Gamespot - "Though NPD's decision is official, it is not final. The firm said that if the big three console makers--Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft--all agree it should continue to provide the numbers to the media, it will reverse its decision to stop."

Read between the lines man, read between the lines.

To spell it out; if Sony agree that the numbers should continue to be provided to the media then NPD will reverse it's decision.

*edit* Damn lost my password and have new email addy. Orig username 'SpaceJase' any mod care to sort it for me... pls :) 

Legend and origin showing their true colors again.. get the tar and feathers out this is all sonys  fault yal

[UPDATE] NPD reps have told GameSpot that it will continue to provide top 10 software sales figures each month, and is still awaiting word from all three console makers as to whether or not it should stop the monthly hardware sales numbers.

NPD's excuse is not credible. The game companies spend tons of time and effort tracking their sales and researching their audiences. They don't need NPD to tell them how their consoles are selling and would never tell any analyst to report or not report on a given piece of data. The fact that NPD is trying to shuffle off the responsibility onto the manufacturers is ludicrous. Just be honest and say, we want to charge X data at Y rate, instead of blaming someone else.

The moral of the story is -- VGChartz is needed more than ever. Part of my day job in academia is tracking the game industry, and I have to say, VGChartz is (1) the best numbers site in the game business, (2) it's public, and (3) it's free. Best of all, this place is just beginning to hit its stride, and will only get better.

Look at Kotaku's take on that response:

NPD's decision to re-yank the public availability of their hardware numbers has upset people. Like me! All morning I've tasted naught but salt as tears flowed, unchecked, down my sullen cheeks. It's upset a lot of other people too. Where will trolling fanboys, for example, get their monthly dosage of troll juice? Other more sensible types will wonder just why simple figures like sales data, which are readily and freely available for almost every major product/medium, are being restricted. All of which is news to NPD! PR representative David Riley:

I had no idea this would be so ill-received. Honestly, I know this sounds ignorant but I really was taken aback when I started hearing/reading about this. It was unexpected.

Regarding rogue sites that actively use existing data from market research firms, combine that data with estimates and then claim the data as their own -- it's true I'm no fan of sociopathic behavior and, as such, have real issues with sites like these but this has nothing to do with the change, either. The best way to approach this issue is to let the industry police it, or to simply wait and let the truth come out in the end. It always does.

Kotaku is spot on with this one. People like VGC because the numbers and data are freely available. To take up the opposite position is essentially picking up the banner of stupidity and raising it as your new standard.

The smell of victory!

What worries me is, at the moment we have a good, coherent group of posters and as such, we can have (most of the time) discussions regarding games and other issues without resorting to "Weeee Sux0rZz!!!11!" "PSL337 FTW!!11!!" More popularity will attract more of the idiotic posters. But then again more popularity will also be good for VGC. Its an annoying situation.

 I agree. If anything, think of how crushing reports of low NPD sales have been to Sony lately. Now think of them trying to market a console as a must have item in the face of that. It would be brutal.

NPD has given some hints that this is because of a console manufactorer. In a statement to Ars Technica, they said they will give the numbers again "if the hardware manufactorers allow it". Which does not jive with their previous company line. They also said it was done to "protect" subscribers. Well, who are they protecting, and in what way? One obvious answer would be, Sony doesn't want people to know how bad the PS3 is failing. And I dont really blame Sony if that is the case, it would just be good business.

I think the other, equally as likely scenario is that NPD just wants to withhold as much information as possible from non-subscribers, so to encourage subscriptions. 

We have mods you know? I mean they tend to ban such peoples rather quickly (thank god).