April 2013 NPD: Injustice on Top Despite Overall Sales Decline of 25%, Huge Drop in Hardware
Another NPD reporting period gone by, another month of decline for the games industry. Overall sales fell about 25% compared to March, with a 17% drop in software sales, 19% drop in accessory sales, an a whopping 42% drop in hardware sales. NPD cites a decline in the releases of new titles as a large reason for the slump. However, despite the month-over-month decline, year-over-year sales actually increased about 118% in unit sales and 130% in dollar sales, meaning those fewer titles were better drivers than the ones released last year.
The biggest-profile release of the month – Injustice: Gods Among Us – unsurprisingly fared best among April’s new games, with older titles like BioShock Infinite, Black Ops II, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon still charting.
Click below for the top ten titles of April 2013.
Media Create Sales: 3DS Dominates Hardware and Software Charts
This week’s hardware and software sales numbers are in for Japan, and the 3DS has snagged the top spot yet again. Despite increased sales from a price cut, Sony’s PS Vita still lags behind both models of the Nintendo handheld. Meanwhile, the top-selling game of the week in Japan is a title you may have never heard of. Hit the jump to catch the breakdown.
Sony To Have “Intriguing Game Announcements” This Week
According to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe blog, Sony will be having an eventful week with some game announcements planned.
We’ve a busy week in the offing, with some intriguing game announcements planned.
With the next Gran Turismo title rumored to be in development, as well as LittleBigPlanet 3, there are a few games to possibly see over the next few days. What candidates do you think might come up, or would you like to see?
Source: Gematsu
Report: New Thief Game Underwent Turbulent Development Cycle
It’s easy to see that the recently-announced Thief reboot underwent a pretty protracted development cycle simply because it’s been so long since the game was originally mentioned. However, Polygon has a new report that attempts to shed some light on the turbulent issues surrounding the game’s creation.
According to Polygon’s sources, the game originally began its journey in the conceptual phase in 2008, while Deus Ex: Human Revolution was in active development. Left to their own devices while Square-Enix focused on Deus Ex following Eidos’ acquisition in 2009, the Thief team kept working, with their labors eventually pushed into full steam in late 2009. However, as many senior developers were Ubisoft Montreal vets, office politics quickly caused issues for the project.
Media Create Sales: Wii U Still Struggling in Japan
Last week’s numbers are in for hardware and software sales in Japan, and it’s a mixed bag for Nintendo. The 3DS continues its stay at the top of the charts, but the Wii U’s numbers have slipped even further. Meanwhile, on Sony’s end, the Vita has gained a small amount of traction, but the handheld still isn’t selling at the rate Sony had anticipated.
Hit the jump to catch the numbers and our breakdown.
Media Create Sales: 3DS and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon Top the Charts
It’s out with the old and in with the new this week as April 1st marked the beginning of a new fiscal year. That’s a year’s worth of sales in the books and a fresh start for Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. So how did the big three close out the year? We’ve got the hardware and software numbers for Japan after the jump.
PlayStation Plus April 2, 2013 Edition: Add Demon’s Souls to Your Instant Game Collection
This week’s PlayStation Plus offers include a free download of Demon’s Souls for your Instant Game Collection, as well as the usual discounts. Showcased in this week’s deals are Telltale’s The Walking Dead, which sees a rather hefty discount for both the entire package as well as individual episodes, last year’s strategy RPG Rainbow Moon, and Söldner-X.
Click below to check out all of this week’s PlayStation Plus deals.
Media Create Sales: 3DS Regains Comfortable Lead Over Vita in Japan
The recent price cut the Vita received in Japan quickly sparked the sales of the struggling system, but Sony may need to up their game to keep that momentum rolling. Last week the Vita finally outsold the 3DS by a slim margin, but this week’s Media Create Sales saw Sony’s newest portable slip back into second place again. Hit the jump for the complete breakdown of hardware and software numbers for the past week in Japan.
Now Free on PlayStation Plus: The Cave and Tekken 6
This week, PlayStation Plus’s Instant Game Collection adds two new titles to its library: The Cave for PS3 owners (normally $14.99) and Tekken 6 for PSP/Vita owners (normally $19.99).
Sony also wants to remind fans that their “Get $10 For Every $50 Spent” promotion is still running until the end of the month, and that it’s stackable, meaning that $100 in spending will get you $20 back.
Check out all of this week’s PS Plus deals by clicking below.
Media Create Sales: Vita Outsells 3DS in Japan This Week
The weekly hardware and software sales numbers are in for Japan, and following its price cut, Vita sales continue to surge. Sony’s previously underselling handheld got a huge boost last week, selling over 62,000 units, but it still fell short of the 3DS. Not so this week! The Vita (63,582 units sold) narrowly edged out the 3DS (61,008 units sold) to take the top hardware spot in Japan this week. Hit the jump for the full breakdown.
Braid Creator Says PS4 Games Will Run Faster Than on PC
We figured PS4 was designed to render the traditional gaming PC largely unnecessary given its PC-like architecture, but Braid creator Jonathan Blow, who’s bringing his new game The Witness to the PS4 as a timed exclusive, says that it might actually make most gaming PCs obsolete in terms of performance as well.
Speaking to Edge, he said that games actually run smoother and faster on PS4 than on most PCs. It’s owed partly to the PS4′s raw performance, which is incredibly strong, but also to the design of its operating system. Click below to see what he had to say.
PlayStation Plus Perks Announced for March
The best benefit of being a PlayStation Plus subscriber is the free monthly games released every month to add to your instant game collection. March brings several games, which make the PlayStation subscription service worth investing in. Remember, as long as you have the games in your downloading queue you still have access to them, even if they are removed from the PS Plus service.
Check out the list by clicking below.
