GGS Gamer » sales

uDraw narrowly escapes the trash-pile

Tom Mackenzie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:31:41 +0000

Anyone out there remember uDraw? That kind of artistic game based around some tablet peripheral? No? Well you may be seeing it soon, at your local discount store that is.

THQ told Kotaku that instead of sending the hugely underselling game to the scrap-heap, we would be likely seeing it in “non-traditional game retailers and discount stores”.

THQ recently announced they were hoarding 1.4 million copies of the unsold game, after hugely disappointing sales. So disappointing, the company lost around $100 million, landing THQ in a bit of financial bother.

They best dig up a patch in the desert next to the E.T Video Game burial site. Ya know, just in case.

SOurce: Kotaku

UK Gaming Chart (w/e January 28th)

Tanya Horne — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:35:04 +0000

FIFA 12 successfully held off against a surge in Modern Warfare 3 sales to remain at number one last week, with Skyrim dropping into third place and Just Dance 3 into fourth. Battlefield 3 remains in fifth place and – finally – we have some new blood in the chart in the form of 3DS title Resident Evil: Revelations which has entered in sixth.

There are still a lot of fitness titles hanging around at the end of January: Zumba Fitness (seventh), Zumba Fitness 2 (tenth), Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 (seventeenth) and Kinect Sports: Season Two (eighteenth). If you’re one of those still keeping up with your new year’s health drive, we salute you.

So once again, no real changes, not so surprising for this time of year. Can FIFA 12 hold off its rivals for another week? We’ll soon find out.

As always brackets denote the previous week’s position.

1. (1) FIFA 12
2. (4) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
3. (2) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
4. (3) Just Dance 3
5. (5) Battlefield 3
6. (-) Resident Evil: Revelations
7. (6) Zumba Fitness
8. (7) Saints Row: The Third
9. (12) Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
10. (8) Zumba Fitness 2
11. (10) Rage
12. (9) Rayman Origins
13. (11) Mario Kart 7
14. (16) Football Manager 2012
15. (24) Sonic Generations
16. (13) Super Mario 3D Land
17. (29) Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012
18. (25) Kinect Sports: Season Two
19. (20) Cars 2
20. (18) WWE ’12

Charts provided by Gfk Chart-Track.

Nintendo Investors’ Meeting: Nintendo Network Services and 3DS Explosion

Tychus Findlay — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:39:27 +0000

Last week, Nintendo’s President, Satoru Iwata announced during a meeting with investors that Nintendo would have an online gaming service on par with Xbox Live and the PSN Network. This would obviously need to bring together into one place Nintendo’s various attempts to compete with Microsoft and Sony.

Iwata said that Nintendo is “aiming to establish a platform where various services available through the network for our consumers shall be connected via Nintendo Network service so that the company can make comprehensive proposals to consumers.” This new network would support the 3DS and the Wii U.

For those that said the 3DS was a flop, take note of the recent uptick in 3DS sales in every single market, even catching up to and surpassing where the Wii was at the same point in its lifetime. The 3DS is obviously in the middle of a boom and will definitely be here to stay.

[via flarevine]

Weekly Releases: Final Fantasy XIII-2, NeverDead, Soul Calibur V

Tabitha Wang — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:36:19 +0000

A month after the holiday seasons brings the first week where we finally see the big titles release. Well, perhaps not the biggest of the biggest titles, but certainly anticipated titles. Square Enix starts off the barrage with Final Fantasy XIII-2 as we continue the journey of Lightning and her floppy haired-friends. Why Square Enix isn’t spending this time working on Versus XIII will remain a mystery.

Konami hopes to make a splash with their brand new IP NeverDead, featuring Bryce Boltzmann, an immortal demon hunter who hasn’t been killed in half a century. He’s got an ugly grudge to match that long life, and you’d be a lucky person to run across a 500 year-old grudge and live to tell about it.

Of course, who can ignore the glitz and glamor of the next installment of Soul Calibur? The answer is you really can’t unless you absolutely hate fighting games and can’t stand the idea of silly costumes and dramatic voice overs. We’ll forgive you if you hate the latter, but Soul Calibur V sweetens the deal with the entrance of our favorite world-famous assassin. It’s not James Bond, and this guy makes the agent like an utter tool.

