game sales
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Nintendo’s Switch sales drop as it contends with chip shortage
Nintendo's Switch sales fell significantly last quarter, dropping to 3.43 million units compared to 4.45 million during the same period last year.
People are still spending record amounts on gaming in the US this year
If it wasn’t already obvious that the coronavirus has been a boon for the video game market, industry analysts at the NPD Group have more evidence. The reliable market-tracking firm says that people spent more on video games in the US in the second quarter than ever before.
Destiny beta is incoming for summer; Activision predicts big successes
Is Destiny really going to be the next big thing in gaming? Activision CEO Bobby Kotick certainly thinks so. In the recent fourth quarter earnings call for the company, Kotick went on the record saying that it will be the best-selling new IP in video game history, which is potentially true; any new IP has that potential, but Bungie's upcoming MMOFPS has slightly better odds than most. It's helped by launching on four platforms at once: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. All of that potential is based on how well the game actually plays, though, and potential players will get to find that out this summer. The current target for release is September 9th, although there's obviously plenty of time and space for that date to move forward or backward depending on beta testing. Keep your eyes peeled for more information as we move out of the winter and into spring; a lot can happen over the next few months.
World of Warcraft 75% off this week only
Do you have a friend interested in World of Warcraft? Would you like a second account to fill with gleeful pandaren come Mists? Now's the time to get your hands on the game. Blizzard just announced that all WoW expansions are on sale this week only. The Battle Chest is $5, Wrath of the Lich King is $5, and to top it off, Cataclysm is only $10. That's $20 for the complete set, making this an excellent time to bring your friends in for the start of Mists of Pandaria -- or for you to stash a set of games for a secondary account. Keep in mind that recruiting yourself via Recruit-A-Friend will still net you that sweet Obsidian Nightwing mount! Prepare for Pandaria with epic savings! This week only, you can get the World of Warcraft Battle Chest for $5, Wrath of the Lich King for $5, and Cataclysm for $10 when you buy directly from Blizzard. That's 75% off the regular prices, making this a great time to set yourself up for the imminent launch of Mists of Pandaria... or to invite a friend to join you in Azeroth. Hurry, this offer ends August 27, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. source
Nab WoW and all expansions for $20 at GameStop and Best Buy
It's nowhere near Christmas, but GameStop and Best Buy are doing their best to make it feel that way. Both are running a huge sale on World of Warcraft this week. The World of Warcraft Battlechest, which includes both the original game and The Burning Crusade expansion, is only $4.99. If you want to add Wrath of the Lich King, that's $4.99 as well. And if you want to pick up Cataclysm, it's only $9.99 more -- which brings the grand total for all expansions to a cheap $20. Not only is this great for anyone looking to give the gift of WoW, it also comes in handy for those looking to get the Obsidian Nightwing through the Recruit-A-Friend program. You can either recruit your friends and get them the games, or you can grab the games and open up a second account for yourself. Either way, $20 is a steal. Check out either GameStop or Best Buy for online ordering, or check with your local store to see if they're carrying the games in stock.
Best Buy and Target announce video game trade-in programs, clearly don't read webcomics
For some reason the used-video-games-as-controversy stars have aligned, and Best Buy and Target picked now of all times to announce new used game trade-in programs. Target is going to offer in store credit for all sorts of electronics trade-ins, including games and DVDs, with just a few stores for now, but expanding to 850 stores by the end of the year. Target isn't making any mention of reselling that stuff just yet, but Best Buy plans to start selling used games "soon," on top of the 600 stores it's launching it own trade-in program in this week. What's so special about all this? Well, THQ CEO Cory Ledesma just made headlines for a bit of a rant about the topic ("We hope people understand that when the game's bought used we get cheated"), and then Penny Arcade weighed in with a comic, as is their wont, which kicked off a bit of a gamer vs. publisher vs. retailer internet battle of the words. Which is our favorite kind. With online distribution, one time unlock codes, and DLC all warring to make used games obsolete, this debate might be moot in a few years time, but for now there's no shortage of opinions on the subject, and we'd love to hear yours in the comments!
MMO tops Japan's sales charts on the Xbox 360
In the world of console gaming, Japan tends to strongly support their hometown champions -- although whether or not the sprawling multinational corporate behemoths of Nintendo and Sony actually need that suppport is debatable. Microsoft's Xbox 360 has generally faced slow sales in the nation and a lack of popular games on the platform. But it's gotten a boost from the strong sales of Monster Hunter Frontier Online, an MMO exclusive to the platform that's made it to the top of the Japanese sale charts. Not out of all Xbox games -- out of the entire country. The newest installment of the long-running series is a port of a 2007 PC version, beating out several other strong contenders for the countrywide sales figures. Although the Monster Hunter series has been popular in Japan, there's no word on the MMO being released outside of the country. Still, it seems a good sign that you can sell good numbers for a ported game on an unpopular console -- something Square-Enix may well want to consider for the future.
