April 2009 Console Sales Numbers

[Big Fo]

Nintendo DS ........ 1.04M
Wii ....................... 340K
Xbox 360 ............. 175K
PlayStation 2 ........ 172K
PlayStation 3 ........ 127K
PSP ...................... 116K

WII FIT W/ BALANCE BOARD Wii .........471K
POKEMON PLATINUM VERSION NDS ...433K
MARIO KART W/ WHEEL Wii ...............210K
WII PLAY W/ REMOTE Wii ..................170K
THE GODFATHER II 360 ...................155K
RESIDENT EVIL 5* 360 .....................122K
NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NDS ............119K
MARIO KART DS NDS ..........................112K
GUITAR HERO AEROSMITH* 360. ........110K
THE GODFATHER II PS3 ........................91K
Guitar Hero: Metallica 360
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic NDS
Rhythm Heaven NDS
MLB the Show 09 PS3
Professor Layton and the Curious Village NDS
Resident Evil 5 PS3
Call of Duty: World at War 360
GTA: Chinatown Wars NDS
Guitar Hero: Metallica PS2
MLB2k9 360

                Apr-08          Apr-09          CHG  YTD Apr 08      YTD Apr 09      CHG
Video Games     $1.24 Billion   $1.03 Billion   -17% $5.48 Billion   $5.28 Billion   -4%   
VG Hardware     $426.94 Million $391.63 Million -8%  $1.84 Billion   $1.83 Billion   -1%   
VG Software     $660.10 Million $510.74 Million -23% $2.90 Billion   $2.72 Billion   -6%   
VG Accessories  $152.51 Million $129.45 Million -15% $741.43 Million $734.02 Million -1% 

Originally Posted by NPD's Anita Frazier

While April sales might appear soft on the surface, it's important to remember that April is being compared against a month (April 2008) that realized nearly 50 percent growth over April 2007. This year's performance still represents the second-best performance for the industry in the month of April, besting April 2007, which is the previous second-place holder, by 26 percent.

Given how strong the growth was in the industry last year, there are still some months ahead where year-over-year comparisons may be difficult, but May should be an easier comparison than the last two months have been.

Despite being compared against last year, when several big title releases drove both software sales and hardware acquisition, April 2009 was down only 5 percent on a unit sales basis, with the remainder of dollar sales decline coming from reduced average selling prices. Easter fell in April this year which undoubtedly helped cushion the decline.

While the continued difficult economic environment is a factor to consider, our monthly Consumer Spending Indicator study still shows that video games is the category that consumers tell us they're least likely to cut their spending on in coming months.


The big story for the month is the performance of portable game hardware sales as propelled by the release of Nintendo's DSi. The NDS platform accounted for 31 percent of total industry unit sales this month across all categories.

Also notable is the performance of the PS2 which is now at the budget-friendly price point of $99. Compared to March 2009, the PS2 sales rate almost doubled when comparing the two months on a same-week basis. This is a testament to the impact a price reduction can have on hardware acquisition, with price being only second to compelling new content as a catalyst for hardware sales.

Overall weakness in hardware sales other than the DS and PS2 platforms is likely to capture a lot of attention this month, particularly year-over-year decline of Wii sales. It is important to remember that last April, Wii hardware sales were fueled by two huge new titles: Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart. Taking that into account, Wii unit sales are still very strong and only followed the DS this month in terms dollar and unit sales contribution to total industry sales.

April would have been a great month to release a big new game because there weren't a lot of high profile new releases. In fact, you can see that the top 10 list for the month includes many games we've seen on the list for months, if not years.


The number of new releases this month is fairly comparable to what was introduced last April, but GTA IV (on both PS3 and the 360) sold nearly 1 million more units last April than the entire top 10 list did this year. April 2008 also featured the release of Mario Kart for Wii, which has remained a top-selling game for this past year, and is on this month's top 10 list as well. This really illustrates the impact of comparing against a month when there were several new blockbuster titles new to the market.

