US video game sales up 50 percent, says analyst

Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter has forecasted that US video game sales will have jumped 47 percent year on year from March 2007 to March 2008 to $850 million USD.

More official NPD Group data will be available later this week, but Patcher also reported that the PlayStation 3 will have outsold the Xbox 360 but that both combined were outsold by the ever popular Nintendo Wii. He estimated the Wii sold 700,000 consoles for the month.

More interestingly, Patcher also reported that he belives "Nintendo is now diverting a significant portion of its supply to Europe due to the weakening dollar, but that the company did ship the US its "fair share" in March to support the launch of Super Smash Bros. Brawl."

For April, Patcher feels sales will be just as high, fueled by titles such as "Army of Two" and "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2."

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Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 Apr 2008 18:57

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19 comments

snowlock

i'm happy about game sales being up that much.

Quote:Nintendo is now diverting a significant portion of its supply to Europe due to the weakening dollar...that i am not happy about; might be true, since it could explain the lack of consoles.

14.4.2008 20:09 #1

sgriesch

Of course sales went up. New consoles came out on just about every major platform. Then, once the consumer could see what they liked, then bought into it. "I'm not getting a **** , because I want to see what the **** is like" was a popular comment amongst my friends. Most of the new stuff still seems expensive to me. I have a 360 and a PS3, but refuse to pay more than $25 for a game. Therefore, I don't have all that many games. If they want to keep the sales trend going, I would suggest lowering the price of the game itself.

14.4.2008 21:53 #2

ZippyDSM

Originally posted by sgriesch: Of course sales went up. New consoles came out on just about every major platform. Then, once the consumer could see what they liked, then bought into it. "I'm not getting a **** , because I want to see what the **** is like" was a popular comment amongst my friends. Most of the new stuff still seems expensive to me. I have a 360 and a PS3, but refuse to pay more than $25 for a game. Therefore, I don't have all that many games. If they want to keep the sales trend going, I would suggest lowering the price of the game itself.The mainstream drool fest gaming is heading to I wont pay more than 200$ a console and 20 a game.....

They rape fiction for film to make it better for the masses and now games are being poorly made for a quick buck...I am getting fcking sick of it..........

15.4.2008 02:29 #3

lxhotboy

Quote:[I have a 360 and a PS3, but refuse to pay more than $25 for a game. Therefore, I don't have all that many games. If they want to keep the sales trend going, I would suggest lowering the price of the game itself.It is not like the price of the games was a secret. If you dont want to pay for the games then leave the system in the store and that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Why would they lower the price of games down if they are still selling. Now i do agree that the games are high and need to come back down to the $49.99 price but how many games can you actually buy below $25 dollars unless the game and console itself are both outdated. Even most used games cost more than $25 dollars.

15.4.2008 19:32 #4

ZippyDSM

Quote:Quote:[I have a 360 and a PS3, but refuse to pay more than $25 for a game. Therefore, I don't have all that many games. If they want to keep the sales trend going, I would suggest lowering the price of the game itself.It is not like the price of the games was a secret. If you dont want to pay for the games then leave the system in the store and that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Why would they lower the price of games down if they are still selling. Now i do agree that the games are high and need to come back down to the $49.99 price but how many games can you actually buy below $25 dollars unless the game and console itself are both outdated. Even most used games cost more than $25 dollars.you'd be surprised how quickly game fall in price, and hell the overstock/whole sale/liqudation of over/poorly priced new games that people cant sell above 40 can drop even the newest new game prices to the 30$ range.
http://attr-search.ebay.com/search/searc...6fsoo%3D2&fgtp=
http://listings.ebay.com/_W0QQsocmdZList...6fsoo%3D2&fgtp=

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_2?ie...%2Cn%3A14210861
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_36_p...ice=30&x=7&y=12

I refuse to keep the status quo of bad games/ mainstreamingizing going without a fight so I boyycott it by not buying new by not buying it from outfits that by "directly" from a publisher.

