NYTimes: No breakout hits in 2005

Here is another New York Times article from over the weekend, discussing the trends of the year for the gaming industry. The article tackles a rather sad statistic for the year: of the top 10 best selling titles this year, only 3 were released in 2005. In fact, the number one seller looks to be Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and the number 9 spot belongs to the original Halo,
released four years ago.

Sounds depressing? Look at it this way: the three 2005 releases that made the top 10 were franchise titles (Madden 2005, Gran Turismo 4, and Pokemon Emerald). If the industry continues a downward slope in sales, we will probably see less and less original titles green-lighted by major publishers.

This upcoming year will be very interesting, with new consoles and possibly new business models for the gaming industry. The articles point out that Xbox 360 has not made a huge impact, due to shortages in the US/Europe and lack of care in Japan (not to mention, the greatest 360 game is an old-school arcade shooter). Will Halo 1 still make the top 10 in 2006? While it may have been original (at the time), let's hope not.