Comparisons in May will still be closely watched since this marks the anniversary of the release of Wii Fit. It's going to be interesting to watch how the heavily-promoted EA Sports Active performs as it literally "kicks it up a notch" in terms of bringing fitness "play" to the console games market.

Other new releases to watch in May include Terminator Salvation, Patapon 2, Fallout 3, InFAMOUS, and UFC Undisputed among others. May sales will include titles released through May 30th.

Top 20 by platform:

NDS POKEMON PLATINUM VERSION
NDS NEW SUPER MARIO BROS
NDS MARIO KART DS
NDS MARIO AND SONIC: OLYMPIC GAMES
NDS RHYTHM HEAVEN
NDS PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE
NDS GRAND THEFT AUTO: CHINATOWN WARS
NDS GARDENING MAMA
NDS LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA
NDS MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
NDS HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE
NDS MARIO PARTY
NDS COOKING MAMA
NDS CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE
NDS SUPER MARIO 64 DS
NDS LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES
NDS BRAIN AGE 2: MORE TRAINING IN MINUTES A DAY
NDS LEGO BATMAN
NDS PETZ DOGZ PACK
NDS BRAIN AGE: TRAIN YOUR BRAIN IN MINUTES A DAY

GBA PRINCESS NATASHA: STUDENT SECRET AGENT
GBA ASTEROIDS/PONG/YARS
GBA UNO/FREEFALL
GBA BOARD GAME CLASSICS
GBA VAN HELSING
GBA GAUNTLET/RAMPART
GBA SPYHUNTER/SUPERSPRINT
GBA PUPPY LUV: SPA & RESORT
GBA UNO 52
GBA VALUE GAME BUNDLE 14.99
GBA BREAKOUT/CENTIPEDE/WARLORD
GBA ACTION/ADVENTURE BUNDLE
GBA HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS WORLD TOUR
GBA OPEN SEASON
GBA POKEMON MYSTERY DUNGEON: RED RESCUE TEAM
GBA SUPERMAN RETURNS: FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE
GBA BRATZ: FOREVER DIAMONDZ
GBA ANT BULLY
GBA STARSKY & HUTCH
GBA CHARLOTTE'S WEB

PSP MORTAL KOMBAT: UNCHAINED
PSP MLB '09: THE SHOW
PSP FLATOUT: HEAD ON
PSP RESISTANCE: RETRIBUTION
PSP GOD OF WAR: CHAINS OF OLYMPUS
PSP CASTLEVANIA: THE DRACULA X CHRONICLES
PSP IRON MAN
PSP METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS PLUS
PSP SILENT HILL ORIGINS
PSP GRAND THEFT AUTO: LIBERTY CITY STORIES
PSP CRISIS CORE: FINAL FANTASY VII
PSP FINAL FANTASY
PSP GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES
PSP FINAL FANTASY II
PSP RATATOUILLE
PSP FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: THE WAR OF THE LIONS
PSP WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2007
PSP WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2009
PSP BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE
PSP WORMS: OPEN WARFARE

WII FIT W/ BALANCE BOARD
WII MARIO KART W/ WHEEL
WII PLAY W/ REMOTE
WII LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA
WII GUITAR HERO METALLICA
WII GOLD'S GYM CARDIO WORKOUT
WII LINK'S CROSSBOW TRAINING W/ ZAPPER
WII MARIO AND SONIC: OLYMPIC GAMES
WII GUITAR HERO AEROSMITH
WII GAME PARTY 2
WII MY FITNESS COACH
WII SUPER SMASH BROS: BRAWL
WII SONIC AND THE BLACK KNIGHT
WII GAME PARTY
WII LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES
WII NEW PLAY CONTROL! MARIO POWER TENNIS
WII JILLIAN MICHAELS FITNESS ULTIMATUM 2009
WII HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN
WII TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 09
WII SUPER MARIO GALAXY

