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 Weekly Gamasutra

[11.20.09]

Modern Warfare 2 Infinity Ward's 'Most Successful PC Version' Yet
Offerpal Sets New Ad Standards As Facebook Bans Offer Providers
Class-Action Suit Filed Against Zynga, Facebook Over Offer-Based Ads
Gameloft Scales Back Android Game Development
UK Gov't Intelligence Agency To Advertise On Xbox Live
Video Game Watchdog National Institute On Media And The Family Shutting Down
The Art History of Games Symposium Announced
New Tech, Design Details Of Project Natal To Emerge At Gamefest In February
BioShock, Far Cry 2's O'Connor: Beware 'Serviceable, Not Great' Approaches To Integrating Game Writers
PSP, PS3 Lead Weekly Japanese Sales Charts
Sony 'Confident' In 13 Million PS3 Target This Year, Plans Online Services
Microsoft To Offer Free Xbox Live Weekends To Silver Members
GDC 2010's Experimental Gameplay Workshop Calls For Submissions
Saling The World: Wii Fit Plus, New Super Mario Bros. Wii Head U.S. Sales
Best Of Indie Games: We Need More Heroes
Opinion: Rethinking Player Death
Round-Up: Gamasutra Network Jobs, Week Of November 20
Interview: Capy Talks Critter Crunch, Mobile Horrors

[11.19.09]

GameStop Acquires Majority Stake in Jolt Online Gaming
Marvelous Sees Success With PSP Games, Less So With Wii
Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment Options Dark Void Film
Stardock Reveals Impulse, Steam Market Share Estimates
Disciples III Dev Akella Signs DRM Deal With Byteshield
Valve: Devs Should Experiment With Post-Release Content Using Digital Distribution
Japanese Software: J-League Pro Soccer Club Replaces Winning Eleven At Top
Best of GameSetWatch: From New Super Chick Sisters to Choose Your Own Adventure
Sony: 'All PS3 Units Will Be Firmware-Upgradeable To 3D'
GameStop Reports Boost In Q3 Sales, Profits
Analyst: Nintendo Likely To Launch On-Demand Wii Video Channel In U.S.
Feature: Minimizing Risks In Large Productions
NaturalMotion Opens New Korean Office
PSN Revenues Hit October High, As Sony Mulls 'Premium' Subscriptions
Sony: Game Biz To Be Profitable By 2011
NeoEdge Merges With Offspring, Expands Into Game Creation
Analysis: Shattered Horizons and New Horizons For Weightless Gaming
This Week In Video Game Criticism: All You Need Is Love
In-Depth: PixelJunk's Baiyon Vs. Katamari's Takahashi
Interview: The Developers And Daniel Johnston
Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Design Docs To Designing By 'No'

[11.18.09]

Study: MMOs Take Up 14% Of Gaming Time In U.S
Uncharted 2, Batman, Others Vie For Top Honors At Spike VGAs
IGF 2010 Reveals Record Student Entry Numbers
Analyst: Over 60 Percent Of All iPhone Apps Have Been Pirated
Feature: 'And Yet It Grows: Analyzing the Size and Growth of the European Game Market'
Activision: Modern Warfare 2 Rakes In $550 Million Five-Day Gross
SCEA, Ubi, Disney, EA Face Voice Tech Patent Suit
Layoffs Hit Australia's Krome Studios
Kotick Sells More Activision Shares, Gains $17 Million
Critical Reception: Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Retailer Sports Authority To Sell Wii, Fitness Software
Q&A: The Then And Now of Hitman Dev IO Interactive
In-Depth: On Company Culture, Hiring, And Retention
In-Depth: North American PlayStation Network Sales, October 2009
Analysis: Industry Faces Steep Odds Against Year-Over-Year Growth

[11.17.09]