So to say you can't buy a game thats 3 months old in new or used condition for 20-30$ is foolish.

15.4.2008 20:06 #5

sgriesch

Quote:
It is not like the price of the games was a secret. If you dont want to pay for the games then leave the system in the store and that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Why would they lower the price of games down if they are still selling. Now i do agree that the games are high and need to come back down to the $49.99 price but how many games can you actually buy below $25 dollars unless the game and console itself are both outdated. Even most used games cost more than $25 dollars.I bought the PS3 more for the Blue-Ray capabilty. The 360 was free. If you can't find games for $25 or less, then you don't know how to shop. Zippy's right. They're making crappy games that I'm not interested in, and selling them for too much. They could actually make more money by selling them cheaper, allowing for the number of sales to go up. Making the disc doesn't cost much. It's making the game itself that's expensive.

16.4.2008 00:13 #6

ZippyDSM

Quote:Quote:
It is not like the price of the games was a secret. If you dont want to pay for the games then leave the system in the store and that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Why would they lower the price of games down if they are still selling. Now i do agree that the games are high and need to come back down to the $49.99 price but how many games can you actually buy below $25 dollars unless the game and console itself are both outdated. Even most used games cost more than $25 dollars.I bought the PS3 more for the Blue-Ray capabilty. The 360 was free. If you can't find games for $25 or less, then you don't know how to shop. Zippy's right. They're making crappy games that I'm not interested in, and selling them for too much. They could actually make more money by selling them cheaper, allowing for the number of sales to go up. Making the disc doesn't cost much. It's making the game itself that's expensive.Yes the whole industry is bum rushing graphics again only this time cost is going up and they have the causals to think of..it makes me sick to watch the industry go the way of hollywood and rape the product so they can maybe sell 10% more copies....

16.4.2008 00:16 #7

lxhotboy

Quote:So to say you can't buy a game thats 3 months old in new or used condition for 20-30$ is foolish.
Quote:If you can't find games for $25 or less, then you don't know how to shop. Zippy's right.Well i must not know how to shop b/c most of all the games on the links posted by Zippy,that are not old or poor excuses for games, are still over $25 dollars. If you can find games that are listed in the top 10 on PS3 or Xbox 360 and recent releases within the past 3 months then come back and post a link. Pretty much all of the games on those links that are below $25 dollars, I didnot say in the $20-$30 price range, are old games. There are sports games from 2007. That crap is not a recent release or maybe you are just looking at the price of the games and not adding in the cost of SHIPPING b/c after shipping they are still more than $25. No one is trying to buy those old outdated games like sonic, nba 07, mlb 07, etc... Do you not realise those are not recent releases. I see Need for speed carbon on the first link for PS3 with a buy it now price of $20 but after you add the $10 for shipping, that is still more than $25 bucks. Not to mention. NFS carbon isnot even a new game itself nor is it in high demand. It's old already. Show me Mass Effect, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Devil may cry 4, Bully, Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Rockband, The elder scrolls oblivion, Super Smash Brawl, Zelda (Wii), etc..... Show me the most recent released, most popular, and highly rated by gameing sources for under $25 dollars including the shipping. I do buy games from ebay and other online sources but they are still more than $25 dollars. The $59.99 was just used as the standard price you would normally see, in a store such as Walmart, gamestop, F.Y.E. etc..; to any new game released on the market for the PS3 or the Xbox360. The only way that those game can be consistently obtained for less than $25 bucks is to find that crackhead with sticky fingers who needs a quick fix and is way to desperate to sell his stolen merchandise for a realistic price, or another way would be to obtain a modchip such as the new released Global modchip for the xbox 360 and burn copies of the games. Both of these i mind you is ILLEGAL. And please dont go on ebay and post a link to one of those games that has a price of less than $25 dollars but still has 19 hours left on the bid b/c we all know that by the time the auction is ended the game will still sell for more than $25. Show me games like the ones i mentioned for less than $25 dollars b/c you have yet to show me any evidence to make me think otherwise. I am not trying to bash you so please dont retaliate with a anger post just as a come back line. But if you can find games like the ones i mentioned for less than $25 bucks, i will start buying from my games at a cheaper price and keep some of my money in my pocket to pay for this ridiculously priced gas while President Bush continues to be happy to reap the benefits.