360 THE GODFATHER II
360 RESIDENT EVIL 5
360 GUITAR HERO AEROSMITH
360 GUITAR HERO METALLICA
360 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR
360 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2K9
360 HALO 3
360 HALO WARS
360 CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: ASSAULT ON DARK ATHENA
360 X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE UNCAGED ED
360 NBA 2K9
360 WHEELMAN W/ VIN DIESEL
360 LEFT 4 DEAD
360 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE GOTY ED
360 WWE LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA
360 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV
360 GEARS OF WAR 2
360 FALLOUT 3
360 NINJA BLADE
360 SKATE 2

PS3 THE GODFATHER II
PS3 MLB '09: THE SHOW
PS3 RESIDENT EVIL 5
PS3 KILLZONE 2
PS3 GUITAR HERO METALLICA
PS3 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR
PS3 X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE UNCAGED ED
PS3 GUITAR HERO AEROSMITH
PS3 SOUL CALIBUR IV
PS3 VALKYRIA CHRONICLES
PS3 STREET FIGHTER IV
PS3 WHEELMAN W/ VIN DIESEL
PS3 CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: ASSAULT ON DARK ATHENA
PS3 WWE LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA
PS3 NBA 2K9
PS3 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV
PS3 SONIC'S ULTIMATE GENESIS COLLECTION
PS3 TOM CLANCY'S H.A.W.X.
PS3 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE GOTY ED
PS3 FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 3

PS2 GUITAR HERO METALLICA
PS2 MLB '09: THE SHOW
PS2 NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA 4
PS2 GUITAR HERO AEROSMITH
PS2 NBA 2K9
PS2 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2K9
PS2 GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS
PS2 WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2009
PS2 RESIDENT EVIL 4
PS2 MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
PS2 MORTAL KOMBAT KOLLECTION
PS2 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR FINAL FRONTS
PS2 SONIC UNLEASHED
PS2 GOD OF WAR II
PS2 LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES
PS2 FIFA SOCCER 09
PS2 IRON MAN
PS2 DISNEY SING IT
PS2 LEGO BATMAN
PS2 BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE

DSi's release was clearly a big boost for the DS, over a million in April is pretty amazing. Lots of DS games in the top 20 this month as well.

Wii, 360, and PS3 all saw big losses from last month. Possibly affected by the economy? Wii sales are down by half from last April although they are still better than the PS2's best April keeping things in perspective.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was $10 in many places which is why it's in the top 10.

The Show continuing to outsell MLB2k9 despite the massive userbase gap makes me happy.

It was a rough first month for Riddick and Excitebots. Excitebots only sold 13k. The general public continues to make some questionable choices in what Wii games they buy.

[Big Fo]

According to this article Sony is still losing around $40 on every PS3 sold.

joystiq.com link

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Couple of big news stories out of Wal-Mart this weekend. First, it appears that Wal-Mart has introduced new automated kiosks into some Wal-Mart stores to accept used game trade-ins for credit. Sounds like a good idea at first, but I'm not sure how they're going to monitor for disk quality at an automated kiosk. I've seen some of the trade-ins that some kids try to make while I was standing in line at Gamestop. I could see Wal-Mart getting a lot of torn up disks when people just want to get some money out of otherwise useless games.

Neocrisis - What will you find next? - Trade Used Games at Walmart

In other news, there was a big announcement that Wal-Mart will be increasing the size of its electronics department to compete with Amazon and Best Buy. It will include a substantial upgrade in the Blu-ray department, with a Blu-ray price war expected to commence between the three retailers. Great news for Blu-ray consumers, as it should have a pronounced effect on hardware and disc prices.

Wal-Mart Steps Up Its Game in Electronics Aisle - WSJ.com

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Couple of big news stories out of Wal-Mart this weekend. First, it appears that Wal-Mart has introduced new automated kiosks into some Wal-Mart stores to accept used game trade-ins for credit. Sounds like a good idea at first, but I'm not sure how they're going to monitor for disk quality at an automated kiosk. I've seen some of the trade-ins that some kids try to make while I was standing in line at Gamestop. I could see Wal-Mart getting a lot of torn up disks when people just want to get some money out of otherwise useless games.

