Holiday-2011
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GameStop holiday 2011 sales up slightly, reach $3.02 billion
GameStop reported sales for the nine weeks ending December 31, 2011. In that period, it achieved sales of $3.02 billion, which, on the surface, is a repeat of last year's number. Moving down the decimal point, the company reported $3,018.1 million in 2010 (itself a record) and $3,019.1 in 2011 -- a new record by a million dollars. Digital sales increased 60 percent during the period, led by Call of Duty Elite, a 2011 blockbuster. The paid service reached 600,000 sales in early November and had already become one of the retail giant's "top 10 launches of the year." New video game software increased 9.9 percent, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 leading the pack to the shock of nobody. New hardware sales declined 19.6 percent as "there were no new console products or low enough price points to stimulate consumer demand." "During the holiday, our solid sales performance of new high-def console software was offset by weak Wii software sales and hardware sales due to the lack of new hardware offerings versus the 2010 period. We were pleased with the performance of our buy-sell-trade business, digital offerings and mobile initiatives," said CEO Paul Raines. The company's used sales increased 3.5 percent during the period, with iOS trade-ins exceeding expectations. "GameStop also retired the remainder of its long-term debt establishing a debt-free balance sheet as we go into 2012."
The Anvil of Crom: Greatest hits vol. 2011
By Crom! Can you believe we've made it through another year? Well, almost, at any rate. Technically there are a few days left in 2011, but as I'll be taking some of them off for the purposes of gaining weight and opening presents, it seems like as good a time as any to do a little recapping. Saying that 2011 was a big year for Age of Conan probably qualifies as severe understatement rather than simply understatement. The big news, of course, was the Unchained free-to-play conversion, but that was really just the tip of the gigantic Hyborian iceberg. Join me after the break for my top seven Anvil of Crom issues from the past year.
ArcheAge team releases holiday greetings video
'Tis the season for holiday-themed giveaways, events, and videos, and the team at XLGAMES is getting into the act despite the fact that ArcheAge won't be coming to Western shores in time for Christmas 2011. Grinch impressions aside, the new holiday video shows off some of the game's weather effects as well as a veritable winter wonderland complete with snow and player-placed Christmas tree decorations -- not to mention dancing and fireworks. You can see all the festive sights after the cut, and we'll take this opportunity to say that all we want for Christmas is an English-language client!
Massively's 2011 winter holiday event roundup
The winter holiday season is well underway, both in and out of game. Many schools, businesses, and communities are preparing to take a little time off to enjoy the holidays, and here at Massively, we want to make sure you don't miss a single in-game party. We've been rounding up all the details on celebrations happening in our favorite MMOs, combining them into a handy guide. Follow along after the jump for your map to all of the can't-miss MMO winter holiday events for 2011!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Why must they starve then drown us?
Today's Flameseeker Chronicles title comes to you courtesy of one of Massively's livestream team members, echoing the wails of many news-starved fans of all things Tyrian. In a classic case of 'be careful what you wish for," we got the Guild Wars 2 Mesmer, two enormous Q&A sessions with the devs, a bit of closed beta news, and Wintersday and new costumes in Guild Wars 1, all in just a few short days. I need to lie down. While I do that, follow along after the jump for a rundown of all the excitement of last week.
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: Xbox 360
With the Xbox Live Buyers Guide out of the way, it's time to tackle the Xbox's more physical offerings. We realize everything on offer can be confusing. Hopefully this guide will help you piece together which baddies you'd like to destroy, which sort of role you'd prefer to play and exactly what kind of controller you want to be.
2011 Buyers Guide: WiiWare, DSiWare, and 3DS eShop
Somehow you've ended up with a prepaid points card for your Wii, DSi, or 3DS. If you're looking to fill up your Wii with the best stuff from this year, you might be surprised to find out that there was stuff this year! The Wii Virtual Console actually looks populated, for example, when you look at the whole year's output at once. And we were surprised to see how well the 3DS Virtual Console has built up since its launch. Join us after the break to find the most entertaining ways to spend your Nintendo points on your platform of choice. You guys probably don't even know about Freakyforms, do you?
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: iOS
You'll forgive us, but we're banking on the concept of Aunt Eileen stuffing your stocking with iTunes gift cards rather than, say, a Zune Marketplace one. Perhaps that depends on if you've been naughty or nice? We're not quite sure how this holiday stuff works, but we're trying our best here. Anyway, below the break we've compiled another year's worth of great games on both iPhone and iPad platforms that we hope you'll love as well. Even if you don't get those gift cards, these games should still be affordable -- even after buying all those presents. Good luck with the relatives!
