Video game sales plunge 42% with fewer April releases

With fewer new video games to excite buyers, April sales of game consoles also take a hit.

May 10, 2012|By Alex Pham, Los Angeles Times

Mass Effect 3 was released in March. "When we see compelling content… (Electronic Arts )

Video game sales took a nose dive in April, plunging a stomach-churning 42% compared with a year earlier as companies cranked out fewer releases than in April 2011.

Retailers rang up only $292.1 million in game sales last month, down from $503.2 million a year earlier, according to NPD Group, a market research firm.

With fewer new games to drive people into stores, sales of game consoles also took a hit, falling 32% to $189.7 million.

"Simply stated, there were notably fewer" new game releases, said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

"I think it's as simple as that, because when we see compelling content come into the market, the games are still selling as well as ever. We just saw a lot less of this in April as compared to last."

Sales of accessories such as extra controllers held steady at $148.6 million in April, while sales of used games, digital game downloads and online game subscriptions contributed an additional $370 million, kicking the industry's total for the month to $1 billion.

Analysts speculated that the soft sales figures will lead companies to lower the prices of games and consoles in order to encourage buyers.

"April industry sales remain soft, and declining … volumes will likely necessitate price cuts," Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co., wrote in a note to investors.

Sebastian said there are bright spots on the horizon as game publishers prepare to unleash some of this year's most anticipated games.

"We still expect overall product momentum to improve beginning in May with launches of Diablo III and Max Payne," he said.

alex.pham@latimes.com