Perhaps it is the end of an era, but Mr. Michael Pachter will no longer be sharing NPD's sales data with the gaming media, per NPD's request. However, the lack of Pachter's indispensable commentary on monthly NPD numbers is not the only thing we're seeing with NPD's announcement. Dedicated to Gamers asks some poignant questions as to whether or not this is a sign of bigger problems within the gaming industry.
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But I think this is much more about the NPD itself not the entire industry.
@below: I don't think we can argue that the industry is headed down a bit, but we've seen slumps in the industry and the NPD reports didn't seem to have any effect, positive or negative. But your right we just don't know and this could be about stock holder reaction as well.
Especially for companies that aren't doing so well don't want that information easily accessible. Why shoot yourself in the foot?!
also the other thing the only thing i care about sale numbers for is to know whether a game i really like and want a sequel for sold or not
not like these fanboys who sleep by these numbers
NPD doesn't even cover every retailer in the USA and there is no credible source for world wide sales unless sony,ms or nintendo themself give us the actual numbers
also its sad when xbox360 fanboys are happy when a great ps3 game sell less and same the other way around
alan wake deserves better sales if any ps3 owner is happy it didn't sell he has no life
we all NEED TO STOP BUYING EVERY SINGLE FPS EVERY YEAR PICK AND CHOOSE THE GREAT ONES
its sad when crysis 2 or killzone 3 sells less while homefront sells a million fast we can talk with our wallets but a lot of us choose to buy crap we should not
the only one without a demo. crysis 2 is also just coming out
They will be missed. The end of an era
I remember the days when I first got to N4G with Breakfast and POG and all those other trolls. it was comedy gold.
This is how these firms work. There's hundreds of research firms out there that compile reports and then sell their information without a word of it ever being leaked to the public. The brokerage industry is built on analyst reports that most of the public never get a chance to see, and when they do see that information it's almost always whitewashed. I'm speaking from a decade of experience here.
NPD made their decision and just like stock brokers and fund managers, when you're privy to this type of information, you pay for it with the understanding that you're going to use this for your clients and not redistribute this information by blabbing it to whoever will listen.
And comparing NPD figures to VGChartz is laughable. VGChartz is run by a fanboy who was kicked off Neogaf forums for spamming them up with his guesstimates. Then he made a site. NPD one commented that in North America, their sample size of the Videogame Market was sitting at over 60%. VGChartz, they estimated, had about a 2% sample size then they guessed the rest and made adjustments when real numbers where made available.
I think this article misses the mark simply because they don't understand exactly what the NPD group is. Video game tracking is just one small part of what they do.
"Everyone knows which of the big three is responsible for the gag order. I'll give you a hint: It's the one that's at the bottom each month"
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*FACEPALM*
You nutty fanboys....
@Below
Priorities change. The NPD was giving that info away for free for a long time. It's a very small amount of info compared to everything that they research. It's likely that they just decided to allow it, but changed their mind. Pachter might have been giving away the info closer and closer to the time it releases, too, and that could have annoyed them; if he was giving the info away once it became old, it might not be that big of a deal to them.
No, something else is going on, whether sinister or simple. It's not just a matter of Pachter giving away their numbers for free.
*cough* COD *cough*
@ below
Nah both sales and game news
I contribute more to the site than you
Loner submissions - 36
Qeuffy b submissions - 0
Yea because i bet thats all you would be on n4g for loner is for sales news,certainly not game news.
Have you read how much spin Sony has had to put into their PR over the last few months?
With no really positive numbers to report, they instead babbled on about the Playstation ecosystem and whatnot.
Yes, it must have been the almighty Sony who forced a foreign company to withhold their own personal data.
take off the tinfoil hat bro
you must be really dense if you believe that nonsense.
Why would Sony (the ones you imply) be responsible for the gag order? They've let it be shown for what four years of the ps3 getting outsold in the U.S. Why would they all of a sudden have a gag order be invoked now?
If anything, they probably don't even care considering they're outselling the 360 worldwide.
Sony isn't telling NPD to withhold numbers just because some idiot fanboys like to make a big deal about them being in last place. Those that give a crap about the numbers yet are too stupid to realize that NPD numbers don't paint the whole picture are part of a very small minority that Sony doesn't need to waste their time on.
So i am happy to own a console thats in 3rd place if it gives me the best games to play, most features and free multiplayer its more than worth it. You should buy a PS3 and Jump In.
For me personally the bigger issue in the article is the referencing of Pachter as providing "indispensable commentary"
You want numbers...you pay NPD big bucks for those and you keep your mouth shut...that is how it should be.
Then we can just worry about Annual reports to give the real story and talk about games in the meantime.
I am only speculating, but I would think NPD is a subscription based service that releases the numbers every month along with a load of other reports and data.
People like Pachter sharing those numbers every month, means a lot of media outlets / analysts don't have to subscribe and can cherry pick the numbers without the context of the backup reports.