17.4.2008 01:19 #8

sgriesch

Originally posted by lxhotboy:

Well i must not know how to shop b/c most of all the games on the links posted by Zippy,that are not old or poor excuses for games, are still over $25 dollars. If you can find games that are listed in the top 10 on PS3 or Xbox 360 and recent releases within the past 3 months then come back and post a link. Pretty much all of the games on those links that are below $25 dollars, I didnot say in the $20-$30 price range, are old games. There are sports games from 2007. That crap is not a recent release or maybe you are just looking at the price of the games and not adding in the cost of SHIPPING b/c after shipping they are still more than $25. No one is trying to buy those old outdated games like sonic, nba 07, mlb 07, etc... Do you not realise those are not recent releases. I see Need for speed carbon on the first link for PS3 with a buy it now price of $20 but after you add the $10 for shipping, that is still more than $25 bucks. Not to mention. NFS carbon isnot even a new game itself nor is it in high demand. It's old already. Show me Mass Effect, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Devil may cry 4, Bully, Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Rockband, The elder scrolls oblivion, Super Smash Brawl, Zelda (Wii), etc..... Show me the most recent released, most popular, and highly rated by gameing sources for under $25 dollars including the shipping. I do buy games from ebay and other online sources but they are still more than $25 dollars. The $59.99 was just used as the standard price you would normally see, in a store such as Walmart, gamestop, F.Y.E. etc..; to any new game released on the market for the PS3 or the Xbox360. The only way that those game can be consistently obtained for less than $25 bucks is to find that crackhead with sticky fingers who needs a quick fix and is way to desperate to sell his stolen merchandise for a realistic price, or another way would be to obtain a modchip such as the new released Global modchip for the xbox 360 and burn copies of the games. Both of these i mind you is ILLEGAL. And please dont go on ebay and post a link to one of those games that has a price of less than $25 dollars but still has 19 hours left on the bid b/c we all know that by the time the auction is ended the game will still sell for more than $25. Show me games like the ones i mentioned for less than $25 dollars b/c you have yet to show me any evidence to make me think otherwise. I am not trying to bash you so please dont retaliate with a anger post just as a come back line. But if you can find games like the ones i mentioned for less than $25 bucks, i will start buying from my games at a cheaper price and keep some of my money in my pocket to pay for this ridiculously priced gas while President Bush continues to be happy to reap the benefits.1) I never said the games were new. Don't know where you got that.
2) I said that I don't have many games for the PS3 or 360. Maybe about 15.
3) Ever heard of a second-hand store? That's usually where I look.
4) I don't appreciate the accusation that I'm buying anything stolen, because I'm not. Next time you want to get huffy and post, find another site.

17.4.2008 09:11 #9

lxhotboy

Man please.
1) i never said anything about the games being brand new either if
i did please point it out in my post. You cant b/c i didnt say
new games i said most recent releases, most popular and highest
rated by videgame sources.
2) I dont care how many games you have but you did say that you
refuse to pay more than $25. Did you not say that? And my reply
was that you already knew how much the games retail for new or
used before you bought the consoles. Like i said you cant buy
any of the games i posted for less than $25 used or not.
3) Gamestop,F.Y.E. and Ebay all sell used games but still the only
games i find less than $25 are the old, not in demand, or poor
excuses for games section. What store can you find Call of Duty
4 for less than $25 dollars?
4) I never actually accused you of buying anything stolen. Read the
post again and learn what COMPREHENSION means.