Neocrisis - What will you find next? - Trade Used Games at Walmart

I imagine you would have to use a credit card for the transaction with a notice that if the disk is scratched/unplayable then you will be charged back some or all of the trade-in. Either that, or the trade-in credit will be refunded later. So you purchase a game up front, and then they credit back some of the value once they examine the trade-in.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I imagine you would have to use a credit card for the transaction with a notice that if the disk is scratched/unplayable then you will be charged back some or all of the trade-in. Either that, or the trade-in credit will be refunded later. So you purchase a game up front, and then they credit back some of the value once they examine the trade-in.

Could be. There were no specifics in the article. I'm guessing that will be something they monitor over this test run. May be a delay in credit for 2 days or something.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Interesting comments concerning Sony's market positioning in Bill Harris blog yesterday. At least we finally have a Sony exec speaking honestly...........

Dubious Quality: Console Post Of The Week (#2): Sony

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Couple of big news stories out of Wal-Mart this weekend. First, it appears that Wal-Mart has introduced new automated kiosks into some Wal-Mart stores to accept used game trade-ins for credit. Sounds like a good idea at first, but I'm not sure how they're going to monitor for disk quality at an automated kiosk. I've seen some of the trade-ins that some kids try to make while I was standing in line at Gamestop. I could see Wal-Mart getting a lot of torn up disks when people just want to get some money out of otherwise useless games.

Bear in mind Wal-Mart may not care, and view the program primarily as a way to get people to spend more money in the store. It's basically a coupon program.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Bear in mind Wal-Mart may not care, and view the program primarily as a way to get people to spend more money in the store. It's basically a coupon program.

Yeah, I haven't seen many examples of how much people are getting on trade-in. They may not be giving much.

[stevew]

I was thinking that the Walmart program might not even be in it for resell of the used copies.

You figure each new game sale is worth X to a game company, and each used game sale pays them 0 dollars. So if they offer walmart an amount less than X to repo the game and walmart destroys the copies and gives out less credit than they received everyone wins. So the quality of the discs might not matter one bit.

I'd imagine the catalog titles wouldn't pay much if anything.

[Big Fo]

Ever wonder how many copies were sold of various Atari 7800 games from 1986-1990?

Ace of Aces - 11,918
Asteriods - 153,083
Ball Blazer -45,307 (I subtracted the returns)
BasketBrawl -432
Centipede - 210,143
Choptlifter -176,573
Commando - 5,592
Cracked - 13,012
Crossbow - 9,798
Dark Chambers - 15,691
Dessert Falcon - 41,047
Donkey Kong - 41,556
Donkey Kong Jr. 37,500
Fight Fight - 18,777
Food Fight - 182, 459
Galaga - 175,118
Hat Trick - 50, 117 (Subtracted the games returned)
Ikari Warriors - 732
Impossible Mission - 13,264
Jinks - 84
Joust - 143,344
Karateka - 159,055
Mario Bros. - 89,412
Mat Mania Challenge - 294
Mean 18 Ultimate Golf - 468
Ms. Pac-man - 298,926
Ninja Golf - 384
One-on-One Basesketball - 156, 933
Planet Smashers -480
Pole Position 2 - 12 (dodn't know why Atari didn't add the totals from pack in games)
Real Sports Baseball -
Robotron: 2084 - 99,775
Summer Gamers - 10,020
Super Huey UH-1x - 10,677
Touchdown Football - 30,689
Tower Toppler - 16,397
Winter Games - 23,702
Xenophobe - 10,878
Xevious - 165,578

3.7 million consoles sold in that time period. I'm not sure if that is more than the Sega Master System or not, it could have been the runner-up in the NES generation.
atariage.com forums link for hardware figures
digitpress.com forums for software figures

Did any of you guys own a 7800? I didn't and none of my friends did, I've never even played on one before. SNES was my first console.

