Why Did Video Game Sales Stall in May?

by Christine Lusey Posted 2011/06/15 19:00:00

Related Topics: Saw, dating, Gamer, Digital, News, Video, Sales, Game, New Release, Gamers, No. 1, Not, Video Game, Trends

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	Games are too expensive	40 votes	51%
	There aren't enough good games out there	24 votes	31%
	Sales will bounce back around the holidays	14 votes	18%

It was a video game bloodbath! Not on the screen, though. At the cash register, as gamers must have spent May going outside or dating or something, because they sure weren't buying games.

Number crunchers NPD Group tells us that sales in May were the worst in five years, mostly due to a dearth of new releases. May saw $743 million in hardware and software sales, a 14 percent decline from this period last year.

The acclaimed 1940s detective game "L.A. Noire" comes in at No. 1 with an estimated 899,000 units sold, short of the lofty expectations for the highly anticipated and well-reviewed title.

Should the industry be worried? Well, the numbers might not be as telling as they seem. First, they only represent physical sales, not digital downloads. Also, April saw a 20 percent growth in sales from a year ago. So clearly analysts need more than a month's worth of data to determine any real trends.

So what's going on? Just a blip? Are games just too expensive, or not very good?

Add a comment above

Joecool34 2011/06/15 21:56:24

Games are too expensive

+6
sorry but i cant afford $60+ bucks for a game that may have so many bugs i cant finish it. they get away with murder because they can just patch and patch. ought to be illegal to sell an unfinished product like that or at least without some kind of warning that there are still a ton of bugs in it. some of them go upwards to $80 bucks. that is damn expensive for one little game!
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More polls by Christine Lusey

jeffro2010 2011/06/16 11:27:35

Sales will bounce back around the holidays

+1
My friends and I are all waiting for the fall releases. Call of Duty MW3, Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed 4. Game sales are always highest around the holidays. At 60 bucks a pop, I have to be sure about a game before I buy it.

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10997 2011/06/16 11:02:57

Games are too expensive

+1
I've put off buying games until I get a 360, rather than buy games for my dad's ps3..

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Juanb 2011/06/16 10:49:29

Games are too expensive

+2
well yea they are like 100$ a piece

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G 2011/06/16 10:30:08 (edited)

There aren't enough good games out there

+3
Most new ones are really lame and samey.

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OzSurfer 2011/06/16 09:41:06 (edited)

Games are too expensive

+3
The last game I bought was left 4 dead 2, and I won't buy anything else until half life 2 episode 3 comes out, don't have the time these days.

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Soundstorm 2011/06/16 09:07:34

Games are too expensive

+2
Expensive amusements are finally hitting the wall in this age of impending economic crash and international threats. More young people are beginning to realize that the holiday from history is over and they'll have more serious things to worry about than the latest tech innovations.

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runningintriangles 2011/06/16 06:33:17
Sexuallobster 2011/06/16 06:21:14

Games are too expensive

+2
Basically the only games anyone cares about is COD, Halo and other shooters like that.

I don't wanna pay 70 bucks for a game that came out a year ago.

The newer games generally suck asses.

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lostinspace91 2011/06/16 05:31:33

Games are too expensive

+2
I'm buying 'old' video games...just so i can save the 30 or 40 dollars...if you get into that routine, it really saves money. But some games I just got to have right away :)

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Soundstorm to lostins... 2011/06/16 09:26:39

+2
Small wonder the PS2 still has a market after 12 years.

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lostins... to Soundstorm 2011/06/16 19:23:13

+1
Haha for real.. I still love to fire up the old ps2 every now and again.

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AmericanVirus 2011/06/16 05:11:39

Games are too expensive

+2
Even if they were just $10 cheaper, then I'd be more willing

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[Katsu]™ 2011/06/16 04:26:16

Games are too expensive

+1
I can not afford. Most are around 70$ so I'm sure that not many can. None of the games with a huge fan base are coming out till the holidays anyway's, so I'm with it will bounce back at holidays as well.

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Casper4690 2011/06/16 04:16:23 (edited)

Sales will bounce back around the holidays

+1
Not many good games out there and they are rather expensive. Last game I bought was Mortal Kombat and it was lameeee and thats coming from a HUGE fan of the series. I love games Like God of war 3 though. Their are some games coming out soon that I may consider buying

Maybe this one

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[Katsu]™ to Casper4690 2011/06/16 04:22:03
Casper4690 to [Katsu]™ 2011/06/16 04:34:20 (edited)

+1
LmaO! yeah I know, they did screw him up pretty bad! but im still going to get it out of curiosity. :D

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[Katsu]™ to Casper4690 2011/06/16 04:49:10

I'll probably eventually buy it too lol.

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Vaius 2011/06/16 04:00:32

Sales will bounce back around the holidays

+2
Game sales will go back up when the next set of consoles is released.

