NPD December: Xbox 360, Black Ops 2 top another lackluster month

The NPD has provided its December 2012 report for US retail, as well as a general overview for 2012, and to no one’s surprise the numbers show the same old decline we’ve come accustomed to in the past year.

The month saw total industry sales fall by 22 per cent at $3.21m, with that percentage representing the total industry sales decline for 2012 as well. The year saw $13.26bn brought in versus nearly $17bn in 2011.

Xbox Live won for the umpteenth time in the hardware department, which as a whole was down 20 per cent for the month and 27 per cent for the year. Microsoft’s console shifted 1.4m units during the period.

Additionally, Nintendo revealed Wii U moved 460,000 units in the US in December 2012, for a life to date total of 890,000. The Wii U has generated over $300 million in hardware sales in the US according to Nintendo, which added that the Wii had only reached $270 million during the same period.

The demand for the Deluxe SKU, which was essentially sold out at retail this holiday, and the strong attach rate of New Super Mario Bros. U, shows that we have the value and the games to drive momentum in 2013. We look forward to offering great new experiences and bringing smiles to millions of new faces throughout the year,” Nintendo of American executive Scott Moffitt stated.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 finished on top of Software for both the month and year, but in general the category dropped 27 per cent in December and 22 per cent in 2012. Accessories also fell eight per cent.

NPD reminds that these numbers only represent US retail, roughly 50 per cent of the total consumer spend when factoring in digital, used, rentals, and other means of purchase.

Here are the software charts for December 2012, and 2012 as a whole:

Top Ten Games December 2012 (new physical retail, all platforms

1. Call of Duty Black Ops 2 (PC, PS3, Wii U, X360)
2. Just Dance 4 (PS3, Wii, Wii U, X360)
3. Halo 4 (X360)
4. Assassin’s Creed 3 (PC, PS3, Wii U, X360)
5. Madden NFL 13 (PS3, PSV, Wii, Wii U, X360)
6. Far Cry 3 (PC, PS3, X360)
7. NBA 2K13 (PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Wii U, X360)
8. Skylanders Giants (3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, X360)
9. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)
10. FIFA Soccer 13 (3DS, PS3, PSP, PSP, Wii, Wii U, X360)

Top Ten Games 2012 (new physical retail, all platforms)

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PC, PS3, Wii U, X360)
2. Maddeen NFL 13 (PS3, PSV, Wii, Wii U, X360)
3. Halo 4 (X360)
4. Assassin’s Creed 3 (PC, PS3, Wii U, X360)
5. Just Dance 4 (PS3, Wii, Wii U, X360)
6. NBA 2K13 (PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Wii U< X360)
7. Borderlands 2(PC, PS3, X360)
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PC, PS3, X360)
9. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (3DS, DS, PC, PS3, PSV, Wii, X360)
10. FIFA Soccer 13 (3DS, PS3, PSP, PSV, Wii, Wii U, X360)