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NintendoWare Weekly: X-Scape, Ben 10, Wild Guns
Even though it's a holiday here in the US, Nintendo has released a plethora of new downloadable titles for the Wii and DSi. It's a great thing, not simply because OMG moar gamez, but because it gives us a distraction from the day's festivities. There's only so much of Aunt Linda's trip to the Grand Canyon we can listen to, you know? %Gallery-86442%
Namco Bandai game segment records annual losses ... but Ben 10 sales soar!
Namco Bandai's "Content" segment, which combines its video game software and arcade machine products, recorded ¥6.86 billion ($74.68 million) in operating losses for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. The division proved the most costly for the company, which also runs a successful "Toys & Hobby" segment, in addition to several other businesses. Overall, Namco Bandai suffered ¥29.08 billion ($317.28 million) in net losses for fiscal 2010, but the company forecasts a modest turnaround in net income of ¥4.5 billion ($49.1 million) for the current fiscal year. The games segment, which this fiscal year includes the previously separate "Visual and Music Content" division, is forecast to post ¥3.5 billion ($38.19 million) in operating income over the next four quarters; aided by an estimated 90 game releases, which are predicted to bring in ¥88 billion ($960 million) in sales. In fiscal 2010, Namco Bandai software sales, which encompassed 86 titles (or 225, if you're counting localized versions), totaled 22.737 million units and ¥77 billion ($840 million); with portable games accounting for a significant 9.701 million units sold. Multiplatform versions of Ben 10 Alien Force and its sequel, Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks, in the US and Europe during the fiscal year, combined to sell 1.89 million copies alone. The console version of Tekken 6 was the publisher's only title to move more units than either of those two Ben 10 games. A third Ben 10 title, Protector of the Earth, added another 610,000 units sold in the fiscal year. Across all Namco Bandai products, "Ben 10" the franchise racked up ¥17.9 billion ($195.3 million) in sales. Not quite Mobile Suit Gundman numbers (¥34.6 billion), but still. Head past the break for the complete list of Namco Bandai's top-10 bestsellers and sales distribution by platform.
D3 Pub riding 'Ben 10' wave this holiday
D3 Publisher is boasting to MCV that versions of Ben 10: Protector of Earth for Wii, DS, PSP and PS2 have sold a collective 2.5 million copies worldwide. While not nearly as impressive as Gears of War 2's feat of selling 2 million in one week, we suspect the cost of development for Ben 10: PoE was quite a bit less (and D3's metric perhaps a bit lower). The title has been in the Top 40 UK software sales consistently since launching October 2007. This bravado is not without apt timing, of course, as the publisher is gearing up for the release of Ben 10: Alien Force in February. Expect mediocre reviews for the game and a hefty profit margin for D3 -- behold the power of a licensed IP.
Ben 10 coming to multiple consoles and handhelds this fall
One of our guilty pleasures is Ben 10, a very fun anime-inspired show on the Cartoon Network (and we aren't afraid to admit it ... just mildly embarrassed). It revolves around young Ben Tennyson and the bizarre Omnitrix, a sort of an alien watch thingy, that allows him to turn into different aliens to fight the baddies with. Sure, it sounds simple ... but watch one episode and you're hooked. D3Publisher of America has announced that they are developing several different versions of the game that will be released this fall, appearing on the Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the Nintendo DS. What, no love for the 360? Even more exciting is that Ben's nemesis Kevin 11 (we kid you not) will be appearing in the game as well.
