James Delahunty
11 May 2012 13:51
Total spend in April down sharply.
If you combine the same of consoles and games, spending dropped 32 percent in April this year, compared to April in 2011. Gamers spent 42 percent less on games in April 2012, according to NPD, which blames a lack of compelling game launches so far in 2012.
U.S. gamers spent $630 million in April, of which $307 million was spent on buying games for consoles and handhelds, down from $533 million of April 2011. One aspect of the steep decline may have been Easter falling in March, rather than in April, according to Anita Frazier, video game market analyst at NPD.
"We usually find that Easter-related purchases generate an extra 10 per cent in revenue in the month they occur," she said, "so some of the softness compared to last April could be attributed to the shift in Easter timing."
However, Frazier said the primary reason for the drop in sales is the light release schedule by game makers in the early months of the year, commenting that when a compelling title is released by a game maker, it still sells as well as ever.