Game sales tend to drop around the end of a console's primary lifespan, and most consoles have pretty much reached that point.

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Soldier4SATAN 2011/06/16 03:51:24
BloodMist to Soldier... 2011/06/17 03:45:03

Actually it's price gouging, as DLC proves time and time again.

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Maximus 2011/06/16 03:51:17

There aren't enough good games out there

+2
I'm really not that interested any more. I'm one of those that love Racing and Grand Theft Auto Games. I know one game that most definitely got my attention which I can't wait to get my hands on, its the Newest Game "EA" created "Need For Speed: The Run" I already Pre ordered it for PC. I'll see how it turns out.

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BloodMist 2011/06/16 03:25:01 (edited)

There aren't enough good games out there

+2
There are really only 3 or 4 games a year on average that are actually worth my time.I have really high standards, and so should you.Stop buying the same goddamned Call of Duty game every year, or obvious ripoff DLC, for example.

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urdumb 2011/06/16 03:01:52

Games are too expensive

+1
I don't feel the need to buy a game that I know I can beat in literally a week, tops. But if it's a vs/co-op fighting game, then I feel that it's worth it, since your friends can face you.

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Eneri 2011/06/16 02:48:54

There aren't enough good games out there

+2
There isn't anything I'm interested in at the moment... It's eh...

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PanDuh 2011/06/16 02:47:03

There aren't enough good games out there

+2
The place were I get my games at sells them (even new ones) for $50 and lower.
Not that many good games though.

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Jen 2011/06/16 02:43:57

There aren't enough good games out there

+1
My main problem is that I haven't felt like buying a PS3 and they've stopped releasing anything good for my PS2. Though I also have a Wii, I never really play it. Mostly because I don't connect with the games as much. They are not nearly as engaging or memorable as my old PS2 ones like: BloodRayne, the old Crash Bandicoot series, etc... I totally agree with another commenter on bugs. It's ridiculous. At least with older games they couldn't use the Internet as a crutch for their inadequacies so even if the graphics aren't as good you aren't forced to abandon the game mid way through and hook up to the net to find some patches.

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Tau_Seti 2011/06/16 02:31:07

Games are too expensive

+2
I would have preferred "All of the above" option.

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Ben 2011/06/16 01:55:42

Sales will bounce back around the holidays

+1
Too many people were waiting to see what happened at E3 weekend. May is a dead time of year for video games.

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Rachael Helms - BN01 2011/06/16 01:52:52

There aren't enough good games out there

+1
Technically I do not really care about video games. I seek entertainment elsewhere.

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Scott ヶBrony Of PHAETヶ 2011/06/16 00:41:23

Sales will bounce back around the holidays

+2
Because all the new games are coming out later this year, mainly October-November in time for Xmas.

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mae 2011/06/16 00:12:09

Games are too expensive

+2
I do not play these games, so I asked my sons. Their reply: The Games Are Too Expensive!

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Quantum 2011/06/15 23:52:57

Games are too expensive

+4
I am broke. I can't afford any games or movies right now.

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Mikitty☆彡(SHARP) BN-0-WAWU 2011/06/15 23:36:05

Games are too expensive

+2
I nee a job!

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Matthew Frankwitt 2011/06/15 23:19:32

Sales will bounce back around the holidays

+1
People are waiting for new games to come out like they always do. Games are expensive, but sales will bounce back when the new games start to come out.

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StAn 2011/06/15 23:03:04

There aren't enough good games out there

+2
I've begun to get tired of games. It's either a generic shooter with a gruffy hero who you forget as soon as you turn off the console, or a Nintendo remake. Or you go hippie and buy indie games. Those are the options. Pick your flavor, you already know what it will taste like.

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Joecool34 2011/06/15 21:56:24

Games are too expensive

+6
sorry but i cant afford $60+ bucks for a game that may have so many bugs i cant finish it. they get away with murder because they can just patch and patch. ought to be illegal to sell an unfinished product like that or at least without some kind of warning that there are still a ton of bugs in it. some of them go upwards to $80 bucks. that is damn expensive for one little game!

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Panda 2011/06/15 21:20:07

Sales will bounce back around the holidays

+2
Games are expensive and I'd rather wait for sales to happen and/or get a job to pay for these games I WANT SO MUCH! T__T

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Kat 2011/06/15 21:19:16

There aren't enough good games out there

+1
Novemeber is THE month. Assassin's Creed Revelations and Uncharted 3!!! I am going to be in 7th heaven.

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Alexander Mabe 2011/06/15 21:11:09

Games are too expensive

+3
I need a job

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Latasha E. 2011/06/15 21:05:25

Games are too expensive

+1
There should be an "Undecided" option or something. But perhaps it could be because games are too expensive and there aren't enough good games out there anymore. Me, personally, I've grown out of video games. However, I've contemplated on getting a Nitendo DS.

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