Wow, and just when I thought the NPD monthly numbers had become an integral part of this industry, the firm’s executive director David Riley sent us mail earlier today announcing the discontinuation of the monthly reports, stating, “it shouldn’t be up to NPD to release these figures.”
Sad news.
NPD will be changing the the following in its monthly reporting:
- Removal of monthly hardware unit sales figures.
- A shift in the Top 10 software from SKU level with unit sales for the top five to a top 10 software chart with no unit sales.
- Revised footnote explaining that the monthly retail data reflects new physical purchases, not total consumer spend (digital, subscriptions, mobile games, rentals, used or social network games). The NPD Group will release a total consumer spend report to press on a quarterly basis.
- Monthly analysis from NPD analyst, Anita Frazier, will include software sales figures at both the SKU and title level for various new releases.
According to Riley, those changes will “address the changing sales landscape as well as updates to NPD’s corporate publishing policies.” Apparently, the data that was being made to the public on a monthly basis was too much, and NPD felt said data should be reserved for its “paid clients”.
“Clients pay good money for the data,” said Riley, “and so now it looks like [the public] will be getting a little less of it.
I don’t know what to say. Think it’s a very sad day.
its a conspiracy!
quick, sony have paid NPD off to stop them from showing off how abysmal the sales of the ps3 have been.
LOL, they weren’t doing too bad.