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: PlayStation Network
Did you ravenously unwrap a gift this holiday season, only to discover a redeemable PSN card within? Don't despair -- that card can actually be turned into video games! We've got a bunch of suggestions on which 2011 video games you should transmogrify your e-money into after the jump. Whether you're using a PS3 or PSP, we've got you covered.
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: Xbox Live
With the holiday season fast approaching, you may soon find yourself in possession of hoards of Microsoft Points, or you may be planning to drop some in a few unsuspecting stockings. While you can't really gift Xbox Live games, there's nothing to stop you from making some suggestions, right? Whether you are giving or receiving, this guide is for you, highlighting some of the best downloadable releases Xbox Live had to offer this year. Just remember, friends don't let friends blow all their MS Points on Avatar outfits. Oh, and also remember to look for our Xbox buyer's guide in the coming days.
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: Wii, DS, and 3DS
Maybe you want to give a new 3DS owner a headstart on filling out their collection. Or maybe you want to justify your own continued Wii ownership. Whatever the reason, you can be sure a ton of holiday shopping will include games and accessories for Nintendo platforms. Allow us to help you guide your shopping, so that you don't enter the store in a fugue state and come out with 12 copies of Food Network: Cook or be Cooked. We'll help you find the best stuff from the last year. Just click the links below to jump to the section of your choice, or head past the break for everything.
The Daily Grind: What MMO holiday event are you looking forward to?
December is here, and with it comes the usual crop of MMO holiday events. Developers may tweak events to fit the game lore or pull straight from the real-world holiday season, but the foundation of each celebration is usually similar. Special drops from enemies, seasonal quests with fun loot, and extra goodies in the cash shops can all be found throughout MMO-land during most of December. So what are you most looking forward to? Will you be sticking with the familiar, long-running traditions of Wintersday in Guild Wars? Are you hoping for more of last year's hilariously misinterpreted holiday traditions from the citizens of Fallen Earth's Wasteland? Or are you dying to check out RIFT's very first holiday celebration? What holiday event are you looking forward to and why? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
2011 Holiday Buyers Guide: PlayStation 3 and PSP
If you've been given the daunting task of purchasing gifts for a dyed-in-the-wool PlayStation fanboy (or even for yourself, Sony crony), don't fret -- we've got your back. Listed below is a suggested shopping list for PS3 and PSP games that came out during 2011, as well as a few hardware recommendations to boot. Aren't we just the sweetest? Check out the lists, and keep an eye out for our PlayStation Network shopping guide in the coming days!
First Dark Souls trailer and screens are appropriately dark [update: now with release date]
The lid has officially been blown off of Dark Souls, with developer From Software releasing a dark, moody flood of media. First and foremost is the reveal trailer, which should comfort fans hoping that the multiplatform game would look an awful lot like its predecessor Demon's Souls (a PS3 exclusive) -- it does! (Oh, and don't tell the new Xbox players -- they have no idea what they're in for!) The trailer is replete with gloomy environments, armor-clad knights, terrifying monsters and oppressive music. Sharp-eyed observers will also notice what appear to be player spirit forms, another Demon's Souls staple. The first Dark Souls screenshots and concept art are equally grim, including even more gloomy environments and this ... thing. Check out the screens in the gallery below and find the trailer and concept after the break. Update: At a press event in San Francisco today, Namco Bandai announced that Dark Souls would launch worldwide on PS3 and Xbox 360 this holiday (2011). %Gallery-115583%
Gears of War 3 bumped from April 2011 to 'holiday season' next year
It's begun. As was the case earlier this year, next year's Spring lineup is densely packed with high-profile games. As such, the inevitable migration to the holiday season begins with Microsoft's announcement that Gears of War 3 – one third of its blockbuster trifecta at this year's E3 – will be relocated from its already announced April 5, 2011 release to later in the year. "The teams at Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games have done great work thus far readying the title for release in the Spring of 2011," a statement released by Microsoft said. "However, we've elected to move the launch of Gears of War 3 until Fall 2011 to make it the marquee title for the holiday season." The move is ostensibly designed to better position the third installment in the pachydude simulator and, we imagine, pad out Microsoft's holiday 2011 releases. That doesn't leave a lot of room for E3 surprises if Gears 3 is the Xbox's "marquee title" for the 2011 holiday season. No bother, we're still holding out for that Blinx: The Time Sweeper HD update.
