[X1] Microsoft allows indies to self-publish; retail units will double as debug units

[X1] Microsoft allows indies to self-publish; retail units will double as debug units

Microsoft is taking another step in turning the tide in the apparent war being waged against the Xbox One, first they dropped their awful DRM features and are now reconsidering their approach to indies.

Engadget is reporting that Microsoft has decided to allow indies to self-publish for the Xbox One. Considering that Sony has made a very strong indie play for the PlayStation 4 it is definitely smart for Microsoft to try and put a positive spin on their stance with indies.

That isn't all though, it also appears that retail Xbox One units will be able to double as debug units.

"Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development," said Marc Whitten, Xbox corporate VP.

So, it seems as though retail Xbox One units will be able to run in-progress game code, which should make things significantly easier for game developers considering that debug units typically cost a lot more to obtain.

Microsoft will talk about these new announcements in greater detail during Gamescom this August.

Written by: Kyran Morrison

(This post was last modified: 07-26-2013 10:51 AM by LemonManX.)

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Fils-Aime: Wii up to 40 million units in US, Nintendo won't abandon it

by Jessica Conditt on Sep 13th 2012 5:30PM

The Wii has sold 40 million units in the US, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime told investors after the Nintendo Direct Wii U conference today.

Even though the Wii U is set in holiday stone with a launch on November 18, Nintendo isn't losing sight of the Wii.

"We will continue to sell the Wii," Fils-Aime said. "As we sit here today, in the US the Wii has sold about 40 million units. We believe that there continues to be an opportunity with Wii. Yes, these are late, late adopters. And yes, price points are important. But we do believe there's still opportunity for the Wii, and we will continue to sell Wii side-by-side for some period of time."

Many Wii games and all Wii accessories are backward-compatible with the Wii U, which Fils-Aime called a "one-two punch in our home console business between Wii U and Wii."

Besides, the US isn't the only market for the Wii. "I'm responsible for Canada and Latin America as well," Fils-Aime said. "We think there's opportunity in both of those markets, especially Latin America. You can reach price points, you can reach consumers that candidly we won't be able to reach with the Wii U. That's gonna continue to be an opportunity.

"Lastly, on the global base, certainly there are markets in Eastern Europe. There are a number of other markets where if Wii has an attractive price point, it'll do well. So, we will continue to be in the Wii business for quite some time."

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Nintendo 3DS Sells 4.5 Million Units in Its First Year in the U.S.

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The era of glasses-free 3D gaming is turning one this month as Nintendo 3DS prepares to celebrate its first birthday. On March 27, 2011, video games and portable entertainment jumped into a new dimension in the U.S. and that story got richer throughout the year with record-breaking software titles such as Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 and entertainment options such as Netflix, Nintendo Video and the ability to record 3D movies. The platform enters its second year with a massive lineup of games, including the recently launched Resident Evil Revelations from CAPCOM, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games published by SEGA, TEKKEN 3D Prime Edition from NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., METAL GEAR SOLID Snake Eater 3D from Konami Digital Entertainment and the upcoming Kid Icarus: Uprising and Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir from Nintendo.

“Nintendo 3DS closes its first year with a lengthy list of accomplishments but we’re still just scratching the surface,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “With a massive lineup of first- and third-party games and more on the way, a budding library of entertainment options and an engaged and growing installed base, Nintendo 3DS has an incredibly bright future. We’re just getting started but this platform is built for the long haul.”

Some of the milestones achieved by Nintendo 3DS in its first year include:

March 27, 2011: Nintendo 3DS ushers in a new era of gaming with glasses-free 3D. Launch-day sales are the strongest in Nintendo’s history.June 2011: The Nintendo eShop launches, letting users preview, try and buy new and classic games, download applications and watch 3D movie trailers.June 2011: Link makes his first appearance in 3D with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, which is still the best-reviewed game for Nintendo 3DS.Summer 2011: Nintendo 3DS adds two video services: Netflix unlimited streaming members can instantly watch thousands of TV episodes and movies.Nintendo Video automatically delivers hand-picked 3D content from leading sites and artists.October 2011: After only eight months, Nintendo 3DS surpasses first-year sales of Nintendo DS, the best-selling video game system in history.Fall 2011: Mario jumps into 3D with two new games, each becoming the fastest-selling titles in their franchises’ history: Nov. 13, 2011: Super Mario 3D Land – 1.75 million copies sold to dateDec. 4, 2011: Mario Kart 7 – 1.45 million copies sold to dateDecember 2011: Users can now record up to 10 minutes of 3D video and stop-motion animation.December 2011: Nintendo 3DS crosses 4 million units sold, passing the record pace set by the Wii.Feb. 22, 2012: Dillon’s Rolling Western launches for the Nintendo eShop, joining hot titles Pushmo and Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive!March 23, 2012: Nintendo 3DS closes its first year with the launch of Kid Icarus: Uprising, the first original entrant in the series in more than 20 years.

