Tag Archives: CNBC

Video Game Sales in July: Better, but Still Struggling

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Video game sales weren’t quite as bad as some analysts were expecting in July, but the industry once again failed to match its performance of last year.

Software sales fell 8 percent last month to $403.3 million, according to the NPD Group. Hardware sales, as expected, proved the bright spot and were higher for the second month in a row, surging 12 percent, but it wasn’t enough to save the overall industry from another month of negative year-over-year growth. On the whole, the games industry was 1 percent lower than last year.

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Video Game Investors Brace for More Bad News

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The holiday season can’t get here quickly enough for video game publishers.

July sales number for the industry will be released roughly two hours after the market closes Thursday – and analysts expect good news to be in short supply. Consensus is fairly wide this month, but the year over year drop in sales is expected to be between 7.5 percent and 15 percent.

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Video Games Impact the Economy More Than You Think

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It’s hardly a secret that video games are a growing force in the entertainment industry, but they might be bigger than many people think.

A new study from Economists Incorporated reports that the video game industry added $4.95 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product last year—and the entertainment side of the software world is growing considerably faster than other segments of the economy. (The Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry’s trade group commissioned the study.)

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Madden Rushes Stores, but Will Players Rush to Buy?

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“Madden” day is coming — and HR offices are bracing themselves. The release of Electronic Arts’ most popular football franchise, which takes place on Tuesday Aug 10, always brings a surge of “sick days” from dedicated fans, who opt to stay home from work and play the day away.

The “Madden” franchise is, in many respects, EA’s crown jewel.

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Social Gaming Companies See Their Stock Rise

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For the better part of the last year, game industry pundits have shouted from the rooftops that social network gaming was the next big thing – but it’s starting to look like even they underestimated just how big it would be.

Major media companies, traditional game developers and more are gobbling up the developers of Facebook and MySpace games – and the price tags are escalating at a startling pace.

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‘Long Island Lolita’ Amy Fisher Starts Porn Company

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Amy Fisher, who has been called many things in her life, is about to add another title – porn magnate.

The woman perhaps best known as the “Long Island Lolita” has launched a adult film production company – and will produce and star in adult films for Dreamzone Entertainment starting later this year. The company, Amy Fisher Productions, initially plans four films to be release before the end of 2011.

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Activision’s Next Blockbuster: Starcraft II Hits Shelves

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Normally, the release of a PC game – even a highly anticipated one – wouldn’t be a particularly big deal for investors. But when that game is “Starcraft II,” all the usual rules are thrown out the window.

Analysts expect the game, which ships to retail on Tuesday, to sell up to 4.5 million copies by the end of August. To put that in perspective, that’s nearly twice as many copies as the year’s best selling console game to date.

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Sony’s Trojan Horse Sneaks up on Microsoft

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Microsoft has known for a while that the trick to getting the Xbox 360 integrated into people’s living rooms is to load it with non-gaming features.

It’s a strategy that was worked well for the company. Family members that don’t like video games can still find plenty of other entertainment options on the console. Now, though, Sony is quickly following suit – and expanding on those features – which could give it an advantage as the industry prepares for a crucial holiday season.

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Digital Downloads Encroach on Brick and Mortar Territory

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Digital distribution has been a hot topic in the video game industry for years – with developers, publishers and retailers trying to forecast when it will become a real threat to traditional brick and mortar stores.

New data, however, shows that time might be closer than many were expecting.

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Microsoft Sets Kinect Price at $150

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Microsoft’s gesture-recognition controller, Kinect, set to hit stores this November, will launch with a price tag of $150, the company announced Tuesday.

The peripheral, which will come with a copy of the “Kinect Adventures” game, is priced higher than many analysts and game industry executives were hoping for.

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