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Analyst: EA being Rockstar's 'white knight' is 'bullsh*t'
Amidst EA's hostile takeover of Take-Two, EA Chief Exec. John Riccitiello told the New York Times last week that his company would "represent a white knight" to a developer like Rockstar (GTA, Bully) and bring its games to a wider audience than Take-Two could. GameDaily spoke with a couple of the industry's leading analysts, like Janco Partners' analyst Mike Hickey, who called the "white knight" statement -- wait for it -- "total bullsh*t, and disrespectful" to Take-Two's new management team.DFC Intelligence's David Cole says that Rockstar doesn't need EA's help to bring its games to a wide audience. Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter thinks Riccitiello doesn't really understand the definition of a "white knight." He points out that Rockstar is no "damsel in distress" and could become independent, even though it wouldn't own GTA -- Take-Two owns the GTA IP and that belongs to whichever company owns it.Read -- Analyst: EA's Riccitiello 'Disrespectful' Towards Rockstar, Take-TwoRead -- New Shareholders to Weigh Take-Two Bid
Analyst: American PS3 sales to match Xbox 360 in 2008
Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey envisions a good year for all the consoles, but expects the PS3 to really step up. His estimates are roughly on par with EA's projections for 2008 in North America, with the Xbox 360 and PS3 in a dead heat (of course, the Wii will beat both by a projected three million units). Hickey believes the PS3 will rally in '08 due to a lower price point, better content and Blu-ray's "edge" in the HD movie format war. If Blu-ray ends up being a major factor in consumers' choice to purchase the system, we'll have to watch the tie ratios in order to see whether gamers are actually buying PS3 games.Hickey notes the "slower relative adoption rate" of the PS3 was due to the high price, lack of "distinguishing" content, strong competition from the Wii and "value confusion" over the Blu-ray player -- basically, the opposite of everything he thinks will make the PS3 a contender in '08. As for Hickey's crystal ball predictions, he says the PS2 will finally hit $99 in '08 and that the Wii will follow PS2 growth, selling eight million units in North America during '08 ... if supplies keep up.
Analysts sound off: What does Blu-ray winning mean to the PS3 and gamers?
The big boys of game industry analysis are back to tell GameDaily what they think this new Blu-ray tide of exclusivity will mean to gamers. Sure, the big talk is that Blu-ray winning could mean a PS3 price cut, but that'll only benefit those who don't already have the latest console Kutaragi built. For consumers with a PS3 snug at home, they should breathe a little easier knowing they won't have to buy another HD movie player in the near future. But what do the boys with the crystal balls think? Mike Hickey, Janco Partners: The PS3 will eventually receive an awakening as Blu-ray becomes the winning format, this will lead to larger install base and motivate third-party developers to the PS3. Michael Pachter, Wedbush Morgan Securities: Says Sony once said 70 - 80% of PS2 owners treated it as their first DVD player, he believes the same will hold true for HD movies -- except that there is currently only a 10% penetration with 1080p televisions. He also says there will be a sales spike later this year coinciding with another price cut. Colin Sebastian, Lazard Capital Markets: He says when consumers decide they "need" a Blu-ray player it certainly can't hurt the PS3, especially if its games improve and hardware prices decline. David Cole, DFC Intelligence: Doesn't believe Blu-ray is a determining factor in the console wars, but it is a nice bonus. He believes if a consumer were stuck choosing between two gaming platforms that were equal, then the Blu-ray might tip them over to the PS3. But he says the list for consumers goes: Price, good exclusive games, and, finally, Blu-ray. The boys of analysis have spoken, what do the ladies and gentlemen of these here internets believe?
Hickey and Pachter talk Blu-ray and PS3
Analysts. They say the funniest things. Two analysts have made their thoughts on Warner's choice to abandon the HD DVD camp very clear indeed. Both see this development as only being a good thing for, not only Blu-Ray but, as a result, the PS3. Mike Hickey of Janco Partners writes that "if Blu-ray can win the current format war, the true value of the PS3 can be unlocked, and will likely lead to an acceleration of PS3 sales". The ever-lovable Michael Pachter agrees, but indicates that sales of the PS3 will be intrinsically locked with penetration of HDTVs. Pachter further expects HDTVs to go from sub-10% penetration to over 50% later this year, which is when we're likely to see a spike in PS3 sales. Of course, all of this relies on Blu-Ray winning the format war. Though, with companies jumping off of HD DVD like rats from a sinking ship, we shouldn't have too much to worry about.
