Due to the lack of high-profile software launches, January 2012 software sales were down in North America, compared to the year prior. January 2011 saw the release of Dead Space 2, LittleBigPlanet 2 and DC Universe Online, but no such significant game launches were to be seen last month.
Retail sales of videogame software fell from $576.0MM to $355.9MM year-over-year (a 38% decline), but the NPD Group estimate that an additional $350 – $400 million in sales was generated from used games, social games, mobile games, rentals and subscriptions.
The 10 best-sellers in January were as follows:
| Rank | Title | System | Publisher |
| 01. | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | PS3, 360, Wii, PC | Activision Blizzard |
| 02. | Just Dance 3 | 360, Wii | Ubisoft |
| 03. | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | PS3, 360, PC | Bethesda Softworks |
| 04. | NBA 2K12 | PS3, 360, Wii, PC, PSP, PS2 | Ubisoft |
| 05. | Battlefield 3 | PS3, 360, PC | Electronic Arts |
| 06. | Madden NFL 12 | PS3, 360, Wii, PSP, PS2 | Electronic Arts |
| 07. | Mario Kart 7 | 3DS | Nintendo |
| 08. | Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure | PS3, 360, Wii, PC, 3DS | Activision Blizzard |
| 09. | Zumba Fitness 2: Party Yourself | Wii | Majesco |
| 10. | Saints Row: The Third | PS3, 360, PC | THQ |
Food for thought:
1. The tracking period for January only covered January 1st – 28th, which means software releases after that date weren’t counted.
2. Skylander accessories accounted for 22% of accessory sales.