In slightly more recent sales news Resident Evil 5 just passed five million sold. kotaku.com link

[Cringer]

My brother and I had an Intelivision.

[sterlingice]

I (and begrudgingly, of course, my sister) had a TI-99/4A

SI

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Did any of you guys own a 7800? I didn't and none of my friends did, I've never even played on one before. SNES was my first console.

Yes, I did, but that's because we went from 2600 to 7800 so that we could play our old games.

When the 7800 died, that's when we made the jump to 16-bit with the Genesis.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I (and begrudgingly, of course, my sister) had a TI-99/4A

SI

I had to look that one up on Wikipedia. Looks like it was the first 16-bit PC.

My dad had a Magnavox Odyssey II but it was always kept in the attic. My parents didn't want us to start playing video games when my brother and I were really young I guess. I never messed around with it until they'd already gotten us a SNES for Christmas once we were deemed old enough. By then the games were pretty lame but it was kind of interesting trying some out anyway.

[stevew]

We made The same horrible decision

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Yes, I did, but that's because we went from 2600 to 7800 so that we could play our old games.

When the 7800 died, that's when we made the jump to 16-bit with the Genesis.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

I had to look that one up on Wikipedia. Looks like it was the first 16-bit PC.

Thanks. This made me laugh. Obviously, there's a wide gap between someone who's 34 and someone who's 27 when it comes to technology.

I owned a TI computer. Fabulous stuff. If you haven't entered a BASIC program and saved it to cassette tape, you haven't lived.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

If you haven't entered a BASIC program and saved it to cassette tape, you haven't lived.

Bah, try typing in the hex codes for the assembly from a Commodore magazine. BEFORE they added the error-check codes at the end of each line...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Bah, try typing in the hex codes for the assembly from a Commodore magazine. BEFORE they added the error-check codes at the end of each line...

I'm sure a comment about punch cards is just around the corner from one of our elder statesmen.

[gstelmack]

Well, my other comment could be that I remember pushing my parents to buy a Commodore 64 because I ran out of memory on the VIC-20 with the programs I was messing with...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Much of this has been mentioned in threads on this board, but here's more indications that EA is headed the wrong way from a long term perspective. Mentions the possibility of EA being purchased, which was unthinkable in the not-too-distant past. Also, more targeting of the Wii as a weak third-party console.

"Electronic Arts has missed the current hardware cycle" - analyst // News

EA has "missed the current hardware cycle" and is unlikely to return to historical operating income margin levels "anytime soon", according to a new report by analysts at Cowen Research.

In an occasionally damning critique of EA's plans and guidance the report states that: "We believe that following serial earnings disappointments, Electronic Arts now deserves a lower valuation premium than the company has historically enjoyed."

"Since management first laid out its initial full year 2010 guidance and full year 2011 long-term guidance in February 2008, the company has failed to deliver on its earnings targets and has been forced to repeatedly revise down its guidance. Given this historical record, we do not think investors should place too much faith in management's current guidance."

The report suggests that EA's guidance for the next financial year is "fairly aggressive" but that its targets could still be met. EA's revenue targets currently stand at USD 4.3 billion, but the report suggests this can only be achieved via further cost cutting - which is likely to be damaging in the long term.

The report points out that publishing revenue growth will need to outperform overall industry figures by a considerable margin, despite a "pared back" release schedule and currently difficult global economic conditions.

Growth in digital distribution is seen as a key factor, with EA aiming for a 100 per cent increase over the course of the year - which the report again characterises as achievable but with considerable downside risk.

Despite considerable scepticism over EA's business model and guidance the report is not entirely critical, maintaining a share rating advice level of "neutral".

Indeed, the report suggests that EA's own expectations for its first quarter may be unnecessary low, with a strong line-up including EA Sports Active and Bloom Blox: Bash Party on the Wii. First year sales in the US are estimated at 1.4 million and 350,000, respectively.