I am not saying you cant find ANY games for less than $25. But i am saying not recent releases, highly rated, and in high demand. Even Marvel vs capcom 2 for the original xbox retails, USED I MIND YOU, for more than 25 dollars b/c it is in high demand d/t it being a rare game. It usually retails for $85 to more than $100 USED. What games in high demand are you able to find for less than $25 dollars or are you buying those Sonic, NBA 07, and MLB07 types of games? Like i said before if you dont want to pay for the games and you have to wait until the game is outdated before you will buy it then you should have left the PS3 and Xbox360 on the shelf were you found it.

Has anyone else been able to find those "GREAT" games for less than $25 dollars? Please post a link.

17.4.2008 09:58 #10

sgriesch

Originally posted by lxhotboy: Man please.
1) i never said anything about the games being brand new either if
i did please point it out in my post. You cant b/c i didnt say
new games i said most recent releases, most popular and highest
rated by videgame sources.

I didn't say un-opened. New can also mean recent. I consider any game in the past 5 months new. I don't drool over the list of upcoming games.

Originally posted by lxhotboy:
2) I dont care how many games you have but you did say that you
refuse to pay more than $25. Did you not say that? And my reply
was that you already knew how much the games retail for new or
used before you bought the consoles. Like i said you cant buy
any of the games i posted for less than $25 used or not.Yes, I said not more than $25. And, I have bought 2-month old games from stores for $25. And I don't care what games you like either, so your list doesn't mean anything to me.

Originally posted by lxhotboy:
3) Gamestop,F.Y.E. and Ebay all sell used games but still the only
games i find less than $25 are the old, not in demand, or poor
excuses for games section. What store can you find Call of Duty
4 for less than $25 dollars?Don't know about COD4. Not interested in that game. We have local stores and other people who sell their own copies after they beat them.

Originally posted by lxhotboy:
4) I never actually accused you of buying anything stolen. Read the
post again and learn what COMPREHENSION means.Then what was this statement?

Originally posted by lxhotboy:
"The only way that those game can be consistently obtained for less than $25 bucks is to find that crackhead with sticky fingers who needs a quick fix and is way to desperate to sell his stolen merchandise for a realistic price, or another way would be to obtain a modchip such as the new released Global modchip for the xbox 360 and burn copies of the games. Both of these i mind you is ILLEGAL.".Originally posted by lxhotboy:
I am not saying you cant find ANY games for less than $25. But i am saying not recent releases, highly rated, and in high demand. Even Marvel vs capcom 2 for the original xbox retails, USED I MIND YOU, for more than 25 dollars b/c it is in high demand d/t it being a rare game. It usually retails for $85 to more than $100 USED. What games in high demand are you able to find for less than $25 dollars or are you buying those Sonic, NBA 07, and MLB07 types of games? Like i said before if you dont want to pay for the games and you have to wait until the game is outdated before you will buy it then you should have left the PS3 and Xbox360 on the shelf were you found it.Again my 360 was free. Am I supposed to give it back? My PS3 was bought for the Blu-Ray, not really for the gaming.

Originally posted by lxhotboy:
I am not trying to bash you so please dont retaliate with a anger post just as a come back line.If you ever have to say this as you post, then you really need to re-think what you are writing. Or maybe you shouldn't post. Also, make sure that your comments are directed to the right person. I didn't post any links to purchase anything. The only thing I said is that I refuse to pay more than $25 for a stupid video game.

19.4.2008 01:33 #11

lxhotboy

@ sgriesch

I was referring to links posted by zippy. If you click on the link all the games are old games. No one in there right mind would sell a decent Xbox 360 games thats only 2 months old for $25 dollars so please stop. Like i said you have been buying games that they have to blow the dust off before you play but hey, that your right and if i want to buy games when they are first released then is my business. I just hope you dont have allergies bc it can be hell with all that dust. Be Breeeezy!!!

