The NPD Group is one of the leading market research firms that tracks, among other things, hardware and software sales for video games. Back in October, the company decided to no longer include hardware sales numbers in its monthly reports, and now it sounds like the group wants even less information to be given out publicly.
According to a note sent to industry analyst Michael Pachter, the NPD Group has a couple of requests regarding the content of their reports:
“NPD would appreciate it, if you and your teams refrain from providing any of our Games data directly to the media…This includes live discussions, e-mails, and/or notes…“
Mr. Pachter has agreed to this request, so now not only will hardware sales remain unknown, but exact software sales will also be a big question. Is this a good move? Should it only be up to publishers/manufacturers as to when or if sales numbers are publicly exposed? Let us know how you feel in the comments below.