Although this would make EA Sports Active one of the most successful third party titles on the Wii, the report is general sceptical about the ability of any third party publisher to thrive on the format.

The report is particularly despondent about third party sales when revenues for Guitar Hero and Rock Band are ignored, where the top 5 per cent of third party titles for the Wii sold an average of 860,000 units, compared to 2.5 million on the Xbox 360 and 1.2 million on the PlayStation 3.

These top 5 per cent of titles accounted for only 31.8 per cent of total market share on the Wii, compared to 41.2 per cent on the 360 and 34.2 per cent on the PS3. The figures also suggest that quality and critical reaction are far less import on the Wii, making successful titles even harder to predict.

The report is also sceptical over the impact EA's increase in unlicensed new intellectual properties will have, with only 36.5 per cent of sales expected to come from unlicensed titles in the next financial year. Estimated first year US sales for selected EA-owned titles stand at 1.5 million for The Sims 3, 0.4 million for Brutal Legend, 0.63 million for The Saboteur, 1.3 million for Army of Two: The 40th Day, 2.1 million for Dragon Age: Origins, 1.1 million for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, 1.1 million for Mass Effect 2 and 0.8 million for Dante's Inferno.

In a final comment on the company's future for the next 12 months, a potential buyout is mentioned - especially given EA's current share price is currently significantly below its historical valuation. The report hints that Disney and Time Warner may be the most likely suitors - although the latter suggestion seems to have been made before the recent move for Midway.

Although Cowen Research's expectations for 2010 are only a little below that of EA's it is significantly lowering its 2011 estimates, from a year-on-year earnings per share increase of 48.7 per cent to just 24.0 per cent. The firm's analysts suggest that "further margin gains will be difficult without significant new hit games". However, little is currently known about EA's publishing schedule for that period.

[fantom1979]

Maybe they will let Maxis go, so Will Wright and company can make Simcity 5 without the strings attached.

[Big Fo]

Indeed, the report suggests that EA's own expectations for its first quarter may be unnecessary low, with a strong line-up including EA Sports Active and Bloom Blox: Bash Party on the Wii. First year sales in the US are estimated at 1.4 million and 350,000, respectively.

Although this would make EA Sports Active one of the most successful third party titles on the Wii, the report is general sceptical about the ability of any third party publisher to thrive on the format.

The report is particularly despondent about third party sales when revenues for Guitar Hero and Rock Band are ignored, where the top 5 per cent of third party titles for the Wii sold an average of 860,000 units, compared to 2.5 million on the Xbox 360 and 1.2 million on the PlayStation 3.

What ridiculous analysis.

There are more Wii games released in NA than PS3 and 360 games so the top five percent of the Wii will include more titles from which the average is drawn.

Not counting Guitar Hero and Rock Band takes away two of the most popular third party Wii games while the other systems have big budget games with popular IPs like COD4, MGS4, GTA4, RE5. If some of these had Wii versions maybe they would have sold well on that platform also but we'll never know. No reasonable person could say that overall (and especially at the top end which this focuses on) third parties have put a similar amount of effort and money into their Wii titles as they have for the other systems. Profit would be more interesting to see than revenue or number of copies sold.

These top 5 per cent of titles accounted for only 31.8 per cent of total market share on the Wii, compared to 41.2 per cent on the 360 and 34.2 per cent on the PS3.

To me it would seem that not being so top heavy isn't a bad thing? Not that 2.4% is that big a difference anyhow.

As for the rest of the article it's a pity that EA's lack of performance of late is partially due to an increased focus on good, original games instead of shoveling out licensed crap ala Activision.

But seeing them bought out would be kind of sweet after they bought and ruined/folded a number of PC developers during the 90's. Especially if whoever bought them published a worthy sequel to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Not counting Guitar Hero and Rock Band takes away two of the most popular third party Wii games while the other systems have big budget games with popular IPs like COD4, MGS4, GTA4, RE5.

