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Post by kairigurl on Jul 13, 2006 13:11:20 GMT -5
BUT....JAPAN? ??
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Post by Matt on Jul 14, 2006 22:46:27 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300] U.S. video games June sales up 25 percent-report[/glow] Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:35pm ET LOS ANGELES, July 13 (Reuters) - Overall U.S. video game sales jumped 25 percent in June to $844.5 million, as Nintendo Co. Ltd's dual-screen portable players and THQ Inc.'s "Cars" video game sold well, while Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 shortages dissolved, a market research firm said on Thursday. "It's as if consumers woke up and decided to start gaming again," said Anita Frazier, an NPD analyst for the market research group that measures nearly two-thirds of video game retail sales in the United States and makes projections on the remainder of the market. "Normally, we expect good things in June with graduation and Father's Day gifts helping to spur retail sales, but this performance goes beyond typical lift from those occasions," said Frazier, who noted that all categories posted gains for the month. Game sales increased 15 percent to $444.4 million, while hardware sales grew to $297.8 million from $200.7 a year earlier. THQ's "Cars" video game sold around 646,000 units in its first month at retail, surpassing the debut performances of both "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles" -- which were also popular games based on films from Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Pixar Animation Studios. Microsoft's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Xbox 360 sold 277,000 units. The Xbox 360 has been difficult to find in stores until recently because of production related shortages following its release in November. Nintendo's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) DS and DS Lite were the top-selling portable system for the month. Nintendo said combined sales of those two devices totaled just under 600,000 in June, a figure very close to NPD's estimated. © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. today.reuters.com/stocks/QuoteCompanyNewsArticle.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-07-14T003511Z_01_N13249353_RTRIDST_0_MEDIA-VIDEOGAMES.XML&rpc=66
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Post by Matt on Jul 14, 2006 22:54:08 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300] Ubisoft gets Driver's license[/glow] Atari agrees to sell most assets from Reflections to French publisher for $24 million; Ubi eager to get into racing game. By Tim Surette, GameSpot Jul 13, 2006 3:23 pm PT Cash-strapped Atari dumped one of its properties today, partially making good on its announcement that several of its holdings would be sold off. The rights to the Driver franchise were sold to fellow countrymen Ubisoft for 19 million euros ($24 million). The deal is expected to close during Ubisoft's second fiscal quarter, which ends September 30, 2006. Also moving from Atari's banner to Ubisoft's are "most of the assets and all of the personnel" of Driver's developer, UK-based Reflections Interactive. Atari will retain the sell-off rights for a three-month period on all the Driver games except for Driver: Parallel Lines, the most recent chapter of the franchise, which it will hold until the end of 2006. Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell said, "We are focusing the energy of the company on a select number of franchises in order to optimize their impact among consumers and increase shareholder value. In the driving category, we consider Test Drive our key franchise which will require more resources and attention to build it as a landmark of its genre." Ubisoft was happy to get behind the wheel of Driver. "We are thrilled with this acquisition which will allow us to add a prestigious title to our catalog and to enter into the driving games segment, one of the most important segments in the gaming industry," said Ubi CEO Yves Guillemot. It appears that Ubisoft is betting the Driver games still have some gas in the tank. Even with mediocre reviews, Driv3r sold well. Unfortunately for Atari, the same held true for the reviews of Driver: Parallel Lines, but not its sales. Test Drive Unlimited, Atari's new ride, will be released later this year on multiple platforms. A movie based on the Driver franchise is currently being adapted into a film by Roger Avary. www.gamespot.com/news/6154005.html
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Post by Matt on Jul 31, 2006 16:44:57 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]E3, As We Know It, Is Gone[/glow]The annual event moves from "mega-show" to a small, intimate summer affair.by David Adams July 31, 2006 - For twelve years now, gaming professionals and geeks alike have gathered for a week of electronic entertainment frenzy. The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo has hosted giants and small players alike as companies present their latest game titles and hardware to media, retailers, and colleagues. The event crammed the Los Angeles Convention Center with blazing lights, blaring speakers, bustling crowds, and endless activity -- before spilling into flashy press conferences and notoriously decadent after-hours parties. Now, E3 as we've known it is a thing of the past. The Entertainment Software Assocation, which hosts E3 each year, announced today that going forward the Expo will be an "intimate event" rather than a massive trade show, hosting press events and small meetings with media, retailers, and developers. According to Electronic Arts, the redesigned E3 will now take place in July. The new E3 will still be hosted in Los Angeles, and will still offer game demonstrations. However, the significantly smaller format acknowledges that many companies -- especially larger outfits such as Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and Microsoft -- already host their own showcase events. Additionally, regional events such as the Tokyo Game Show and the Games Convention in Leipzig have lessened the need for what the ESA describes as a single "mega-show." "The world of interactive entertainment has changed since E3Expo was created 12 years ago," commented ESA president Douglas Lowenstein. "At that time we were focused on establishing the industry and securing orders for the holiday season. Over the years, it has become clear that we need a more intimate program, including higher quality, more personal dialogue with the worldwide media, developers, retailers and other key industry audiences." Prior to this morning's announcement, industry buzz suggested that larger companies had become frustrated with the high cost of E3 and decreasing benefits