Game industry analysts have weighed in with US sales predictions for the month of January ahead of the NPD Group’s release of official market data this Thursday.
Wedbush’s Michael Pachter forecast console and handheld software sales of $655 million, down four per cent year-on-year, while Cowen and Company’s Doug Creutz said he expects a two per cent decline.
Pachter predicted January’s bestselling games were holiday top sellers Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort, along with January releases Mass Effect 2 and Darksiders.
Cowen forecast 825,000 Mass Effect 2 sales, which he labelled “an impressive total considering it was only on sale for five days during the month”. He also predicted that Darksiders sold 430,000 copies, while Army Of Two: The 40th Day and Bayonetta each shifted “around 300,000 units”.
On the hardware front, Wedbush and Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) believe PS3 recorded the largest year-on-year growth, while Nintendo platforms topped overall console sales. “In dollar terms, we expect hardware sales to be down around five per cent,” said Pachter.
Monthly hardware sales estimates (Wedbush / EEDAR):
Wii - 555,000 (-19%) / 575,000 (-16%)
DS - 525,000 (+2%) / 510,000 (-1%)
360 - 340,000 (+10%) / 284,000 (-8%)
PS3 - 330,000 (+62%) / 285,000 (+40%)
PSP - 150,000 (-13%) / 145,000 (-16%)
PS2 - 75,000 (-27%) / 80,000 (-22%)