Now Playing: July 9-15, 2012

by Steven Wong on Jul 9th 2012 6:00PM

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Amazon Gold Box discounts games all day, starting with SSX

by JC Fletcher on Jul 24th 2012 10:30AM

It's time for another all-day Gold Box for games on Amazon, during which the retailer will attempt to shake out any money you didn't blow over at Steam. The sale is headed by an all-day 50 percent discount on Brave games, but also offers limited-time deals on things that aren't necessarily based on Disney films.

Things like SSX, for example, which is on sale right now for $35. Find more after the break.
11AM EDT: "This game will have your knees shaking as you feel like you're truly in the ring." Probable game: WWE 121PM EDT: "Action RPG Meets First Person Shooter - Game of the Year Edition!" Probable game: Borderlands Game of the Year Edition2PM EDT: "Lightning strikes in the great groundbreaking collector's edition" Probable game: Final Fantasy XIII-2 Collector's Edition6PM EDT: "Enjoy your vacation with this horror thriller" Probable game: Dead Island8PM EDT: "Feel the Payne!" Probable game: Max Payne 311PM EDT: "For the serious fighting game enthusiast!" Likely a FightStick or FightPad from Mad Catz

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Pachter: Activision Blizzard spinoff 'far more likely' than Vivendi sale

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jul 3rd 2012 8:00AM

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter has weighed in on recent speculation suggesting Vivendi would get rid of its stake in Activision Blizzard, following mounting reports that the French conglomerate is trying to sell the game publisher.

Although a sale is "likely the preferred route" for Vivendi, Pachter wrote in a investor note, there aren't any "readily apparent buyers." Running through the list of suitors, it's noted that companies like Tencent Holdings have reportedly payed out $400 million and $600 million to acquire Riot Games and a minority stake in Epic Games, respectively, but those numbers still pale in comparison to Activision's worth at over $10 billion.

Acquisitions by Electronic Arts, Time Warner and Disney usually stay below a billion. Viacom did a $500 million write-off on its Harmonix debacle. It's also unlikely that any of the console manufacturers would purchase Activision Blizzard, since they would have to cannibalize sales. Activision's franchises du jour, like current champ Call of Duty, make so much money because they are available on every major platform.

Pachter believes the more likely outcome is a spinoff of Activision Blizzard. It would require some fancy financing on the back end, but it would give Vivendi an estimated $5 billion in cash, easing its personal burden. After the spinoff, Pachter feels Activision's shares would rise according to how much cash the company generates every year, paying off its debts. Wedbush maintains an "outperform" rating for Activision Blizzard.

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NPD estimates $3.40B in game sales in Q1 2012

RESEARCH SHOWS $3.40 BILLION SPENT ON

VIDEO GAME CONTENT IN THE U.S. FOR FIRST QUARTER 2012

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, July 2, 2012 – According to the Q1 2012 Games Market Dynamics: U.S.* report from leading market research company, The NPD Group, in addition to the $1.5 billion spent in the U.S. by consumers on new physical video and PC game software in the first quarter of 2012, the total consumer spend on other physical forms of content (used and rental) reached $525 million, and content in digital format (full game and add-on content downloads, subscriptions, mobile games and social network games) generated $1.38 billion.

"The declines in the physical market for new physical software are well documented," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. "But, a broader view of the games industry shows that other physical content sales (the combination of used and rental) declined by just five percent and digital format content sales grew by 10 percent as compared to Q1 2011. While the growth in digital format sales does not yet offset the declines in physical format sales, clearly the changes occurring within the industry are reflected in the trends we are seeing in the research."

Comparison to Europe

Similar research in the UK, France and Germany shows that the consumer spend on other forms of physical games content outside of new physical retail sales totaled $300 million (used and rental) while digital format sales in those three countries (full game and add-on content downloads, subscriptions, mobile games and social network games) generated an additional $959 million in sales during Q1 2012.

"Relative to the spend in the U.S., we find that the consumer spend on mobile games is still developing in the three European countries we are covering, while the spend on full game and add-on content digital downloads and subscriptions is more highly developed," said Frazier.

Methodology

The estimates are published in NPD's report, Games Market Dynamics: U.S. (formerly known as the Games Industry: Total Consumer Spend) –released by The NPD Group in June 2012 - and are derived leveraging NPD's portfolio of physical POS tracking (Retail Tracking Service) and consumer research including the Games Acquisition Monitor, Video Game and PC Game Subscriptions Report and Consumer Tracking Service. It also incorporates consumer spend estimation provided by NPD retail and publisher partners, and calibration with third-party sources. Estimates for the three European countries are published in NPD's report, Games Market Dynamics: Europe, which utilizes like methodology to the U.S. service across the areas of consumer spend that are outside of new physical retail sales.

*The NPD Group has enhanced its Games Market Dynamics information in conjunction with retail and publishing partners, and third-party sources to allow for improved visibility into alternative channels. Due to these periodic updates, care should be taken when comparing any data in this press release to prior Games Market Dynamics press releases.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 2,000 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food, home and office, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless. For more information, contact us, visit http://www.npd.com/, or follow us Twitter at https://twitter.com/npdgroup.

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Epic Mickey 2: The Power of a Story Trailer

by David Hinkle on Jul 20th 2012 11:59PM

If you missed out on the first Epic Mickey game, you may feel a bit lost regarding the events of the sequel, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. We've got this story trailer to bring you up to speed.

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Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition out on July 10

by Jessica Conditt on Jul 5th 2012 10:45PM

Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition is set to run into XBLA, PSN and WiiWare during the week of July 10, this week's PlayStation Blogcast confirms.

Zombie Studios, the team behind Blacklight: Retribution, is developing Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition. It will feature traditional and new game modes, and a few different skins, including sprites from classic Castlevania and Contra games.

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