holiday-sales
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Gamestop holiday sales down 6.7 percent to $2.94 billion
As it does every January, ubiquitous mall retailer Gamestop has issued its holiday sales report. Though sales of $2.94 billion mark a year-on-year decline in business, it comes as little surprise and the retailer remains optimistic. That $2.94 billion figure is overshadowed by the $3.15 billion Gamestop reported last year (though it tops the $2.88 billion from the previous year's sales report). The key reason for this is a year-on-year 32 percent decline in new hardware sales. While that seems dire, keep in mind that the 2013 holiday season saw the launch of both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, so the $3.15 billion Gamestop reported last year is likely greatly enhanced by the appearance of new hardware on the market. The highlight of Gamestop's holiday sales report is a 5.8 percent increase in new software sales, which the retailer attributes primarily to a 94.4 percent jump in sales of games for the now-established Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. "During the holiday period, consumer demand for video games was strong, resulting in new software sales growth," said Gamestop CEO Paul Raines. "We expect that trend to continue into the first quarter. Overall, each of our business units performed well giving us positive momentum as we look toward 2015."
Pick up MMOs on the cheap in Steam's holiday sale
It's that time of year again, folks -- the time when grandfather Valve slides down the chimney and offers you a huge pile of reasonably priced games. Yes, Steam's holiday sale is now in full effect, bringing with it some nice deals on a few MMO titles. Here's what we've found so far: Guns of Icarus Online - $3.74 (75% off - flash sale!) The Secret World - $14.99 (50% off) The Secret World: Massive Edition - $29.99 (50% off) Darkfall Unholy Wars - $13.58 (66% off) Defiance- $4.99 (50% off) Final Fantasy XI: Ultimate Collection Seekers Edition - $15.99 (60% off) EVE Online - $4.98 (75% off) Keep in mind that sales change daily and that some games above do require subscription fees. The Steam holiday sales ends January 2nd, 2014.
Mists of Pandaria discounted to $7.99 at Amazon
Tis the season for holiday sales! Though Blizzard's Winter Sale offers some great prices, right now Amazon is offering a slightly better bargain for dealhunters looking to pick up Mists of Pandaria for their holiday wishlist. The online megaretailer is offering Mists for $7.99 -- compared to Blizzard's current price of $9.99 -- and is matching Blizzard's $4.99 pricing for World of Warcraft proper, which includes all other expansions. These are boxed versions -- Blizzard's sales are for digital downloads -- so if you want a game box to wrap under the tree, this is an ideal option... but bear in mind that it means you will have to pay shipping costs, which could prevent this buy from being as much of a bargain as it appears. Of course, Amazon's prices could change at any time, so if you were considering picking up Mists for the holidays, get it before these holiday prices are gone!
NPD Group: US MacBook sales took a 6 percent hit during 2012 holidays
NPD Group is reporting that sales of Apple's MacBook line were 6 percent lower during the period between November 18 and December 22, 2012 than during the same period in 2011. The report, as described by John Virata of AppleInsider, notes that the average selling price of all MacBooks sold was up about US$100 from 2011 to $1,419 as well. Part of the explanation behind the drop in US MacBook sales could be that the only really new Mac notebook released in the run-up to the holiday shopping season was the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. In late 2011, Apple kickstarted sales of the entire MacBook Pro line by adding faster Intel processors, improved GPUs and hard drives with increased capacities. There's one bright side to the numbers, though -- at least sales of MacBooks didn't take the same hit as Windows PCs. NPD's figures showed an 11 percent drop in sales of notebooks running Windows, despite -- or perhaps because of -- the launch of Windows 8. Those touchscreen notebooks running Windows 8 that were hyped in advertisements had an average selling price of $700, but only accounted for 4.5 percent of Windows notebook sales.
Sony racks up over 6.5 million in PlayStation sales over holiday season
Looks like Sony is reaping the benefits of strong holiday sales for its range of consoles coming under the PlayStation umbrella. After introducing the PS Vita early in December, the company managed to shift about 500,000 units in its own backyard, while ageing predecessor, the PSP, continued to sell 1.6 million units worldwide. Not to be outdone, the PS3 nearly broached the 4 million mark, bringing Sony closer to its fiscal year-end goal of 15 million for the five-year old gaming powerhouse. The system's motion control add-on, Move, also moved a considerable 1.7 million units, with the PS2 still puttering along and enjoying "robust sales in emerging countries." Brand equity? Sony's got it in spades.
World of Warcraft's holiday sale includes $10 sparkleponies
The holidays are here, and you know what that means: holiday sales! Blizzard is joining the fun with a number of (rather good) deals. The World of Warcraft Battle Chest, which includes vanilla WoW and The Burning Crusade, is on sale for a measly $5 US. Wrath of the Lich King is on sale for $10, and Cataclysm's price has been reduced to $20. And as if that's not enough, Blizzard is also providing discounts for two of its cash shop items. Players can get their hands on a sparklepony for $10 or a Pandaren Monk non-combat pet for $5. The sale lasts until December 19th, so act now. For the full details, check out the news on WoW's official site.