And GH and RB don't make up a large portion of third party sales when removed from 360 and PS3 sales? If Nintendo is going to claim the first party title in PR releases, it better be ready to realize that means that many of the second-party exclusives will fall into this category and cause Nintendo to be hammered on the other end. This information certainly isn't anything surprising. Nintendo is getting whacked heavily outside of the first party software. It now appears that first party focus may slowly be killing off one of its most needed allies. The future titles indicate that EA may already be making that shift back to the 360 and PS3 where the profits for third-party titles truly lie.

[Big Fo]

The information in that article (which has no quotes or anything from EA, it's just the opinion of a single analyst) is pretty much worthless.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero are big sellers on the other systems but there are many other popular IPs with big budgets on those consoles from third parties that are not on the Wii. By comparison the Wii has very few popular IP/big budget third party exclusives. Thus saying "the music games don't count" clearly skews the numbers.

Yeah EA isn't coming out with anything on the Wii this year. Other than Dead Space: Extraction, Grand Slam Tennis built from the ground up for Wii, EA Sports Active and the new Boom Blox that just came out in addition to their yearly sports titles, and some licensed stuff like Harry Potter. They are supporting the Wii better than they have at any point this generation. EA's CEO has said a number of times that they are ramping up Wii development and that their Wii strategy at the start of this generation was flawed.

Nintendo is throwing them a bone by not releasing Wii Sports Resort until late July so EA and Sega will be the first companies with a chance to take advantage of Wii Motion Plus. EA is even bundling the peripheral with Tiger Woods 10.

The Wii has had higher total third party software sales than the 360 or the PS3 for a number of months in a row now. I would not classify that as "getting whacked."

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

Maybe they will let Maxis go, so Will Wright and company can make Simcity 5 without the strings attached.

You mean SimCity 6, right? Societies wasn't THAT awful!

[Big Fo]

38 Studios (an entertainment company founded by former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling) has acquired Big Huge Games (known for Rise of Nations and has folks like CEO Brian Reynolds who has worked on Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Civilization II and game designer Ken Rolston who co-created Morrowind and Oblivion).

38studios.com site

Nice going Curt. If I had made fat loot in the majors for 15+ years I'd use some of that to start making games too.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

The Wii has had higher total third party software sales than the 360 or the PS3 for a number of months in a row now. I would not classify that as "getting whacked."

Both attach rate and profits per unit for EA games are higher on the 360 and the PS3. That's not up for debate.

[RainMaker]

Disney buying EA would suck (or any company). Would definitely force them to tone down their games a lot.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Disney buying EA would suck (or any company). Would definitely force them to tone down their games a lot.

Sure, because ESPN is such a tame sports channel, and ABC is all family-friendly shows...

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Sure, because ESPN is such a tame sports channel, and ABC is all family-friendly shows...

Not saying all family-friendly, but they have limitations. Disney refused to allow Miramax to distribute any NC-17 film. They put a lot of rules on what ESPN releases on their podcasts and shows on TV.

I'm just worried some of their violent games like Battlefield will not be as violent. Or that they would just sell those franchises off. Disney is never going to greenlight a Grand Theft Auto style game.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I'm just worried some of their violent games like Battlefield will not be as violent. Or that they would just sell those franchises off. Disney is never going to greenlight a Grand Theft Auto style game.

It's a far cry from Battlefield to GTA, and there are PLENTY of companies that would never greenlight a GTA game.

The worst case is some of the games find new distributors, but if Disney is really interested they are in this for the sports franchises and the Sims.

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

You mean SimCity 6, right? Societies wasn't THAT awful!

I don't count that at all. To me, counting Societies as a Simcity game would be like counting Space Balls as the sequal to Return of the Jedi.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Ah, we finally have something of note to discuss relative to the console wars. The Ars Technica Mole (yes, his information is very reliable in regards to new SKU's and hardware price drops) has confirmed that PS3 Slim is in the works along with PSP Go and that both will be available in August/September 2009. They also note that the PS3 information will not be released at E3.

