Gears of War and God of War sales suffering in the US, says analyst

Microsoft and Sony first-party blockbusters Gears of War: Judgment and God of War: Ascension have both suffered from disappointing first-month sales in North America, according to Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz.

In an investor note released ahead of the official NPD data this week (via GamesIndustry), the firm estimated first-month sales of Gears of War: Judgement to be around 420,000 units, less than a quarter of the two million Gears of War 3 managed in September 2011.

Sony's God of War: Ascension is estimated to have shifted 360,000 units, compared to predecessor God of War 3's 1.1 million.

High-profile third-party titles performed better, with Creutz estimating that BioShock Infinite sold 665,000 copies in the US after ten days on sale. Tomb Raider is also estimated to have shipped 696,000 units after 33 days of sale, although publisher Square Enix has said that the game did not meet its worldwide sales expectations.

The analyst firm expected overall sales trends to have improved in March 2013, but now believes the NPD group will announce that US software sales have fallen 21 percent year-on-year.

The NPD group will announce its official market data on Thursday.