Apple, Samsung holiday phone sales bring cheer to the new year
Reuters is reporting that brisk holiday sales of Apple's iPhone 4 and Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone may have pushed the two manufacturers to become the only two major phone makers to increase their market share during the season. All other manufacturers, including industry giants Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson and Nokia are expected to lose ground in the market share race. None of the manufacturers have reported the results of holiday sales yet; Apple will announce its first-quarter (Oct - Dec) results tomorrow, and Samsung won't be announcing until January 28, with the other manufacturers reporting in between these two dates. CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber was quoted by Reuters as saying that 2010 saw a gulf emerge between the winners and losers in the smartphone wars that will only widen in 2011. One of the losers over the holiday season could be BlackBerry manufacturer RIM, not due to lower sales, but because sales of their devices may not have grown as quickly as those from Apple and Samsung. Apple and Samsung won't have it easy in 2011. LG will be pushing out the Optimus 2X and Revolution, Motorola seeks to grab users at AT&T with the Atrix 4G and Droid Bionic, and the Xperia Arc from Sony Ericsson will be released. [via Electronista]
Steam offering discounts on MMOs for the holidays
You never get everything you want over the holiday. That's inevitable. That's also why Steam, the digital distribution service that's become all but ubiquitous, always takes the chance to offer steep discounts for players once the holiday season starts up in earnest. This year has already seen the rollout of some big sales, with Final Fantasy XI, Aion, and Global Agenda all available for discounted prices -- prices in excess of 50% off. Final Fantasy XI's complete collection is being offered for $4.99 up through January 3rd. Aion is available for just $10 (a 75% reduction and the steepest discount of the lot) through January 2nd, and Global Agenda can be picked up for a $15 outlay with no subscription fee. It's a wide enough range of games that nearly anyone will find something worth picking up, and on the off chance you don't see your dream game listed, keep your eye on Steam over the next few days. It's better to give than receive, yes, but it's even better to do both.
Microsoft announces 2.5 million Kinects sold in first 25 days
Points for style, Microsoft, crossing the 2.5 million Kinect sensors sold mark a convenient 25 days into your global sales of that ever-so-hackable / sometimes-cool-for-gaming item. This number factors in Black Friday sales from this past weekend, and has us really curious as to how well Sony has been doing of late -- Sony's been mum on Move numbers since it announced 1 million units shipped about a month ago. Microsoft says it's on pace to sell 5 million Kinect units through this holiday, which leads us to wonder: what sort of 3D video extravaganza could we pull off with 5 million Kinects in tandem?
Insanely low prices for WoW, BC, and Wrath for a limited time
The Blizzard holiday sale for World of Warcraft in the US and EU regions has been announced, and the cost of giving WoW for the holidays is rock-bottom low. The original World of Warcraft, now with extra Shattering, is only $5. The Burning Crusade is now also only $5, and Wrath of the Lich King only sets you back $10. Upgrading WoW has never been cheaper, so if you'd like to give the gift of World of Warcraft to yourself or someone else, now is definitely the time. To quickly recap -- the Blizzard US and EU stores now have: World of Warcraft at $5 / €5 The Burning Crusade at $5 / €5 Wrath of the Lich King at $10 / €10 World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
Sony PlayStation 3 sales 'exceed 3.8 million' worldwide over the holidays
On the heels of its CES 2010 keynote speech, Sony released a chest-pounding press release declaring worldwide sales "exceeding 3.8 million" of the PlayStation 3 during the 2009 holiday season. According to the company, "during the five weeks following the last week of November 2009" (ending on January 3, 2010), the console sold more than during any previous holiday season -- a 76 percent increase over last year's numbers. Alas, the PSP and the PSP Go were neglected a mention in the presser, though Sony did reiterate the 38 million PSN user number we'd heard a bit earlier. We'll have a clearer picture of what exactly the sales shook out to for North America when the latest NPD numbers arrive next week.
Kindle is the biggest selling item on Amazon, bests sliced bread
Recession? Not if you're the Amazon Kindle, it turns out -- it's currently the bestselling product across all categories at Amazon. Yes, that means it's outselling the robotic hamsters, the t-shirts with wolves howling at the moon, and the limited edition Snuggies. November, when people traditionally start trampling each other in the name of gift giving and holiday cheer, has also been the best single month of sales ever for the e-reading device, in spite of the fact that there's more competition than ever for it -- so that's good news for them, right? Amazon hasn't released any actual numbers, of course, so it's hard to say what it all means. The other good news is that as far as we can tell, it doesn't look like they'll sell out anytime soon. Full press release is after the break.