PS. I see you still couldnot post a link to support your claims of games at crackhead prices learn to back your claims up with links and maybe your claims wont sound so much like fiction stories. I could easily say I found my xbox 360 for less than $25 dollars but that doesnot make it true. By the way, if those crackheads you buy from can get their hands on a 50 inch LCD with 1080p please let me know. It would save me a lot of money. LOL Peace out newbie.

20.4.2008 01:26 #12

wetsparks

Quote:Quote:
It is not like the price of the games was a secret. If you dont want to pay for the games then leave the system in the store and that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Why would they lower the price of games down if they are still selling. Now i do agree that the games are high and need to come back down to the $49.99 price but how many games can you actually buy below $25 dollars unless the game and console itself are both outdated. Even most used games cost more than $25 dollars.I bought the PS3 more for the Blue-Ray capabilty. The 360 was free. If you can't find games for $25 or less, then you don't know how to shop. Zippy's right. They're making crappy games that I'm not interested in, and selling them for too much. They could actually make more money by selling them cheaper, allowing for the number of sales to go up. Making the disc doesn't cost much. It's making the game itself that's expensive.There is no way the developers could make more money by selling them cheaper. Nintendo is rumored to have a licensing fee of $15 and they are the cheapest. Developers take as much and so do the stores. It is not like these guys are rolling in money (besides Blizzard of course) if a company like Iron Lore goes out of business when they definitely don't make games with eye bleeding graphics like Titan Quest and the Warhammer RTS. And Titan Quest went gold, meaning over 500,000 units sold they don't see much of the $50 or $60 you spend on the game.

20.4.2008 02:18 #13

nobrainer

I thought piracy was killing game sales?

Anyhows PPL just remember to boycott all titles that are sold via download that you only own the licence for (you don't own it), or that charge for extra content, as boycotts WORK!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2y8p2Na-Bo

Battlefield: Bad Company Boycott
Originally posted by link: US, April 9, 2008 - It appears that Electronic Arts is once again making waves in the digital distribution community with a questionable pricing structure for the weapons in Battlefield: Bad Company. We originally reported the story after leaked screenshots showed price tags attached to certain weapons in the Multiplayer Beta, but outraged fans have taken the fight to the virtual streets in the form of a boycott.

The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.

The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.

The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above!

The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

How do you stop anti consumer = its easy purchase only second hand media and avoid their propertarian hobbled by DRM hardware! http://www.boycott-riaa.com/

20.4.2008 05:56 #14

sgriesch

Originally posted by lxhotboy: @ sgriesch
PS. I see you still couldnot post a link to support your claims of games at crackhead prices learn to back your claims up with links and maybe your claims wont sound so much like fiction stories. I could easily say I found my xbox 360 for less than $25 dollars but that doesnot make it true. By the way, if those crackheads you buy from can get their hands on a 50 inch LCD with 1080p please let me know. It would save me a lot of money. LOL Peace out newbie.If you would learn to read, then you would see that all my posts have said 2nd-hand stores or friends who want to see their games. How exactly do you suppose I link that? I will give you an example of me buying 2 PS3 games recently for $25 each. I got 2 games for $50. When Comp USA went out of business they sold all of their inventory really cheap. This was unusual because it was at a chain store. You need to learn that there is more out there than you know. As for the newbie, I was on afterdawn for 4 years before I ever posted.

Sorry lx I edited because I was laying into you too hard. I should be glad that there are people like you who want the newest games. It makes the greatest hits version come out faster. LOL on the dusty games. Dusty games forever. lx what city?