Hecker: Indies Can't Do All The Heavy Creative Lifting
Activision Unveils Bay Area-Based Sledgehammer Games
Zynga Raises $15.2 Million In New Funding
Valve's Holtman: Digital Direct Gives Developers More Pricing Freedom
David Sirlin: Keep Interface Design Simple, Concise, Efficient
EA Memo Confirms Pandemic Consolidation, Van Caneghem Hire
Fils-Aime: Wii HD 'Will Not Be The Next Step For Us'
Funcom Looks Forward To Secret World Amid Q3 Losses
Activision Edits Modern Warfare 2 For Russia
Sony Confirms Facebook On PS3, Details Firmware Update 3.10
Modern Warfare 2 Release Week, Console Bannings Have Major Effect On XBLA Sales
In-Depth: The Guide To Rescuing A Troubled Project
Randy Smith: Do Games Need To Be Fun?
Tradewest Founder Leland Cook Passes Away
Analysis: Nintendo's DSi Sales Trends, Wii Price Cut Too Late?
Analysis: Gungriffon - The Forgotten Conflict
Gamasutra Member Blogs: From Betamax To Game Engines

[11.16.09]

In-Depth: Ugly, Quick, And Dirty - The Power of Working Fast
Assassin's Creed 2's Plourde On Why 'Fail Early, Fail Often' Is The Wrong Approach
EA Montreal's Schneider: Who Do We Make Games For?
Japanese Hardware: PlayStation 3 Outsells All Hardware, Including DSi
IGDA Offers Group Health Insurance Access
Wada: Too Much Diversification Will Confuse Game Consumers
Square Enix's Wada Talks Going Beyond Globalization
NPD: 14 Percent Of Households Have An Online Game Subscription
ESA: 42 Percent Thinking Games For Holidays
Softkinetic, Optrima Partner On 3D Gesture Recognition Tech
Develop Liverpool Sees 160 Delegates, To Return In 2010
UK Modern Warfare 2 Sales Hit $111.8 Million To Top UK Charts
OnLive To Work On Mobile Phones
Japanese Software: Winning Eleven Takes Lead From Bayonetta
Analysis: On PSP Go's Launch Numbers, PSP's U.S. Future
Release This: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Left 4 Dead 2 Debut Stateside
Stonetrip Unveils Updates To Shiva Editor
Hansoft Hires EA Sports Vet Wynn, Launches Consultant Training Program
Interview: Kajiya Productions on Translating Final Fantasy
Postmortem: Behind The Scenes Of Scribblenauts

[11.13.09]

Fils-Aime: Nintendo Offers 'Full Meal' To iPhone's 'Small Chunks'
Sony Brings Internet Play To Local PSP Multiplayer Games
NPD: October Top 20 Sees Impressive Demon's Souls Showing
IGDA Forum: Asking 'Why' Will Keep Games Out Of The Ghetto, Says Hecker
IGDA Forum: WB's Ryan On What It Takes
Naughty Dog: Uncharted 2 Could Lead 'Shift' In PS3 Tech Prowess
Guillemot: UPlay Community Features Will Help Ubisoft 'Get Closer To Our Customers'
Bobby Kotick Nets $20M In Stock Option Sale
Analyst: Take-Two 70 Percent Growth An 'Example' In Challenging Economy
SouthPeak Reverses Loss, Buys Midway TNA Assets
Interview: Ohai Makes A Case For Social MMOs With City of Eternals Facebook MMO
Saling The World: Modern Warfare 2 Tops Charts in U.S. and UK
IGDA Leadership: Firaxis' Caudill On Doing It 'Sid's Way'
Sponsored Feature: Rasterization on Intel's Larrabee
Analysis: Modern Warfare 2 - Is It Really 'No Girls Allowed'?
Best Of Indie Games: Close to the Black Heart

[11.12.09]

