Resurgence of U.S. game sales predicted
Video game sales racked up double-digit growth in September, a good sign for gamers and developers alike, according to Wedbush and EEDAR analysts.
As market research firm NPD Group prepares to release sales data data for the U.S. game market next Thursday, other analysts have predicted a return to double-digit growth after six months of decline.
According to Edge Online, Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter and Electronic Entertainment Design and Research's Jesse Divnich expect monthly software sales of $750 million (up 21 percent year over year) and $715 million (up 16 percent), respectively. And while these are still just estimates, it shows that consumers are still willing to spend on high-quality new games.
EEDAR's top 10 forecast:
Halo 3: ODST (360, Microsoft) - 1,800,000
Wii Sports Resort (Wii, Nintendo) - 500,000
The Beatles: Rock Band (Wii, EA) - 350,000
The Beatles: Rock Band (360, EA) - 325,000
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (360, Activision) - 300,000
Madden NFL 10 (360, EA) - 275,000
Batman: Arkham Asylum (360, Eidos) - 250,000
Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, Eidos) - 250,000
Guitar Hero 5 (360, Activision) - 250,000
Guitar Hero 5 (Wii, Activision) - 200,000
One interesting note on the top 10 list is that it contains only seven titles, which shows the importance of supporting multiple consoles.