May 2013 NPD Results: Software Sales on Consoles & Handhelds “Lowest Since May 2000,” Injustice Takes Top Spot

June 17, 2013

The NPD has released their monthly sales data today, showing that retail sales for May 2013 have dropped 25%, compared to last year, to $386.3 million. Looking at specific categories, software finished at $187.6 million (down 44%), hardware dropped to $96 million (down 31%), and accessories were only down 6% to $115.3 million. Of course, it’s very important to note that the NPD only track physical sales, not digital ones.

To see why software dropped so sharply year-on-year, you need only look at Diablo 3, which sold like crazy in May 2013, and the lack of new releases, which were down 30% in terms of new SKUs, with the ones that did appear underperforming as a whole. Perhaps explaining the May results best was Michael Pachter, who “found it interesting that software sales for console/handheld were lowest since May 2000,” while adding, “This console transition is reminiscent of PS1 to PS2; at least, the numbers make it look that way.”

While Sony tends not to release exact sales data for their systems, Microsoft was more than happy to announce that the Xbox 360 was the #1 selling console (3DS was the best system), pushing 114,000 more boxes out into the USA.

Here’s the top 10 selling retail games for May 2013 in the United States:

*Includes Collector’s Editions, GOTY Edition, bundles, etc., but not those bundled with hardware