Here is the full list of titles across all platforms and downloadable services in the United States and Europe for the week ending February 4th.

Europe – January 31st
- Ben 10 Galactic Racing (3DS)

United States – January 31st
- Final Fantasy XIII-2 (X360, PS3)
- NeverDead (X360, PS3)
- Soul Calibur V (X360, PS3)

Europe – February 1st
- Wakfu (PC)

United States – February 1st
- Wakfu (PC)

Europe – February 3rd
- APB Reloaded (PC)
- Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle (PS3, Wii, DS)
- Final Fantasy XIII-2 (X360, PS3)
- Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove 3D (3DS)
- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, X360)
- NeverDead (X360, PS3)
- Soul Calibur V (PS3, X360)

United States – February 3rd
- Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle (PC, Wii, DS)

Only titles with a confirmed date are included.

Release dates provided by Gamr Review.

U.S. Gaming Charts: January 15th – January 21st

Tabitha Wang — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:35:51 +0000

It was another round of musical chairs this past week for the Top 10 titles. Kinect Adventures! and Just Dance 3 continue to fight for the #1 spot. Skyrim‘s dragons aren’t backing down from Modern Warfare 3‘s gunfire, and Mario doesn’t seem to care that his race kart is stuck in the middle. Let’s just let those crazy 10 keep fighting it out, shall we?

Rounding out the Top 20 are Battlefield 3 and a massive comeback from Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, which was nowhere to be seen up until last week. Zumba Fitness 2 and Dance Central 2 continue to make their presence be known, although they’ve finally fallen from the Top 10 into the #12 and #14 spots.

With the coming blockbuster releases set to launch starting this week, you can be sure that there will be many a shift to come.

Brackets denote the previous week’s position.

1. (2) Just Dance 3 (Wii)
2. (1) Kinect Adventures! (X360)
3. (4) Zumba Fitness (Wii)
4. (3) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360)
5. (5) Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
6. (7) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (X360)
7. (6) Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
8. (8) NBA 2K12 (X360)
9. (9) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3)
10. (11) UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System (X360)
11. (14) Kinect Sports: Season Two (X360)
12. (10) Zumba Fitness 2 (Wii)
13. (16) Your Shape featuring Jenny McCarthy (Wii)
14. (17) Dance Central 2 (X360)
15. (12) Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 (X360)
16. (-) The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout (X360)
17. (13) NBA 2K12 (PS3)
18. (-) Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (DS)
19. (22) Battlefield 3 (X360)
20. (15) Just Dance 3 (X360)

Charts are provided by VG Chartz.

Handheld Gaming Devices Still Relevant Among Smartphones, says Nintendo

Tabitha Wang — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:05:53 +0000

In a market of increasing competition, Nintendo says that both handheld gaming devices like its own 3DS can succeed next to Apple’s iPad. While initial sales figures of the 3DS would say otherwise, President Satoru Iwata says that handheld gaming devices, specifically the 3DS, will still live on.

“Last summer, when the sales pace of the Nintendo 3DS was slow, there were extreme remakrs saying, ‘With the penetration of smartphones, will there still be a market for handheld hardware?’ which was almost equal to ‘handheld hardware is not necessary anymore,” said Iwata. “I believe we proved that such opinions are incorrect.”

The initial launch of the 3DS was accompanied by a hefty $250.00 USD price tag, which was later cut to $170.00 following dismal sales. Nintendo’s own words called the sales “unsatisfactory” before the price drop in August.

Following the revised price tag and a new crop of software like Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land, the 3DS finally began to take off in earnest. However, despite reaching global sales of about 15 million units, Iwata said forecasts for the system haven’t been reached.

Via Gamespot.

U.S. Gaming Charts: January 8th – January 14th

Tabitha Wang — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:52:45 +0000

It was a game of musical chairs in the Top 10, but it was a deathmatch for the Top 20. While Mario Kart and Mario 3D Land fought with the Dragonborn, Kinect Sports, Just Dance 3, and Dance Central battled it out with SWTOR and UFC Personal Trainer. Let’s just say that the Force wasn’t too strong with that particular one.

Zumba Fitness 2 climbed its way up from the #21 spot to #10, and Your Shape Featuring Jenny McCarthy made a surprise resurgence, moving from #34 all the way up to #16.

Brackets denote the previous week’s position.

