In a strange turn of events, the NPD Group is making industry analysts aware that they are no longer allowed to provide, discuss, or reference NPD sales numbers with the media in interviews, Emails, notes, blogs, or just about anything else you can think of. Analysts that do release such confidential data will be subject to having themselves or their companies removed from the NPD mailing list.

It has not uncommon in the past for analysts to talk to us about NPD reported sales numbers prior to the numbers being publicly reported by NPD. Often times, the data provides valuable insight into where a title is going and how well it is really doing. Of course, it also is used by investment analysts to gauge the future of companies.

We suspect that NPD data will continue to be leaked prior to NPD reporting it; and we are not sure that all of the threats in the world are going to stop analysts from talking about NPD numbers prior to official release by NPD. Still, it will be interesting to see how NPD fares with attempting to clamp down on the data being released.