January’s NPD numbers reveal a lackluster month

Feeling a little blue with the holidays over with? Don't worry, you're not the only one. According to the NPD's numbers for January, the entire gaming industry was feeling down. How far down, you ask? Total game sales were down a third, with $750 million in revenue down from 2011's $1.15 billion. Hardware and software also dipped 38%, as hardware dropped from $324 million to $199.5 million and software fell from $576 million to $355.9 million. Despite several financial woes (cough cough THQ cough cough), analysts are not worried, saying it's just the lack of quality, triple-A titles in the early part of this year.

The top ten games of January are listed below:

1 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (360, PS3, Wii, PC)
2 – Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3)
3 – Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC)
4 – NBA 2K12 (360, PS3, PSP, Wii, PS2, PC)
5 – Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)
6 – Madden NFL 12 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP)
7 – Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
8 – Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Wii, 3DS, 360, PS3, PC)
9 – Zumba Fitness 2: Party Yourself (Wii)
10 – Saint's Row: The Third (360, PS3, PC)

The only positive note out of the entire report was that Microsoft remained the best-selling console for the 13th straight month. February, on the other hand, starts to ignite the year in games with UFC Undisputed 3 and the new SSX title, so hopefully numbers will be up substantially from this lackluster month.

Source: [NPD press release]