NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

stephentotilo — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:55:12 GMT

I like access to information as much as the next guy, but I find the uproar about this hilarious. Thousands of comments on Neogaf. Blog headlines everywhere.

Last week the crisis (via Kotaku) was that games shouldn't be quantified by review scores. Now garments are being shredded over the -- panic! -- challenge of covering the console horse race without being able to count the strides. Oh no. What would we do without our precious numbers?

If only gaming qualities generated as fervent discussion as gaming quantities.

What this situation needs is for the gaming press to strike back. If the press can't have their sales numbers, then the industry should be stripped of metacritic. Stop numbering game reviews. Make this whole thing a number-free zone.

That'll show 'em.

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

perrinbar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:25:01 GMT

As always Stephen makes a good argument. I agree with the desire for a Billboard like source of free information though. My feelings about letting the companies report the data themselves, or not as the case may be, are not on the happy end of the spectrum. The PR spin is going to come back in full force for awhile. I feel especially bad for Sony who will undoubtedly stop reporting hardware numbers, for fear of being kept at the kid's table, to borrow N'Gai's analogy. Let us boycott metacritic!! I'm with Stephen. The revolution starts now!

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

petrapan — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:01:19 GMT

I think it's worth noting that by doing this NPD plays the ball directly into the hands of VGChartz and their mysterious ways of calculating sales numbers. Now that there is no way to get a hold of numbers which have been extrapolated from a large percentage of the retailers, people will flock to VGC to get their hands on numbers extrapolated from some retailers/publishers/forum-members, sent through some sort of historical filter which are later retroactively adjusted to fit with closer with NPDs numbers. The use of VGC as a source has been increasing lately, with their numbers being used in publishers press releases (Midway) and in magazines (last EDGE). Surely, it would not be in NPDs best interest that VGC could grow even bigger and gain more support and legitamacy when it is no longer possible to control VGCs numbers.

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

ReyBrujo — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:47:02 GMT

I wonder if the services provided by Media Create, Enterbrain and NPD are _that_ different to explain the public releases. Or if the competence in Japan makes that both need to release their data (something that would be not necessary in market monopolies like US with NPD).

Besides the speculation of public relationship damage (I guess it is hard to prepare a press release with a positive point of view when the numbers don't back it), I find interesting they are leaving to hardware manufacturers the disclosure of data. It is like making a song, selling it to a few, and letting them create copies for friends. The market for these studies is not very large.

Personally, as a Wikipedia editor, the only problem this brings is slower updates at the list of best selling video games and consoles, but other than that, it is not as if suddenly gaming stopped existing.

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

harrison25 — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:04:44 GMT

I'm not sure this is going to matter... someone is going to let the info slip, why doesn't the NDP be the person to openly inform the public rather than letting gossip do it later?

i'm not sure why this matters... i guess we'll find out once it all goes into effect... how much longer and how much less complete will the data be that we received directly from paying customers?

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

jayscott — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:07:05 GMT

As an industry analyst that makes my living by sourcing data and attempting to make sense of all of it, I can understand why NPD feels compelled to pull back a bit. No analyst worth their salt would ever make decisions based on VGC (the data is marginal to unreliable), but at the same time VGC creates the perception of accuracy that is a real business threat to folks like NPD. At the moment, NPD makes its money from selling data...not from analyzing data. The more data that is released into the public domain, the less valuable it becomes.

I agree with the sentiment that it would be nice if the public dialogue had access to Billboard-style information, because it further legitimizes the conversation and reinforces gaming as a pop culture affair. That data is made available, though, because it is only one small division of a much larger, diversified enterprise. We're not quite there yet.

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

SpaceShot — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 13:27:08 GMT

Who are the NPD's clients? Why don't media outlets subscribe? I imagine there's some kind of journalistic ethic that you don't pay for news. So how do the Nielsen numbers end up in the paper every week (maybe they release them for free to promote their brand, I dunno... just asking)?

Really, it doesn't matter. Numbers will come out and everyone who has chosen sides will happily keep their chosen sides no matter what the numbers say. I guess it's a big deal about nothing.

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

joeboy101 — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 13:57:46 GMT

To be honest, I can't really make an informed statement about this decision from NPD without knowing what information a subscriber gets in relation to what is released to the media. N'Gai? Anybody? Can someone give a run down of what information NPD provides to subscribers? Detailed demographics, retailer breakdowns, and things like that? If the gap between what is public and what is private is more like a gulf, then I think NPD should still provide the hardware numbers. If the gap is more hairline, then I think its a fair decision.

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

SuperEffective — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:50:44 GMT

Ever try to actually figure out a real, objective baseline for sales in the publishing world? It exists, but it's intentionally hidden from the average consumer and spread across multiple best-seller lists. And, me personally, I think it's been really bad for books. Sure, everyone can pretend they have a best seller, but the audience is deprived of the knowledge of what's really resonating. It distorts the critical discussion replaces word of mouth with marketing.

Which is too bad, because the sales end of art really *is* an interesting discussion, and one that turns casual consumers into rabid fans -- imagine if sports teams hid figures like attendance or player salaries? Entertainment companies have a lot to learn from the sports world, which has had an AM radio blogosphere for decades.

re: NPD Group Gently Reminds Whiny Journalists and Tear-Stricken Fanboys That its Provision of Hardware Data Was Always Intended to be 'Temporary'

joeboy101 — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:14:33 GMT

Super - Actually, for gamers, hardwale sell-through numbers for gamers are very critical. Want to know which console is succeed, and thusly receive alot of support and games in the future, you check how it sells. Movies, music, books are all one-off purchases that end with the transaction. When you buy a game console, you are committing to a format. And it only makes sense to research which formats are the strongest with console prices so high and the formats relatively new. I should know, I bought an Atari Jaguar (say what you want, I still loved the little templates they went over the keypad) and a Sega Dreamcast after that. I got really jittery with consoles after that and stayed out for a generation.