GameFly begins selling new games
GameFly, the online game rental service .... wait, that's hardly accurate anymore, let's start over: GameFly, the media company and rental service entity, is now selling new games on its website, including large items like DJ Hero and Tony Hawk Ride. Those expecting to discover the amazing discounts normally found with the service's used games will be disappointed to note that the new games are full retail price and include shipping costs and applicable taxes. Example for Massachusetts: A new copy of New Super Marios Bros Wii: $50 for the game + $3 tax + $5 for standard shipping = $58 The "keep it" price for a member who's been with the service over a year: $39 + $3 tax + no shipping cost = $42 (members also receive a $5 coupon every quarter, which would make it $37) The "new" store isn't a revelation in retail, but perhaps it'll make more sense later on. GameFly still has some of the best deals in used games we've seen. [Thanks, Chris S.]
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.
Guessing at early sales numbers for Wrath
Unfortunately, as of this writing, Blizzard hasn't yet released actual numbers for Wrath sales last week (we were expecting around two million, but we'll see what they say eventually). But that won't stop us from guessing -- the list of top ten games sold last week in the UK is out, and Wrath... is number two.That's right -- Activision's own Call of Duty: World at War beat out Wrath for the number one spot, but before you start worrying whether WoW has lost its charm, don't: not only was Wrath an expansion pack (expansion packs obviously don't sell as well as standalone games, sequels or otherwise), but the Call of Duty game has already outsold its prequel, the extremely successful Call of Duty 4, by a 2:1 ratio. Unfortunately, we don't have numbers yet, but all indications are that, in the UK alone, Wrath did almost as well as a game that outsold last year's best selling game. That all make sense?If not, hear this: Blizzard made a lot of money last week, and pretty soon we'll hear how much. Even more amazing, Activision Blizzard, who owns Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, and World of Warcraft, accounted for a full 25% of all UK game sales last week. The merger has already paid off.
PSP best selling Sony system in Japan
In January anyway. IGN is reporting that the PS3 sold 148,000 units in January, while the power house that is the PS2 sold 111,000 units. The PSP however, sold 230,000 systems to easily take the crown for best selling Sony system in Japan this January. I know that seems like a typo, but indeed the PSP outsold it's next and current gen siblings. There's been a lot of rosy news for PSP and PSP owners lately. Hopefully the good news continues going forward!
Publishers expected to have slow 2007
A number of gaming companies have had decent 2006 performances. Ubisoft (EPA:UBI) is beginning to reverse their losing trend as is Infogrames (EPA:IFG); companies like THQ (THQI) are doing well and even GameStop (GME) is enjoying the success the publishing houses are. However, some analysts believe that this is going to be a temporary boost and publishers are going to have a weaker 2007. DFC Intelligence has stated that 2007 will be a weaker year for game publishers (which contrasts other expectations). This decline is mainly because of the reduction of PS2 desirability as the system will be replaced by the next three consoles as well as a additive effect of third party publishers having had historically poor sales on Nintendo platforms. The hardest to be hit are expected to be Electronic Arts (ERTS) and Take Two (TTWO) as they are too heavily invested in Sony systems (one being in poor supply and the other expected to have declining software sales). The trend is, however, just part of the console cycle. The year after the new batch of consoles launches has shown to be bad for the game creators. Current gen levels are still low and developers are cutting back on last-gen software development, giving the existing install base little to play. However, with major releases at the end of 2007 like Halo 3 and Final Fantasy XIII (which, ironically, are sequels of the titles that launched in 2001, the end of the second year after the PS2 launched), the slump will likely end there ... that is if poor third party success on a Nintendo console since the N64 doesn't persist.
Invest virtual cash in game sales
Fanboys may have a serious fling with their various system, but are they willing to put their money where their mouth is? Apart from the indignity of having to go with a competitor (or give up on gaming entirely) if their choice fails to materialize as a big winner, most of the fanboy community doesn't have any tangible stake in the entire system; that is, they aren't going to be losing their livelihood over the downfall of one system or another. A new site, The simExchange, asks fanboys of all stripes to ante up and bet on who is going to be the best; albeit, without risking any real money. The simExchange is set up as a stock exchange where users can "invest" fake money in consoles and individual game titles. Game values are based on sales levels or anticipation level for those that aren't yet released/currently in short supply; Red Steel is a perfect example, rising sharply until Wii launch then nose diving afterward. The simExchange looks to be an entertaining diversion between your regularly scheduled gaming sessions and scouring Joystiq for news. The site could be a perfect way to test your ability to predict what's hot and what's not. Sign up and see if you can make a big profit, or you may end up diving off the top of the virtual stock exchange when you lose your eShirt. [Thanks, Matt B.]
UK software sales chart, Nov. 5-11: The Brits dig GTA
Despite falling one spot from last week, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is the top handheld in the United Kingdom for the second week in a row. Now, If there's one PSP franchise that's guaranteed to have massive success, it's gotta be Grand Theft Auto.
