By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Sales Discussion - January NPD 2022 Thread + Predictions

zorg1000 on 13 February 2022
Angelv577 said:

not sure if switch really has that much of a issue with supplies. I saw a few switch console in my nearest target. I also saw a few series S. No ps5 or series X.

What you are seeing in mid-February doesn’t necessarily relate to the situation in January.

Stock could have been dire early in the month and gradually improved to the point where it’s at now.

Also we have confirmation from Nintendo during the quarterly report that shortages have been going on in the US since Black Friday.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

Around the Network
DroidKnight on 01 March 2022

Shadow1980 said:

*sigh* It looks like the well has totally dried up for NPD numbers. Even the prediction threads on Era don't have anything to base the rankings on anymore, and Welfare is moving to predicting hardware revenue for now. I guess it's finally the end of the line, people.



...to avoid getting banned for inactivity, I may have to resort to comments that are of a lower overall quality and or beneath my moral standards.

Norion on 01 March 2022
Shadow1980 said:

*sigh* It looks like the well has totally dried up for NPD numbers. Even the prediction threads on Era don't have anything to base the rankings on anymore, and Welfare is moving to predicting hardware revenue for now. I guess it's finally the end of the line, people.

Man things would be so nice if the data was as transparent as it is for the box office. I'm not into that stuff much but it was still nice seeing Endgame's journey in detail.



eva01beserk on 02 March 2022

So does this mean we have to wait for quaterly reports now for pkaystation and nintendo? And nothing from xbox?



It takes genuine talent to see greatness in yourself despite your absence of genuine talent.

Norion on 02 March 2022
Shadow1980 said:
Norion said:

Man things would be so nice if the data was as transparent as it is for the box office. I'm not into that stuff much but it was still nice seeing Endgame's journey in detail.

It used to be at one point. For most of the 00s, we'd get full hardware and at least Top 20 software from the NPD Group. Gen 6 and the first half or so of Gen 7 was the most well-documented period for video game sales in the U.S. Then around 2010 they gradually started to reduce what they'd share. First they cut software sales down to just the Top 10, then by around the mid 2010s they just stopped sharing any numbers. Leakers kept giving us numbers, and for a very brief time last an NPD rep started giving numbers again, but that ended after several months and the leaks kept getting plugged. Now there are no leaks.

This is why I suggested several years ago that there should be some sort of crowdsourced sales tracker to serve as an alternative to the NPD Group. Hardly anybody thought it was worthwhile, and some thought it was a ridiculous thing to even suggest. But since there are no alternatives, there's a very good chance we'll never see how much any console or game sells in the U.S. ever again.

The video games industry has a serious transparency issue, and this certainly doesn't help that perception.

The thing is, Japan never had this problem. While Media Create did the same thing as NPD and put all of their data behind an exorbitant paywall, we still have a competitor in Famitsu, which has been publishing sales figures since the late 90s, for free. Of course, what sets Famitsu apart from MC and NPD is that it's a video game magazine, not a market research firm. I think that's why we've long needed someone out there doing sales tracking that didn't have data from said tracking being their main source of income.

The first half of gen 7 was the best time ever for people into video games sales data then. There's gotta be at least one rich person who has an interest in that so that idea is valid to suggest.