Nintendo 3DS is inexorably linked with its predecessor the Nintendo DS, the best-selling gaming system in U.S. history with more than 51 million units sold. A side-by-side comparison shows that Nintendo 3DS had a stronger first year across the board.

Total HW units sold in first 12 monthsTotal number of SW titles released in first 12 monthsTotal units of software sold in first 12 monthsTotal $ sales (HW, SW and accessory) in first 12 months

*Source: NPD **Source: Nintendo of America ***All Figures are U.S. Only

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.9 billion video games and more than 620 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

[PR Email from Nintendo of America]

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Nintendo enhances expected loss; 15 million 3DS units sold since launch

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jan 26th 2012 8:30AM

Nintendo has once again revised its expected loss for the fiscal year ending in March, widening its forecasted financial misfortune from ¥20 billion ($258M) to ¥65 billion ($839M). The increased loss comes a quarter after Nintendo switched its forecast from a ¥20 billion profit to loss.

For the first nine months of the fiscal year ending December 31, Nintendo had sales of ¥556 billion ($7.2B), a 31 percent decrease from the same period last year. Overall, it posted a loss of ¥48.4 billion ($620M).

"Nintendo 3DS hardware during the nine months ended December 31, 2011, were 11.43 million units, and the total worldwide sales since its launch exceeded 15 million units," the company stated. Both Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 have gone on to become million-selling titles.

The company also mentioned that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii recorded "strong sales, especially in the United States." Worldwide Wii sales over the nine-month period hit 8.96 million units, with software selling 89 million units.

Nintendo's financial woes, coupled with mobile gaming's increased portion of the handheld market, are not sitting well with investors. The House of Mario continues to see its stock sitting at a five-year low.

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Just Dance franchise sold a million units during Black Friday week

by Alexander Sliwinski on Dec 2nd 2011 10:35AM

Holy fu-nky chicken, Ubisoft announced this morning that Just Dance 3 sold 700,000 copies on the Wii and Xbox 360 over six days, between November 20 and 26 of the Black Friday shopathon. The company also stated that Just Dance 3 sales are up 48 percent from those of Just Dance 2, which launched in mid-October of 2010, when compared "year over year to date in the US."

Ubisoft also claimed it has 76 percent market share among dance games in 2011. That statistic could be a little messy, since unlike Zumba Fitness and Dance Central, which has one sequel, the Just Dance franchise follows Activision's Guitar Hero model of suffocating saturation.

The Just Dance franchise currently includes: Just Dance 3, Just Dance 2, Just Dance, Just Dance Summer Party, Just Dance Kids 2, Just Dance Kids, Michael Jackson: The Experience, The Black Eyed Peas Experience and ABBA You Can Dance. All these titles combined sold over one million copies in the US during Black Friday week. The NPD previously stated that dance game sales are up 326 percent over last year. Ubisoft PR:

Last week retailers reported record sales as the holiday shopping season officially kicked off with Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that marks the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. Ubisoft set new records last week for its Just Dance franchise, the world's No. 1 video game dance brand. From November 20-26 Just Dance 3 on the Wii system from Nintendo and Kinect for Xbox 360 sold thru more than 700,000 copies in the United States, based on internal estimates. Just Dance 3 on the Nintendo Wii system has sold approximately 48 percent more than what Just Dance 2 sold on the Wii year over year to date in the U.S.

According to the most recent NPD report from November 11, 2011, Ubisoft has a 76 percent market share among dance games so far for calendar year 2011.Ubisoft's dance games that includes Just Dance 3, Just Dance 2, Just Dance, Just Dance Summer Party, Just Dance Kids 2, Just Dance Kids, The Black Eyed Peas Experience, and ABBA You Can Dance, have sold a combined total of more than one million copies in the United States from November 20-26, according to internal estimates.

"Last week was an excellent start to the holiday shopping season for Ubisoft's dance games," said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. "The popularity of Ubisoft's dance games continues to gain momentum as these games appeal to a wide variety of consumers because they are fun to play alone or with friends and family. Ubisoft is looking forward to its final dance game release of the calendar year with Just Dance 3 on the PlayStation Move, which releases next week on Tuesday, December 6th."

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Nintendo DS Crosses 50 Million Units Sold

Nintendo DS Crosses 50 Million Units Sold

The best-selling video game system in U.S. history reached another milestone in September: Lifetime sales of the Nintendo DS™ family of systems have surpassed 50 million units, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States.

