual, and the Xbox 360 somewhat surprisingly took back second place from the PlayStation 3. The DS/DSi crushed the PSP in the handheld market.

Overall numbers, via GS:

US VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY - JANUARY 2010
Hardware: $353.7 million (-21%)
Software: $597.9 million (-12%)
Accessories: $217 million (2%)
Total Games: $1.17 billion (-13%)

TOP-SELLING HARDWARE - JANUARY 2010
Wii: 465,800
Nintendo DS: 422,200
Xbox 360: 332,800
PlayStation 3: 276,900
PSP: 100,100
PlayStation 2: 41,600

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 12 Feb 2010 17:12

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• 16 comments

• Se7ven

  Now that all the hardware is a good price point,its all down to the software to takeover.Between the PS3 and 360 its all about choice and what games you like to play as i think both are a pretty good bet.But for the last month there has been no blockbusters Except Mass Effect2

  12.2.2010 18:18 #1

• xnmalletx

  Army of Two 40th Day

  12.2.2010 19:14 #2

• Se7ven

  What i met was good block buster,but i do see your point it was a big release.
  

  todd logan

  12.2.2010 19:19 #3

• embo22000

  Originally posted by xnmalletx: Army of Two 40th DayArmy of two is no mass effect. Bayonneta is was better than army of two in the action game aspect. Mass effect 2 is amazing so is dragon age excellent games both of them i recomend them to annyone that enjoys a good and real rpg not a fake jrpg.

  12.2.2010 21:41 #4

• jony218

  Before they blame piracy for the drop in sales, it's the economy that is causing this.
  In good times, gaming is a luxury that people indulge heavily in. In bad times, people cut back. But I know the companies will blame piracy anyway.

  12.2.2010 22:03 #5

• DVDBack23

  Originally posted by jony218: Before they blame piracy for the drop in sales, it's the economy that is causing this.
  In good times, gaming is a luxury that people indulge heavily in. In bad times, people cut back. But I know the companies will blame piracy anyway.Actually in a recession people flock towards home entertainment (DVD, Blu-ray, rentals, video games).

  12.2.2010 22:43 #6

• chris4160

  Quote:Xbox 360: 332,800
  Playstation 3: 276,900God I love being right.

  13.2.2010 00:05 #7

• DXR88

  Quote:Originally posted by xnmalletx: Army of Two 40th DayArmy of two is no mass effect. Bayonneta is was better than army of two in the action game aspect. Mass effect 2 is amazing so is dragon age excellent games both of them i recomend them to annyone that enjoys a good and real rpg not a fake jrpg.
  turn-based RPGs can be good depending on how its used,Mass effect isn't really an RPG its a Shooter /w a skill system. i think all shooters should have at least a passive skills system.

  13.2.2010 01:37 #8

• Joshewah

  Quote:Originally posted by jony218: Before they blame piracy for the drop in sales, it's the economy that is causing this.
  In good times, gaming is a luxury that people indulge heavily in. In bad times, people cut back. But I know the companies will blame piracy anyway.Actually in a recession people flock towards home entertainment (DVD, Blu-ray, rentals, video games).I definitely understand that to be true, but I can't imagine too many people willing to plunk down upwards a $60 per game plus accessories, etc. in times like these.
  
  Both my best friend and I are out of work and we have been playing a lot of games lately, but if the games aren't dirt cheap, ones we already own, or free we aren't playing them.

  13.2.2010 12:39 #9

• TBandit

  r-e-c-e-s-s-i-o-n who's going to blow money on 60$ games? what were they expecting

  14.2.2010 04:38 #10

• creaky

  Unemployed people don't flock anywhere or to anything, especially not mindless home entertainment, especially in a recession...
  

  
  
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  14.2.2010 07:15 #11

• NINVIN21

  yeah I stopped buying electronics's Once you buy anything electronic the price drops You will never get your full amount back It get's to be a waste after awhile I'm sick of updating and upgrading.So I been putting all my money into firearms.
  
  If you put these system's side by side PS3 blows them all away So the only reason ps3 is not in the lead is because people are Cheap and Scared to spend money. You get what you pay for.And yes pirating has alot to do with it.There is way more people downloading games then there was during the PS2 era. I can't believe anybody bought a PSP Go for that price.
  There running out of good idea's for games!
  (It's the same crap)

  14.2.2010 09:06 #12

• DXR88

  i can tell you this much no amount of recession is going to keep me away from battlefield:BC2.

  14.2.2010 14:01 #13

• KILLAZ_ZF

  i really would of thought that people would of got sick of the wii by now since all there bringing out is bad family games. at the moment my wii has been collecting dust for a good few months where as the xbox was used about 5 minutes a go, hell im actually using my ps3 to write this comment

  14.2.2010 14:06 #14

• takac

  Surely this is just to do with everyone buying COD:MW2. Everyone got it for Christmas and usually a load of other games at Christmas too. Why would you want to spend £50 on some average games that came out in January when you got some awesome ones on your shelf!

  19.2.2010 20:36 #15

• Oner

  Originally posted by chris4160: Quote:Xbox 360: 332,800
  Playstation 3: 276,900God I love being right.These numbers are from NPD only, i.e. for the single market of the US. NPD does not equal the World. Period. If all you go by is NPD then you are limited in your scope of view or biased on topics of this nature. Even going by VGChartz (who favors the 360's hardware numbers) shows the PS3 outsold the 360 for January by over 225,000.
  
  The 360's 50k "more" sales in the US is negated by just 1-2 weeks of sales in Japan alone. World Wide the 360 is taking a beating it's last in Japan since it's inception, last in the Euro set, last in down under, and last in "others"
  
  Wii
  1st Europe
  1st Japan
  1st Australia
  1st Others
  1st America
  
  PS3
  2nd Europe
  2nd Japan
  2nd Australia
  2nd Others
  3rd America
  
  360
  2nd America
  3rd Europe
  3rd Japan
  3rd Australia
  3rd Others
  
  And that is ONLY for the PS3. Not for the PlayStation brand as a whole. If you want to talk/look at the whole picture then it shows Sony and Ninty are fighting for 1st back and forth while Microsoft is no where in their league. Especially when you consider how Sony + Nintendo have not closed down any major inhouse devs while Microsoft have made DRASTIC cuts and closures...now which one looks to be the one MOST in trouble I ask?
  

  
  
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  20.2.2010 08:53 #16