Industry news articles

Prepare for a fifth consecutive month of NPD declines, warns Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter. The damage should be a little lessened over June's concussive 31 percent gap, however; Pachter forecasts July to ring in 22 percent lower than the same month in 2008. Wedbush estimates sell-through figures in units of 305,000 Wii, 190,000 Xbox 360, and 135,000 PlayStation 3 consoles -- a 36% year-over-year unit decline for July hardware.
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Capcom bundle their three Platinum Hits title together in one package for the Xbox 360 this fall. According to the Amazon listing, the Capcom Platinum Hits Triple Pack includes Dead Rising, Devil May Cry 4 and Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - Colonies Edition. The package retail for $39.99, which is quite a bargain considering that a regular Platinum Hits title costs for $29.99. Capcom Platinum Hits Triple Pack will be released for the Xbox 360 on September 8.
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Nintendo's "Wii Sports Resort" still # No1 (+6%). #2 is "Wii Fit", up from #4. The next three places are held by EA with "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10" at #3, "Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince" at #4 and "Fight Night Round 4" at #5.
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The next generation of gaming will be "defined by software and services, not hardware," reckons Microsoft's Shane Kim, who says there's still "more headroom available" in the Xbox 360. Kim says the 360's long life cycle will be thanks to "the innovation and longevity that will be created when Project Natal is added to that mix and the value and the entertainment options that we continue to expand on Xbox Live.
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Despite reporting its worst year-over-year retail decline since the September 2000, IGN is reporting the sales of digitally-delivered software is on the rise. Unfortunately for those looking for specifics, IGN's report is largely void of real-world numbers, outside the somewhat ambiguous percentage growth reported by MS, Steam, and - conveniently - their own Direct2Drive service. Both Nintendo and Sony declined to report their respective digital sales figures, giving an incomplete picture ....
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China’s Ministry of Culture has banned online games featuring mafia-like gangs, warning that violators will be "severely punished." Websites are now prohibited from running, publishing or offering links to such online games, because they "advocate obscenity, gambling, or violence," and "undermine morality and Chinese traditional culture, reports the Xinhua News Agency. Blocked online games include the likes of Godfather, Jianghu and Guhuozai.
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IBM East Fishkill workers were called to an all-hands-on staff meeting Thursday evening where they were told more work is coming their way. Employees were told work will come to the Systems and Technology Group from Nintendo, Freescale and Sony. IBM employs more than 9,000 at East Fishkill, Poughkeepsie and Sterling Forest. Managers told employees they did not anticipate hiring additional workers.
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"My point is, of the systems that are out there now, the majority of them aren't plugged into HDTVs. So there's no way we're ready for the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox Whatever," Rein said. The PlayStation 3 still combats the issue of cost, he added, with Sony likely looking to amortize launch and development across that often touted ten-year lifespan.
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The departure of Visceral Games General manager Glen Schofield and COO Michael Condrey to Activision that was rumored yesterday has been confirmed by EA. Schofield is best known for Dead Space and Dante's Inferno.
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The regularly compiled chart, which surveys U.S. gamers on titles they are interested in pre-ordering or buying, as well as their knowledge of the game, saw New Super Mario Bros Wii and God Of War III continuing their stints in second and third place respectively. The rest of the "purchase intent" top five for forthcoming games saw some notable rankings movement, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 replacing Final Fantasy XIII and Assassin’s Creed 2 at numbers four and five.
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