Mole: PSP-Go details confirmed, smaller PS3 is on the way - Ars Technica

It'll be interesting to see to what lengths Sony goes to in order to deny the existence of these two new products. They'll want to hold off as long as possible to reduce existing inventories.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Ah, we finally have something of note to discuss relative to the console wars. The Ars Technica Mole (yes, his information is very reliable in regards to new SKU's and hardware price drops) has confirmed that PS3 Slim is in the works along with PSP Go and that both will be available in August/September 2009. They also note that this information will not be released at E3.

Mole: PSP-Go details confirmed, smaller PS3 is on the way - Ars Technica

It'll be interesting to see to what lengths Sony goes to in order to deny the existence of these two new products. They'll want to hold off as long as possible to reduce existing inventories.

Left out of the story is that both will cost $1 Billion each.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Left out of the story is that both will cost $1 Billion each.

[Cringer]

Oh, and the story says that the PSP Go WILL be announced at E3, just not the Slim.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Oh, and the story says that the PSP Go WILL be announced at E3, just not the Slim.

Thanks. I fixed it in the post.

[Eaglesfan27]

Honestly, I don't see much appeal of a PS3 slim and doubt that will suddenly spur sales unless it is cheaper. I think the current design is elegant and not overly large.

[PurdueBrad]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Honestly, I don't see much appeal of a PS3 slim and doubt that will suddenly spur sales unless it is cheaper. I think the current design is elegant and not overly large.

I agree, although the wife makes me re-think this every time she says that our PS3 looks like the old beta players because of its size.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Honestly, I don't see much appeal of a PS3 slim and doubt that will suddenly spur sales unless it is cheaper. I think the current design is elegant and not overly large.

Agreed, though the whole purpose of downsizing the console is cost reduction, so it's a good sign to consumers that price reductions are getting closer. I mentioned the following to someone else, but I'll share it here. Here's what I envision.......

Sony: Look, it's a new PS3 Slim and PSP Go!

Consumer: That's awesome! So with the cost savings in the smaller PS3 and the drop of the UMD drive, what will be the price drop on these consoles?

Sony: Look, it's a new PS3 Slim and PSP Go!

Consumer: Yes, you already mentioned that. Will there be any price drops?

Sony: Did we mention that both models are new?

[wade moore]

I admit it, I lol'd.

[fantom1979]

Is there a point in this generation of consoles where it doesn't matter how far PS3's price drops? I would think that at some point, most people that were going to buy a console, have already purchased. Also, Playstation is getting the rep as the expensive console. Without a massive ad buy, I think it would be difficult to overcome that this late in the game.

[Kodos]

I think PS3 will sell pretty well when it hits $300. Admittedly, it's just a hunch.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I think PS3 will sell pretty well when it hits $300. Admittedly, it's just a hunch.

I do, too. Not enough to make up the gap of 3rd place, but it will sell much better at that price point.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I think PS3 will sell pretty well when it hits $300. Admittedly, it's just a hunch.

I am waiting for that price to ask the wife for one...

[Kodos]

It really is a magic number for consumers.

[KWhit]

Nope. The magic number is $299.99.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by KWhit

Nope. The magic number is $299.99.

Yup, because women somehow interpret that as $200.

[Big Fo]

XBox 360 has passed 30 million sold worldwide.

dailytech.com

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Wow. I had predicted that the Wii honeymoon was over, but I'm not sure anyone saw this drop coming. Wii sold nearly 400K less in May 2009 than in May 2008. Maybe a Wii price drop in the fall given that their fall lineup isn't exactly jaw-dropping? Could take the wind out of the PS3 price drop if they do so.

May 2008:
Wii--675,100
360--186,600
PS3--208,700
PS2--133,000

May 2009:
Wii--289,500
360--175,000
PS3--131,000
PS2--117,000