march-2013
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March NPD: BioShock Infinite rises to the top, Tomb Raider in second
The sales-tracking data hounds at NPD have released their figures for March 2013, which collectively place hardware sales down, physical software sales slightly up, and BioShock Infinite at the top of the best-selling pile.The physical retail sales sector of the U.S. video game industry pulled in 10 percent less coin than it did during the same five-week period in 2012, amassing a total of $992.5 million between March 3 and April 6, 2013. Hardware sales took the biggest hit out of the three monitored retail sub-categories, bringing in a total of $221.6 million, a 32 percent year-over-year decrease. Microsoft's Xbox 360 claimed its 27th month as the best-selling console in America, selling 261,000 units, down 13.5 percent from last month.Meanwhile, overall physical software sales (console, portable and PC games) outperformed March 2012 by two percent: $602.4 million in 2013, as compared with last a total of $592.2 million in sales last March.BioShock Infinite took an immediate victory over the rest of the period's release calendar, with Tomb Raider and Gears of War: Judgment rounding out the podium lineup. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon placed sixth overall; we learned yesterday it has sold 415,000 units. Though that figure's retail-to-digital ratio remains undefined, the "vast majority" of sales took place at retail, according to Nintendo's Scott Moffit.As always, jump on through for the top 10 best-selling games of March, 2013.
Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut foretold for March
The Q1 release window originally given to Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut has been narrowed down to March 2013. The open-world horror, action, mystery, etc. game will have "reworked" controls for its combat, a new scenario designed by creator SWERY, and will support additional downloadable content.It's also probably going to be really weird. While the above trailer doesn't show much of the actual game, it does assuage any fears you may have had that the new version wasn't going to be about a crazy person who talks to an invisible partner named Zach.
Samsung: Galaxy S IV March 2013 rumors are not true
We doubt this will significantly dampen rumors of a Samsung Galaxy S IV announcement in March of next year, but any optimists who were expecting an official confirmation six months in advance won't be getting one. Our grasp of Korean isn't the best, but here's a tweet from the company's official Korean account indicating rumors of a Galaxy S successor simply aren't true. Of course, with the kinds of sales the line has seen to date it seems like a reasonable assumption that Samsung will keep cranking them out as long as the courts will let it for the foreseeable future, so it's certainly more a question of when, than if. Throw in the fact that the original Galaxy S was announced in March, the Galaxy S II in February, and the Galaxy S III in May -- and the when narrows down appreciably.
