While I'm on Ail...
April 2008 was only four weeks by NPD.
Their schedule by weeks is 4-4-5 by fiscal year quarter (three months ending March, June, September, December) except in every 7th year when NPD adds an extra week to January to re-align the pattern to the calendary year. There was a five week NPD January in 2007, just as there was in 2000 and will be in 2014.
As a final thought on projections:
DS, Wii, PSP, 360, PS3, PS2 was the sales ranking for the six systems worldwide in the year ending March 2009. Combined, these systems shipped over 100m. There were 765m games shipped worldwide. The projections for this March 2010 year call for similar unit sales. But with PS2 down in shipments and revenues, the PSP software segment at retail vanishing, PS3 likely getting a price cut, and 360 likely getting a price cut around when PS3 does, the year ending March 2009 almost certaintly looks like the Revenue and Profit peak of this cycle, even though software shipments for PS3/360/Wii will be up again this year, while DS software shipments will be essentially flat. Given the losses currently suffered by videogame goliaths like Sony and EA that prospect has to be terrifying.
People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.
When there are more laws, there are more criminals.
- Lao Tzu