1. (1) Kinect Adventures! (X360)
2. (2) Just Dance 3 (Wii)
3. (3) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360)
4. (6) Zumba Fitness (Wii)
5. (4) Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
6. (5) Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
7. (9) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (X360)
8. (8) NBA 2K12 (X360)
9. (7) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3)
10. (21) Zumba Fitness 2 (Wii)
11. (16) UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System (X360)
12. (19) Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 (X360)
13. (11) NBA 2K12 (PS3)
14. (10) Kinect Sports: Season Two (X360)
15. (20) Just Dance 3 (X360)
16. (34) Your Shape Featuring Jenny McCarthy (Wii)
17. (17) Dance Central 2 (X360)
18. (22) Just Dance (Wii)
19. (12) Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
20. (27) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3)

Charts are provided by VG Chartz.

UK Gaming Chart (w/e January 21st)

Tanya Horne — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:02:28 +0000

EA’s FIFA 12 is celebrating its fifth week at the top of the chart and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Skyrim and Just Dance 3 have switched places and are now in places two and three respectively; Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 have done likewise and finish at four and five.

Highly popular fitness games Zumba Fitness and Zumba Fitness 2 are in sixth and eighth, and Rayman Origins has leaped into ninth thanks to some clever sales tactics. WWE ’12 has also seen a big jump, from thirty-one to eighteen, as has Cars 2 (from twenty-seven to twenty).

As always brackets denote the previous week’s position.

1. (1) FIFA 12
2. (3) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
3. (2) Just Dance 3
4. (5) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
5. (4) Battlefield 3
6. (6) Zumba Fitness
7. (14) Saints Row: The Third
8. (7) Zumba Fitness 2
9. (17) Rayman Origins
10. (8) Rage
11. (11) Mario Kart 7
12. (9) Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
13. (15) Super Mario 3D Land
14. (10) Need for Speed: The Run
15. (20) Wii Fit Plus
16. (16) Football Manager 2012
17. (18) Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games
18. (31) WWE ’12
19. (22) Skylanders: Spryo’s Adventure
20. (27) Cars 2

Charts provided by Gfk Chart-Track.

Knife to the Heart: Diablo III Senior Producer Leaves Blizzard

Tabitha Wang — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:30:08 +0000

Diablo III is oh so close to completion, but it looks like it might have to release a little later than anticipated. The delay isn’t the most shocking news though. After all, to wait for perfection is better than something less than perfect, or something like that.

Senior Producer to Diablo III Steve Parker announced through his Twitter feed that he has left the project entirely and has also left Blizzard. “Hey Twitter, I’m no longer working at Blizzard or on D3,” wrote Parker. “I’ve had a great 5 years there and those guys are going to do an amazing job with Diablo.”

No reason for Parker’s departure has been discussed yet, and we don’t know where he’s headed to either. Before he packed up his bags and entered Blizzard in 2006, Parker had spent three years with Liquid Entertainment. In the meantime, Blizzard is looking for a senior producer for Diablo III to see the project through to the end.

Via IGN.

Gameloft Goes Lunar Crazy with Chinese New Year iOS Sale

Tabitha Wang — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:04:54 +0000

Dragons. Who doesn’t love dragons? Thanks to Skyrim‘s epic 300+ hour journey, it’s cool to show your love for the scaly creatures of lore again. In an entirely ironic twist of fate, this year is the Year of the Dragon, according to the lunar calendar. Coincidence? Maybe it is. Well, it’s 2012 after all.

To celebrate Chinese New Year, iOS developer Gameloft is having a $0.99 / £0.69 sale on some of their biggest titles, including Splinter Cell Conviction and Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard.

Here’s a full list of the titles on sale and their respective platforms:

iPhone
- Silent Ops
- BackStab
- Fast Five the Movie: Official Game
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard
- N.O.V.A. 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance
- Spider-Man: Total Mayhem
- Splinter Cell Conviction
- James Cameron’s Avatar
- Assassin’s Creed – Altair’s Chronicles

iPad
- Silent Ops
- BackStab
- Fast Five the Movie: Official Game
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard
- N.O.V.A. 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance
- Spider-Man: Total Mayhem
- Splinter Cell Conviction
- James Cameron’s Avatar
- Assassin’s Creed – Altair’s Chronicles