Game retail sales declined to the tenth consecutive month in September 2012. According to marketing research firm NPD, U.S computer game store sales slumped 24.0% annually to $843.3 million in the month of September. Although year-over-year decline widened weighed against the prior-month level, dollar sales increased from $515.6 million reported in August.
Hardware sales plunged 39% year over year to $210.9 million while total software sales declined 14.0% year over year to $547.3 million. Accessories sales declined 11.0% annually to $139.9 million. The weak retail sales were primarily as a result of ongoing transition from physical to digital platform and aging hardware consoles.
As outlined by NPD, Madden NFL 13 from Electronic Arts ( EA ) topped the sport sales chart pushing August topper Darksiders 2 from THQ from the top ten list. Borderlands 2 from 2K Games was placed at #2, while EA's FIFA Soccer 13 grabbed the #3 spot.
Microsoft Corp's ( MSFT ) Xbox 360 elite was again the most notable-selling console with the 19th straight month with 270K units sold. According to NPD, hardware sales improved when using average sales-per-week basis compared to August for Xbox 360 console, Nintendo's DS and 3DS shipments, in addition to Sony's ( SNE ) PS3 and Vita gaming systems.
Nintendo taken advantage of the recent release (August 19) of its new gaming system 3DS XL, as 3DS software sales jumped 89% annually inside the month of September. In connection with this, the upcoming relieve Nintendo's Wii U in mid November will probably be eagerly watched by investors.
We believe which the upcoming christmas season will boost game sales within the next couple of weeks. The majority of the publishers including EA and Activision Blizzard ( ATVI ) are scheduled release a new games in their top-most franchises within the next two months, that is the true secret growth factor in our view.
However, declining consumer spending on game titles and the continued rapid adoption of free-to-play games remain the principle headwinds over time. Although, the world thinks that this ongoing transition from the physical towards digital platform will ultimately profit the gaming industry (due to the cost effectiveness), inexpensive digital games failed to counterbalance the rapid decline of high in price retail sales recently
| http://goarticles.com/article/Wherefore-Choose-The-Ds-Lite-En-Aning-Lilac/7073286/ |
| http://goarticles.com/article/Nyko-Charger-Grip-for-Ds-Lite/7068760/ |
| http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Nintendo-ds-lite-Lite-Skins/4222635#.UIZeydl2mUs |
Moreover, the highly fragmented video game market continues to witness increased competitive pressures, which might be hurting overall profitability.
We maintain our Neutral recommendation on Activision and EA over time. Currently, each of them use a Zacks #3 Rank, which implies a "Hold" rating in the near term.
No comments:
Post a Comment