NPD Numbers for January: Xbox 360 Up, Wii U Down

[Steven Bogos]

NPD Numbers for January: Xbox 360 Up, Wii U Down

Overall sales across hardware, software, and accessories were down 13% from the same four week period last year.

An reportedly selling well under 100,000 units. [http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2013/02/14/xbox-360-keeps-top-console-spot-for-25th-straight-month.aspx]

Initially, it appears as though overall videogame sales were up 9% last month, but for some odd reason the NPD considered January a "leap month" this year, meaning it stole the last week of December to become a 5-week month. Kind of confusing I know, but it means that overall sales across hardware, software, and accessories were actually down 13% from the same four weeks of January last year.

The top selling games of January were as follows:

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
Far Cry 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Just Dance 4 (Wii, 360, PS3, Wii U)
NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)
Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, Wii U)
DMC: Devil May Cry (PS3, 360)
Halo 4 (360)
Assassin's Creed III (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
Skylanders Giants (Wii, 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii U)
FIFA Soccer 13 (PS3, 360, PSV, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, PSP)


Five of those ten games' top sales were on the Xbox 360, including, obviously, Halo 4, the only console exclusive game on the list. Total retail spending on the Xbox 360 in January (hardware, software, and accessories) reached $338 million.

The Wii U's performance is even more worrying when compared to the sales data of previous months, which shows that cumulative three month Wii U sales are down 38% compared to the original Wii's first three months on the market. Nintendo also previously "the biggest Zelda yet," [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121778-Wii-U-Sales-Forecast-Cut] as well as other anticipated titles from popular Nintendo franchises could possibly help the Wii U get back on its feet.

Sources: Gamasutra [http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2013/02/14/xbox-360-keeps-top-console-spot-for-25th-straight-month.aspx]

Permalink

 

[fix-the-spade]

Live in hope that Zelda shifts consoles, not that Windwaker and Twilight Princess did the Gamecube much good despite the enormous quality of both.

Now, if Ninty were to make a new Starfox game (that hasn't been farmed out to Namco, or dumped on a subsidiary studio for reasons of internal politics)...

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, Wii U)
DMC: Devil May Cry (PS3, 360)

I feel it should be pointed out that this game was also released on PC.

I was considering a Wii U but the only game that interests me so far is ZombiU and, apparently, it doesn't quite live up to it's potential. It's doomed to failure unless it can secure some killer apps.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Well, eventhough im a 360 owner and will never by a Nintendo console cos i have zero interest in there games. I know the WiiU will sell once the Mario, Zelda and Metroid games are released.....same as the Wii.

My capture was: Create New Things. lol

 

[saleem]

Doesnt it strike anyone as weird that the Escapist and other "Analysts" have been reporting so much on just how great the Xbox is doing lately. Dont get me wrong I love my XBox but at the same time a lot of these reports seem to be a bit suspect at best and just out right paid PR in others.

On the Wii U, why are so called professionals even comparing it to the Wii-1 especially in regards to sales numbers. The Wii-1 was lightning in a bottle that caught a previously untapped market that does not traditionally play games. Does anyone in their right mind think that this market will just hop over to a new console just because its out especially when its twice the price of the old one? That is either the height of blinkerdness or stupidity, cant figure out which one.

The Wii U's slow sales are to be expected since it doesnt have a strong library yet, not for any other reason. When all you have are 6-8 month old games re-released your not exactly attracting people in spades are you. Aliens was supposed to be a killer app but turned out to be a lemon and Rayman got pushed back just because Ubi wanted to make a bigger splash. Once the games start coming out then we'll see how the console is really performing, in the mean time you game journo's are just coming across as hysterical.