“The Nintendo DS forever changed the gaming landscape, and the fact that consumers continue to embrace the platform is a testament to its value and mass appeal,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Our hand-held story continues with the Nintendo 3DS system, which just had its second consecutive month of growth and enters its first holiday season with a monster lineup of games, including Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.”

Other Nintendo milestones reached in September include:

Nintendo sold more than 260,000 Nintendo 3DS™ portable entertainment systems, an increase of more than 10 percent from the previous month. Nintendo has sold nearly 450,000 units of Nintendo 3DS following a price reduction on Aug. 12.The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D became the first Nintendo 3DS title to surpass 500,000 total units sold in the United States.Nintendo sold more than 647,000 total hardware units in September, including 240,000 Wii™ systems and more than 145,000 units of the Nintendo DS family.The 273 million software units sold for the Nintendo DS family equates to more than 107,000 games being sold per day, every day for almost seven years. More than 273 million units of software have been sold for the platform in the United States, including 24 of the top 25 and 43 of the top 50 best-selling portable games in this hand-held generation.

For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.com.

[PR Email from Nintendo of America]

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Report: Nintendo sold 194,000 3DS units in April and 172,000 Wiis; PS3 sold 204,000

by David Hinkle on May 13th 2011 9:30PM

Yesterday, Microsoft was all too willing to toot its own horn and reveal that 297,000 Xbox 360s were sold in the month of April, but GameSpot says it managed to secure numbers for its competitor, Nintendo. The 3DS was apparently just shy of 200,000 units, unloading 194,000 3DS handhelds on consumers.

The Wii lagged behind with 172,000 units sold, while the remaining members of the DS family sold a combined 257,000 units. May should fare better for Nintendo on the Wii side of things, with an impending price cut on the horizon, one that will see consoles bundled with a copy of Mario Kart Wii and a wheel accessory.

As for the PS3, MarketWatch reports 204,000 units were sold -- not bad considering all of the, well, you know. Still, that's not a figure confirmed by Sony, who we've contacted for comment. We'll update you when we hear back.

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THQ highlights 1.2m uDraw units in Q3 earnings; wants more uDraw, fewer kids movie-based games

by Christopher Grant on Feb 2nd 2011 5:10PM

While a large slate of AAA titles is expected from THQ's Core Games unit in its Q4 2011 and 2012 fiscal periods, its fiscal Q3 2011 (October–December 2010) financial results are all about the less high-profile Kids, Family and Casual Business which had an unexpected hit with the North American release of uDraw Game Tablet for Wii last November. In less than two months, THQ managed to move over 1.2 million units in North America alone; an international release is expected "in the March quarter" (by the end of March this year).

And it's a good thing, too! THQ also "reevaluated the sales potential of games based on its kids movie-based licenses" for its Q3 statement and, "consistent with recent industry trends," it "lowered expectations for this category." That cost the company an impairment of $30.3 million which was excluded from its Q3 non-GAAP results (which we're getting to, hold on!). Instead of licensed kid's games, the Kids, Family and Casual Business is "increasing its focus on popular new play patterns and devices such as Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation Move, the uDraw GameTablet and Nintendo 3DS." Makes sense, right?

Now for the numbers: For the three-month quarter ending December 31, 2010, THQ posted net sales of $314.6 million, an eight percent drop year-over-year, resulting in a net loss of $14.9 million compared to a net income of $542,000 in the same period the previous year. In addition to the aforementioned $30.3 million impairment, THQ also excluded "a charge of $9.9 million related to the cancellation of Company of Heroes Online and WWE Online" from its non-GAAP results. So, with those things in mind, THQ reported non-GAAP net income of $28.5 million for the quarter compared with net income of $26.6 million for the prior-year period.

We're on the THQ earnings call now, and will report back any updates.

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Nintendo Wii Just Dance 2 sells 5 million units worldwide since October – Just ... - Prevailing Buzz

Posted on | January 12, 2011 | No Comments

Just Dance 2 recently reached the 5 million units sold mark just over three months after its release in October 2010. The first version of the game was released in 2009. The 5 million units sold makes Just Dance 2 Nintendo’s best-selling game.

Ubisoft release the original Just Dance in November 2009 and the sequel on October 12, 2010. Just dance 2 allows up to eight players to mimic dance moves from a variety of different musical genres including rock, R&B, pop, and disco. It features more than 40 different musical tracks and allows you to update music titles through the Wii shop Channel.

The original just dance took four months just to reach the 2 million unit milestone. Within one year, Just Dance reached 4 million in sales. Altogether, Ubisoft dance games have reached over 10 million copies sold and more copies are being sold each day.

Author: Scott Werther

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