14 DAY TRIAL // The NPD Group sales numbers for both hardware and videogames for the month of May have been delayed as the company is upgrading its technology base but that does not stop analysts from weighing in about how various titles performed during the 30 days of the month. And it seems the biggest winner of the period is Red Dead Redemption, the open world Western title made by Rockstar, as publisher Take Two claims to have shipped more than 5 million units since it was initially launched on May 18.
Speaking about the releases of May, Michael Pachter, who is an analyst watching the industry for Wedbush Morgan, stated, “Alan Wake was launched the same day (and suffered as a result), the Prince of Persia film did not provide the expected boost for the video game, Blur had a very weak launch, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 sold at only a mediocre level (for a Nintendo title).”
Pachter expects the month to see a growth of about 11% over the same period in 2009, with previous estimates prompting to an increase in sales of 15 to 30 percent. This is significantly better than the 22% drop that software and hardware registered during the month of May.
He believes that with revenue from new launches slowing down in 2010, big publishers will take more steps to monetize the time gamers spend playing multiplayer modes. The analyst specifically mentioned Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as an example, offering more fuel to the rumor that mentioned a MMO based on the franchise, with Bobby Kotick being the latest to voice it.
The Wedbush Morgan representative is also saying that a shift can be seen from packaged videogames to digital distribution services but that in 2010, the trend will not be noticeable in the console space.