Videogame Sales Plummeted 20 Percent in February, NPD Group Says

Posted 03/09/2012 at 7:31am | by Paul Lilly

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If it weren't for stereotypes, we'd say diehard gamers unplugged for a week of romancing and lovemaking to celebrate Valentine's Day last month, which would explain why NPD Group noted such a sharp decline in videogame sales in February. We don't condone stereotypes, but let's get real, February was just a crummy month for game sales and it had nothing to do with there being a day for lovers.

That wouldn't explain a 20 percent drop in sales from $1.33 billion in February 2011 to $1.06 billion a year later. Software was the worst offender, dropping 24 percent to $485.7 million, while non-PC hardware sales also took a double-digit hit, declining 18 percent to $381.4 million, according to NPD Group's data. Sales of accessories also fell into a funk, dropping 16 percent to $215.2 million compared to one year prior.

While NPD Group didn't say why sales fell so sharply, we can surmise it's not from a lack of awesome titles. The top 10 list of 10 games for February 2012 looks like this:

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - Activision
2. Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Xbox 360, PS3) - Square Enix
3. UFC Undisputed 3 (Xbox 360, PS3) - THQ
4. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - Electronic Arts
5. Just Dance 3 (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3) - Ubisoft
6. NBA 2K13 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC) - Take Two
7. SoulCaliber V (Xbox 360, PS3) - Namco Bandai
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - Bethesda Softworks
9. Twisted Metal (PS3) - Sony
10. Battlefield 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - Electronic Arts

In somewhat releated news, Skyrim, which appears at No. 8 on NPD Group's list of top selling games, was named the Game of the Year at the 2012 Game Developers Choice Awards earlier this week.

Image Credit: THQ