ESA survey says video games still topping holiday wishlists
Despite outrageous day one sales projections for Modern Warfare 2 and the impending release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, The ESA was still left wondering whether or not folks are still interested in giving and receiving video games over this holiday season. So the game industry's lobbying group conducted a survey, which found that "42 percent of American adults plan to give or hope to receive a computer or video game this holiday season." Furthermore, another 52 percent think of games as a cost-effective form of entertainment for the whole family. Perhaps the most notable result of the survey was a 31 percent increase from 2007 (to 47 percent) for respondents intending on gifting a woman with a game. We're betting that at least 50 percent of the women receiving a game as a gift would prefer either a different gift or a more thoughtful partner.
Euro 360 sales at 8 million thanks to record holiday
Puffing out their chest with pride, today Microsoft revealed that - to date - they've sold 8 million Xbox 360 consoles in the European market thanks to record setting holiday sales. Sales that were nearly double that of the same holiday period last year."2008 saw us grow faster than any of our competitors and we over-achieved in sales during the crucial Christmas selling period," explained European Xbox VP Chris Lewis. "With eight million consoles sold since we launched, and consistently out-selling PlayStation 3 in EMEA, we're poised to build on this success in 2009." Oh yes, the gloves are off ...
Apple ranked #4 among online retailers
A holiday survey of shopper satisfaction with e-retailers ranked Apple as number 4, with 78% of customers pleased with purchases made on the Apple website. The survey was conducted by ForeSee Results and FGI Research.Only two online retailers scored above 80 percent, with Amazon and Netflix tied at 84%. QVC.com ranked third. The survey is intended to be predictive for how companies will do in 2009. Retailers losing some customer confidence included Circuit City, Gap, Home Depot, HSN, Neiman Marcus, and Overstock.com.Larry Freed, President and CEO of ForeSee Results, said that too many e-retailers aren't paying attention to metrics like customer satisfaction and he said "that's just not playing to win in this economy."Apple is down 1% from last year's rankings. In general, Apple does very well in surveys that measure customer loyalty, product reliability, and service and support. 2009 could be a tough year for brick and mortar and online retailers, so every little bit of customer pleasure really helps translate into sales.
DS, Wii own holidays in Spain and Germany
We talk a lot about sales in the U.S., Japan, and the U.K., but there are a lot of countries out there, which means there are many, many opportunities for the DS to reign supreme ... which is exactly what it did over the holidays in Germany and Spain, along with its big brother, Wii. Next-gen is clearly all about new gen in those countries, and we're behind it. In fact, the only non-Nintendo games that showed up on the top charts were for the PS2 (and a lone PC title). Check after the break for the full lists.
Moore claims 360 will surpass 10 million milestone
It seems that a new numeric obsession is gripping Microsoft executives across the world: 10 million. Considered a lofty target before the system launched and reiterated just yesterday, Microsoft has always stood by their belief that the first manufacturer to dash past the "10 million sold" finish line will be crowned the winner of ye grande console race. Speaking to Bloomberg, Peter Moore goes a step further and confidently claims that the 360 will not only meet, but surpass the 10 million mark before the year keels over. When asked if the 360 would exceed the hallowed milestone, the vice president confidently replies, "Yes. All indications are that we came off a very strong Thanksgiving holiday.''He goes on to point out that "They [sic] key is we're in stock, we're available, we're delivering well to retail." Certainly a valid observation (and one shared by certain analysts), but one that depends less on the 360's individual appeal and more on the fact that the competition didn't pitch in full force. The monthly NPD numbers are expected to arrive tomorrow, upon which we'll have a better idea as to how much further (farther, if you want to stick with the racing metaphor) Microsoft needs to go before the month concludes. [Via GameDaily BIZ]
Another analyst: Microsoft execs feeling good about Xbox
Now, some psychoanalysis on Microsoft executives would be quite entertaining ("Tell me about these lucid dreams, Peter."), especially when compared to the recent observations made by Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets. In his earth-shattering report, Mr. Sebastian describes the folks behind the Xbox brand as "upbeat" given the commercial success of Gears of War, the company's considerable launch lead against competitors and consistent growth in Europe. Japan, not so much.The Xbox 360's 2007 lineup (featuring Space Ring 3) and catalogue of HD shows and movies are also expected to have a positive effect on this year's holiday sales. Sebastian believes that fleeting Wii and PS3 stock will prove to be Microsoft's greatest advantage, with desperate parents picking up a 360 and convincing their rotten brats that it was the only console they could find. It's a likely scenario, but if recent sales in Japan have proven anything, it's that the PS2 and DS Lite are far more likely (and cheaper) replacements -- if indeed a replacement is sought at all. How about a nice fruitcake instead?
