NPD January 2012: It was a slow day

Folks, this smells like the end of the month for us. And for that, it means it's time. But before we get to that, something I wanna get off my chest before we begin.

Early ago, Taco Bell held a promotion for the Playstation Vita, giving away many of these little handhelds to many pre-early birders. However, something happened that caused a major ruckus

There's nothing quite so joyous as winning a much coveted prize from a contest, so it was with much glee that some customers who entered into Taco Bell's PS Vita contest received an email saying that they had won. But, as it turns out, they didn't win, and Taco Bell is now apologizing for what happened. They claim that someone "tampered" with the competition, in turn causing a bunch of notifications to be sent out to contest participants. The company later sent them an email saying that they had not won the contest. The Unlock The Box contest continues through March 11.

"We have learned that during a short period of time on January 30th, some people entering our ‘Unlock the Box’ promotion erroneously received a message suggesting they had won a PlayStation Vita, pending verification," wrote Taco Bell in a statement. "It was confirmed these entrants viewed these messages as a result of others who attempted to gain illegal entry and defraud the system. Unfortunately, during this time period some saw a confirmation screen but were not valid winners. We are therefore giving those consumers who viewed erroneous messages a second chance to win by automatically entering them into a separate draw to win a PS Vita."

Oops. I think I just lost my Crunch Wrap now. But for those who had this error, I deeply apologize that some a-holes decided to sabotage the contest.

Anyway, enough talk. It's time for the NPD. And like before, we'll focus more on Software than on Hardware.

Number 10- Saint's Row the Third(360/PS3/PC)(THQ)- Despite the slump THQ is in, their newest Saints Row game is still going on strong

Number 09- Zumba Fitness 2: Party Yourself(Wii)(Majesco)- Because you don't need a Kinect to jump around like a monkey. Makes me miss those Eye Toys

Number 08- Skylanders: Spyro's Adventures(360/PS3/Wii/PC/3DS)(Activision)- Not only is this game still hot after the holiday season, but the figures are selling out fast. Get em while they're hot

Number 07- Mario Kart 7(3DS)(Nintendo)- Because Mario in a go-kart is still quality entertainment

Number 06- Madden NFL 2012(360/PS3/Wii/3DS/PS2)(Electronic Arts)- Because we still like dem Foozball

Number 05- Battlefield 3(360/PS3/PC)(THQ)- Right behind Call of Duty, but still going on strong

Number 04- NBA 2K12(360/PS3/PSP/Wii/PC)(Take 2)- The Playstation Portable's last hurrah

Number 03- Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim(360/PS3/PC)(Bethesda Software)- Now with Macho Dragons and Tourettes Bears

Number 02- Just Dance 3(Wii/360/PS3)(Ubisoft)- Actually, you really don't need a Wii to make a fool of yourself

Number 01- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3(360/PS3/PC/Wii)- Who says you need to limit to high definition to capture the audience?

Now, unfortunately we only have the number for the 360 sales and it's at 270K. What does this mean? It means once again, the 360 is number 1 in hardware sales, but that ain't saying much.

However, even with Call of Duty at number 1, it seems a not-too-bright picture is being painted at the number 1 game franchise in North America


For anyone seeking holes in Activision’s seemingly bulletproof Call of Duty franchise, there was a chink in the armour exposed in NPD US January sales figures released late on Thursday.

Sales fell nearly 50 per cent year-on-year for the world’s best-selling video game in 2011 – that’s comparing the performance of the latest in the franchise – Modern Warfare 3 – with its predecessor, Black Ops.

The numbers are surprising because MW3 eclipsed Black Ops sales on its initial release.

Activision reported $775m in global sales of the game in its first five days of availability in November – exceeding the record of $650m set a year before by Black Ops and $550m two years ago for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

But while console sales for MW2 were 658,000 units in January 2010 and Black Ops sold 750,000 units a year ago, MW3 sold only 386,000 units in the US last month.

“As a result, MW3 sales to date are now essentially flat versus Black Ops last year,” said Cowen and Company analysts in a note.

“We now expect MW3 to sell through slightly fewer units than Black Ops across its lifetime."

Now I dunno about you, but I'm beginning to think that this is the work of the Ponies of Ponyville. I bet they're secretly trying to sabotage Activision with the powerful evil they refer to as Friendship. Folks, if you see Pinkie Pie offering you Cupcakes, turn around and run the other way. I bet those cupcakes were made with sweet chocolate that will turn you into one of them.

February is Vita Month. Will Sony be able to make a earth-shattering launch? Or will the Ponies strike again? Stay tuned.

Works Cited:
Game Politics
NeoGAF
Ft Blogs