20.4.2008 12:22 #15

sgriesch

Originally posted by wetsparks: Quote:Quote:
It is not like the price of the games was a secret. If you dont want to pay for the games then leave the system in the store and that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Why would they lower the price of games down if they are still selling. Now i do agree that the games are high and need to come back down to the $49.99 price but how many games can you actually buy below $25 dollars unless the game and console itself are both outdated. Even most used games cost more than $25 dollars.I bought the PS3 more for the Blue-Ray capabilty. The 360 was free. If you can't find games for $25 or less, then you don't know how to shop. Zippy's right. They're making crappy games that I'm not interested in, and selling them for too much. They could actually make more money by selling them cheaper, allowing for the number of sales to go up. Making the disc doesn't cost much. It's making the game itself that's expensive.There is no way the developers could make more money by selling them cheaper. Nintendo is rumored to have a licensing fee of $15 and they are the cheapest. Developers take as much and so do the stores. It is not like these guys are rolling in money (besides Blizzard of course) if a company like Iron Lore goes out of business when they definitely don't make games with eye bleeding graphics like Titan Quest and the Warhammer RTS. And Titan Quest went gold, meaning over 500,000 units sold they don't see much of the $50 or $60 you spend on the game.My philosophy is that if more people can afford the games, more than likely, more people will actually buy the games. Most people have a limited amount of money to spend, so they have to pick and chose what they buy. I feel that the games are priced so high that they have priced themselves out of the hands of many consumers. You first have more expensive platforms. Then, they don't come with all the accessories you usually want. For instance, alot of the systems only have one controller now. You have to buy another if you want to play a friend. Then, by the time you can even look at games, you've spent a really large chunk of money.
As for the game aspect, If they make say $30 per game at $50 each, and only sell 200,000 copies then that $6 million. But if they lowered the price to $40, and sold 600,000 because more people bought it then they would have $12 million.
Now I don't anything about the licensing fees. I've never got into that area. I do know that games used to be alot cheaper, and that systems used to actually come with what you needed, so it has worked at some point. I miss those days. I'm still a big fan of the original NES just for that reason. I can still find NES games for as little as $2.50, which is cheaper than renting a 360 or PS3 game from Blockbuster. I know those games are apples and oranges, but I still have appreciation for the roots of video gaming.

20.4.2008 12:39 #16

nobrainer

@ sgriesch

are you sure that ppl don't just want to escape their sad lives with games the same as drug usage because the world is in a state of decline?

20.4.2008 12:48 #17

sgriesch

Originally posted by nobrainer: @ sgriesch

are you sure that ppl don't just want to escape their sad lives with games the same as drug usage because the world is in a state of decline?I don't know about the drug part, but yea the games are a good escape from reality. It helps to forget about the world, but we can't do that all the time. Someone has to step up and fix the wrongs. Even if it's only one thing at a time.

20.4.2008 13:18 #18

ZippyDSM

Quote:Quote:Quote:
It is not like the price of the games was a secret. If you dont want to pay for the games then leave the system in the store and that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Why would they lower the price of games down if they are still selling. Now i do agree that the games are high and need to come back down to the $49.99 price but how many games can you actually buy below $25 dollars unless the game and console itself are both outdated. Even most used games cost more than $25 dollars.I bought the PS3 more for the Blue-Ray capabilty. The 360 was free. If you can't find games for $25 or less, then you don't know how to shop. Zippy's right. They're making crappy games that I'm not interested in, and selling them for too much. They could actually make more money by selling them cheaper, allowing for the number of sales to go up. Making the disc doesn't cost much. It's making the game itself that's expensive.There is no way the developers could make more money by selling them cheaper. Nintendo is rumored to have a licensing fee of $15 and they are the cheapest. Developers take as much and so do the stores. It is not like these guys are rolling in money (besides Blizzard of course) if a company like Iron Lore goes out of business when they definitely don't make games with eye bleeding graphics like Titan Quest and the Warhammer RTS. And Titan Quest went gold, meaning over 500,000 units sold they don't see much of the $50 or $60 you spend on the game.
Actually they can make a profit off it but it would be off 10-30% if they didn't sell twice as much, still I think it would aid the flow of the industry more by lowering prices by 20$,IMO no game should be above 40$,collectors eds and what nots should be in the 80-120 range to compensate the price gap, there are plenty of things the industry can do to get prices lower but they wont do it because it wont gain them anything but respect and a wider but "poorer" market.

20.4.2008 13:44 #19

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