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NPD will no longer release monthly hardware/software unit sales

M

Mama Robotnik

Member
Boney said:
Well publishers will leak some numbers with press release... so I guess we'll just have those numbers with ultra mega spins.

:(
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To think, when the "Playstation Family" 'wins', we won't know the breakdown.

FateBreaker said:
This is dumb. I hate NPD.
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They've give us free data for years. They have been insanely generous, and I salute them for that.
 
P

Pooya

Member
http://www.vg247.com/2010/10/12/npd-to-stop-reporting-monthly-hardware-unit-sales-figures/
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.
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NPD executive director David Riley denied, however, that the move is likely to damage clear reporting and analysis of the US market.

“No, it won’t,” the boss told VG247. “Clients can release their figures, which we can verify, but it shouldn’t be up to NPD to release these figures.

“Our corporate publishing guidelines changed, but nothing has changed client-side.”

The move means that none of the hardware manufacturers are obliged to release their monthly US sales figures, but are “permitted” to do so, and will be “supported” to do so by NPD.

“I pay a lot for access to the data”

Wedbush Morgan analysis head Michael Pachter wasn’t surprised by the move.

“I’m not sure why they ever release any of their numbers to the press,” he told VG247 today.

“They probably do so to generate publicity, and they have likely concluded that they get plenty by publishing only a little information, so they want to give less away for free.

“I pay a lot for access to the data, and probably could have skipped the hardware piece and gotten from the manufacturers directly, so they don’t want paying customers like me to turn off their subscriptions.”
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F

Freeza Under The Shower

Member
here's an impression for future npd topics:

comeau-2.jpg
 
M

MirageDwarf

Member
Mama Robotnik said:
Ah well, end of an era and all that.

Hope they reverse the decision in time for next next gen, so we can have the launch sales data fun all over gain.
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It is like micro-transaction rape. Once they will see that this new arrangement is much better suited for their agendas, it will not go back to the original.
 
McHuj

McHuj

Member
The obvious conclusion now is that if none of MS, Sony, or Nintendo release their numbers, they didn't sell anything that month and are doomed.
 
S

Segata Sanshiro

Member
Beezy said:
The gaming side will be much better now.
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Yes, having fewer facts in hand often makes for more elevated discourse.

I heard Yale is burning their library just so that things can be more pleasant on a day-to-day basis on the campus.
 
L

LukeSmith

Member
This disappointing, chiefly for the loss of information from public awareness, and secondly for the entertainment that NPD threads have provided for a long time around here.

Hopefully future NPD leaks aren't plugged so vehemently
 
S

Sadist

Member
Segata Sanshiro said:
Yes, having fewer facts in hand often makes for more elevated discourse.

I heard Yale is burning their library just so that things can be more pleasant on a day-to-day basis on the campus.
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I almost choked on my Pepsi while reading this :lol
 
J

jett

D-Member
Mama Robotnik said:
To think, when the "Playstation Family" 'wins', we won't know the breakdown.



They've give us free data for years. They have been insanely generous, and I salute them for that.
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Generous? I lol'd. Media-create is generous. NPD blows.
 
S

sciplore

Member
Sucks kind of wish that more than one company in the U.S. that bothers to keep up with this info. Would be nice if the us have a billboard equivalent to game sales or at least two companies following it like japan does.
 
G

Guevara

Member
It's ridiculous that this industry, which either has or soon will surpass the movie industry, doesn't have a freely reported sales data. Can you imagine if the weekly box office numbers were unavailable? "We think Avatar probably had the number 1 spot again, but that's just based on foot traffic into theaters).
 
S

Sho_Nuff82

Member
Wow, right in the nuts. The semi-informed sales discussion (and the reactions) is half the reason most of us signed up for this forum. If I wanted to hear retail impressions from people with agendas and regurgitation of ioi's bullshit, I would have stayed on IGN. The NPD thread without the numbers will be like the Euro chart thread, 2 pages and off the forum because there really isn't anything to discuss. Living in one of the few regions in the world where being in the lower half of the top 20 can still mean a very significant number of sales, this is even more frustrating.

And now we're at the mercy of MS, Sony, and Nintendo's PR departments to not lead us astray with misleading and colorful spinning of "percentages" and "sales momentum" and "fold-increases" and rounded ratios.

I hate to sound like I'm ranting, but this is just a symptom of the bigger disease of the game industry's immaturity. TV is transparent with numbers. Movies are transparent with numbers. Books are transparent with numbers. Sporting events are transparent with numbers (attendance and PPV). Music is transparent with numbers. That so many companies feel it is in their best interest that as few people as possible know what's actually selling is very telling, particularly in an environment where many have run themselves into the ground (or massive debt) in the last 5 years.

Meh, Gaming-side had a good run, I'll see you guys in the OT.
 
G

Geek

Ninny Prancer
Galvanise_ said:
What will Kotaku do now with their 'Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo' reacts articles?
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We stopped doing them about 15 months ago (and stopped paying attention to what NPD said completely about 4 months ago) because the reports were becoming increasingly useless.
 
J

jett

D-Member
Guevara said:
It's ridiculous that this industry, which either has or soon will surpass the movie industry, doesn't have a freely reported sales data. Can you imagine if the weekly box office numbers were unavailable? "We think Avatar probably had the number 1 spot again, but that's just based on foot traffic into theaters).
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Yeah this side of the industry is pretty much in a crap state.
 
Y

YuriLowell

Member
NPD is going to start installing boxes to your console to figure out how much you play of what game.

It will make for a more personalized ad experience.

Oh wait Microsoft already does that.
 
N

Neuromancer

Member
Segata Sanshiro said:
Yes, having fewer facts in hand often makes for more elevated discourse.

I heard Yale is burning their library just so that things can be more pleasant on a day-to-day basis on the campus.
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Wow :lol
 
C

CadetMahoney

Member
Dr. Strangelove said:
I wonder how many fanboys are tying the noose as we speak?
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elrechazao said:
No, they're excited, because now they can make shit up without anyone being able to prove them wrong.
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I also dislike direct PR from corps, where they can claim something sold XXX and no one would be able to prove them wrong with corporate ballwashers trumpeting behind them.
 
P

Painraze

Unconfirmed Member
Sho_Nuff82 said:
And now we're at the mercy of MS, Sony, and Nintendo's PR departments to not lead us astray with misleading and colorful spinning of "percentages" and "sales momentum" and "fold-increases" and rounded ratios.
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These should be pretty exciting though...

"YoY we've seen a 100% increase in Kinect sales. Numbers are gaining momentum weekly with a 15% increase week-to-week."
 
S

Sadist

Member
We'll be fedd lies regarding sales and we're going to be tricked into hoping for sequels that will never happen. Hold me.
 
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