of marketing at the show. Additionally, preparing games for E3 often means taking development teams away from work on final versions while demonstration builds are polished -- a costly process. Publishers such as Capcom and Electronic Arts have already announced their support for the new format. Electronic Arts told IGN that it is "very supportive" of the show's new approach, and plans to participate next July. "When the show began 12 years ago, it was a great opportunity to meet with buyers, media and partners," an EA spokesperson explained. "Over time though, the timing has become disruptive to the studios and the costs have become expensive. "The July event is less disruptive to our development schedule. We think that software shown in July will be a more accurate reflection of the games that will appear in stores later that year." According to the ESA, the new E3 will take shape "over the next several months," as the trade organization finalizes what it hopes will be an event to better serve the industry. "E3Expo remains an important event for the industry and we want to keep that sense of excitement and interest, ensuring that the human and financial resources crucial to its success can be deployed productively to create an exciting new format to meet the needs of the industry," said Lowenstein. "The new event ensures that there will be an effective and more efficient way for companies to get information to media, consumers, and others." The first E3 was held in Los Angeles in 1995 by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the ESA). At the time, a new generation of consoles was rising, as SEGA released the Saturn, Nintendo offered its Virtual Boy, SNK its Neo*Geo CD, and Sony entered the market with a little console called the PlayStation. Last year's E3 admitted more than 60,000 attendees and hosted about 400 exhibiting companies, according to the ESA. gameboy.ign.com/articles/722/722065p1.htmlHere is a related article on this surprising story: pc.ign.com/articles/721/721958p1.html
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Post by Benjammin on Jul 31, 2006 19:37:58 GMT -5
Man, today in gaming news sucks! This is truly a sad day in video games. This is a stupid move in my opinion.
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Post by Matt on Aug 1, 2006 17:03:21 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300] E3 Update[/glow] Details on the future of the expo are starting to emerge.by Daemon Hatfield August 1, 2006 - Many of us are still reeling from the news that the E3 we've known for the last 12 years has gone the way of the dodo. (Actually, many of us are still dancing in the street.) Doug Lowenstein, President of the Entertainment Software Association, has shed some light on what we can expect from E3 2007. According to Lowenstein, while E3 2006 hosted about 60,000 visitors, next year's event will likely have 10,000 or fewer attendees, and will be an invitation-only expo held in July instead of May. The Los Angeles Convention Center will no longer be home to the event -- a pair of "headquarter hotels" will host the downsized shindig. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are still expected to give press conferences at the event, as well as allow attendees to play their showcase games. Lowenstein also assures fans of free alcohol that the event's famous parties will rock on. The new E3 will cater to the media. Speaking with CNNMoney.com, Lowenstein said, "What E3 was about in the early days was writing retail orders and creating awareness for the industry -- but retail has changed...It's not a selling show anymore. It became clear that the audience we want to speak to is primarily a media audience. Yes, retailers and financial people will be included. But primarily it's about creating visibility for the publisher's products." Lowenstein also said the ESA briefly -- very briefly -- considered opening the show to the public. "We have never seen much point in doing that," he said. "For companies attending, there's a very, very substantial cost to make the presence they need -- and there's a huge security cost, much higher than the show in recent years. And when you're all said and done, you have to look at what you've accomplished. You've let 50,000 or 60,000 people from Los Angeles see games...I don't think there's much return in that." "I think this decision has been coming for three or four years at least," Lowenstein said. "As the industry has evolved, as the business has evolved and as the retail channels have evolved, I think companies began asking the question if the event as it currently operates made sense for the modern video game industry. If the industry was starting today, would you create E3? Probably not." ps2.ign.com/articles/722/722486p1.html
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Post by Matt on Aug 2, 2006 17:41:21 GMT -5
Yet another E3 update, this time from platform holders who typically go to the event, Nintendo, Sony, etc. [glow=red,2,300] Platform holders give first reaction to new format E3[/glow] Ellie Gibson 16:26 01/08/2006Nintendo commits, Microsoft "supportive", Sony looks to USNintendo has become the first of the three platform holders to confirm involvement in next year's E3, with Microsoft and Sony yet to make a firm commitment to the reborn expo. Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, Nintendo UK PR manager Rob Saunders said, "I can confirm that Nintendo will be involved in the E3 expo next year." However, details of just how big a presence Nintendo intends to have at the newly-formed event have yet to be revealed. Microsoft's stance is less clear, with a spokesperson from the company's UK office telling GI.biz, "We're supportive of the move ESA has taken. It's still early days, and we're not in a position to talk about what Microsoft will be doing in regards to next year's E3, but we'll be making an announcement nearer the time." A Sony spokesperson said: "We'll be making a statement about our plans for E3 in due course." The move to reformat E3 as a much smaller event was confirmed by ESA president Doug Lowenstein earlier today. He confirmed that next year's show – which has held the games industry in its thrall for the past 12 years - will be retitled the E3 Media Festival for 2007, and is slated to take place in July as opposed to the traditional May timing. However, as the cross-spectrum first reactions from the platform holders show, the impact to the entire industry of losing the event is still unclear. Greater clarity is expected towards the end of the week as the US arms of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all make their official comments regarding the move. gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=18681
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