Last December saw an unexpected slowdown in videogame sales, and it’s sad to see the data presented around this period of SOPA being discussed.  Especially as sales are down by 21%.

That said, Matt Jarzemsky of Dow Jones Newswires didn’t blame piracy. Maybe he just forgot to mention it. He did make 3 short statements from the analysis; First is that ‘Aaging console lineup and unexpected slowdown in software sales hurt industry’. The phrase ‘no sugar Sherlock’ comes to mind. His second input is that the data is a sign of weak US consumer electronics spending during the holidays.

His third and final note was that the cause could be attributed to ‘casual’ games that are running rampant on smartphone and social networking sites. He’s made a point with that one.

Apparently December sales only made up 23% of the year’s sales, whilst it’s usually in the realms of 28%. Hardware sales for December were hit harder, with a 28% drop. Ouch.

The 360 sold most, with the PS3 and Wii ‘neck and neck’ in second place. It’s a shame to see, especially considering UK games stores were selling Skyrim and Saints Row 3 for £20 for various weekends leading up to Christmas.

Ah well, what do you think?

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