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Sunday, November 16, 2008

Economy down while video games sales are up...


Despite the economy slumping, sales of video games increased in October, according to NPD Group.
Sales of both the games themselves and consoles rose last month, with the popular Nintendo Wii console selling some 803,000 units. In September only 687,000 Nintendo Wiis were sold.
That’s good news for game makers looking to Christmas to save their sales figures.

Microsoft sold 371,000 Xbox 360 consoles in October, an increase from 347,000 sold in September.

Sony's PlayStation 3 sold 190,000 units during October.

Exercise video game "Wii Fit" was the No. 2 most popular game sold in October. Electronic Arts, now want to cash in on the idea of video game exercise, said this week it will start selling its own suite of fitness programs in March.
The company may be copying the popular "Wii Fit" idea, hoping to cash in on some of its sales and sell more products to women (EA’s sports games are overwhelmingly played by men). EA may also be gambling that as the economy tanks, people may ditch their pricey gym memberships and opt for in-home fitness regimens (see earlier posts on Gamezplay.org).
EA didn’t fare as well in the sales report as some of its rivals — sales of its “Rock Band” game disappointed some industry watchers. Its shares were down $1.53 at $20.69, near a 52-week low of $20.65 in afternoon trading Friday.



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