The NPD Group won't report on the gaming industry's March U.S. sales until tomorrow, but analysts have bleak opinions on what we'll see. One in particular is Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia, who told investors that March sales are expected to be down 10-15 percent.
As reported by GameSpot, Bhatia claimed negative sales trends will continue until the release of Grand Theft Auto 5 in September, followed by the launch of the PlayStation 4 and next-gen Xbox. Bhatia also said BioShock Infinite is likely March's best-seller.
Bhatia's estimate of 700,000-750,000 BioShock Infinite units sold falls in line with estimates from fellow investor group Cowen & Company. Earlier this week, Cowen & Company shared the expectations of a much better month for BioShock Infinite, but noted that both Gears of War: Judgment and God of War: Ascension — two blockbuster titles exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively — "significantly underperformend."
We'll be sure to keep a keen eye on those three titles, along with Tomb Raider which, despite relatively strong sales in Crystal Dynamics' eyes, failed to live up to Square Enix's expectations.