Playdom Acquires Green Patch, Trippert Labs
NPD: October U.S. Sales Slump 19% As Wii Re-Tops Hardware
NPD: Uncharted 2 Heads October 2009 U.S. Game Sales
Microsoft: Xbox 360 Only YTD Grower, As Xbox Live Hits 2 Million Simultaneous
EA: 'No Coincidence' That Layoffs, PlayFish Buy Emerged Simultaneously
Twitter, Facebook To Hit Xbox Live November 17
ESA Nite To Unite For Kids Raises $800,000
Wooga Raises $7.5 Million For Social Games, New Hires
GameCareerGuide Feature: Game Design Challenge - Sidekick
Farrell: Leaner Structure, New Opportunities To Drive THQ Profitability
GameStop Planning In-Store Console DLC Download Service
Best of GameSetWatch: From REO Speedwagon to Rock Band Network
Fils-Aime: 'I Like Our Chances' Against Rival Motion Controls
Epic's Free Unreal Development Kit Gains 50,000 Users In First Week
Postmortem: Wadjet Eye's The Blackwell Convergence
TimeGate Licenses Vision Engine For MMO Project
Massive, comScore Collaborate To Measure Effectiveness Of In-Game Ads
PSN Struggles With Modern Warfare 2 Launch
U.S., UK Modern Warfare 2 Launch Sales Hit 4.7 Million Units
Q&A: Data Beez's West Coast Chiptune Romp
The Week In Game Criticism: Duty Calls, Google Waves, Dragon Ages
Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From Going Indie To Boycotting Steam
Q&A: Valve's Swift On Left 4 Dead 2's Production, AI Boost

[11.11.09]

Social Dev Playdom Raises $43 Million
Gaming Network Playfire Raises $2.1M From Atomico, Atari's Gardner, Others
Report: PlayStation 3 To Add Facebook Integration
Modern Warfare 2 Sells 1.23 Million Day One Copies In UK Alone
Report: Microsoft Bans Live Accounts For Modded Consoles
Mad Catz Sees Sales Fall On Slow-Starting Holiday Season
UK Court Dismisses Convicted Console Modder's Appeal In 'Pivotal' Case
NCsoft Aims For 2011 Guild Wars 2 Release
Spider Devs On Rock-Bottom iPhone Pricing: 'You Don't Have To Do It'
PlayStation 'Father' Kutaragi Founds New Online Networking Company
Critical Reception: Activision/Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2
Q&A: Sands of Destruction Team Talks Battle System, Story Creation
Analysis: Meeting the Badman
Opinion: The Lion's Gate - Majors And Indie Publishing

[11.10.09]

Nielsen: Heavy Marketing, Quality Expectations Drive Modern Warfare 2 Buzz
American Council on Exercise Charts 'Underwhelming' Wii Fit Health Benefits
Penny Arcade Launches 2009 Child's Play Charity Drive
GCG Design Challenge Results Showcase Photographic Interpretation
Analyst: New Super Mario Bros. Wii Could Outdo Modern Warfare 2
Xbox Live Game Show 1 Vs. 100 Gets Second Season
Former ESA Head Lowenstein To Receive AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award
Need For Speed: Shift Developed Largely Remotely
Giana Sisters Co-Creator Armin Gessert Passes
Analysts Question EA's Playfish Buy, Future Prospects
TIGA: UK Devs Want To Address Piracy Themselves
GDC 2010 Reminds Of Summit Submissions, IGF Student, Mobile Deadline
In-Depth: Xbox Live Arcade Sales Analysis, October 2009
Analysis: What The (Game) Papers Say - November 2009, Pt. 1
Interview: Cascade Game Foundry's New Lease On The Simulation Genre
Analysis: Is Delay Publishers’ New Marketing Strategy?
Gamasutra Member Blogs: From 'RPG Elements' To Physics Engines

[11.09.09]

EA's Riccitiello: Cuts Necessary To 'Transform Our Company'
EA Announces Increased Net Loss, Confirms 1,500 Layoffs
Zynga Removes CPA Offers After FishVille Suspension
Report: Layoffs Hit EA Studios Including Tiburon, Black Box, Redwood Shores, Mythic
Interview: EAi, Playfish On Bringing Electronic Arts Brands to Social Networks
Unity User Base Reaches 33,500 In Wake Of Free License
EA Confirms $300 Million Playfish Acquisition
Best Of GamerBytes - All Out Of Gum
Capcom's Niitsuma: Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Only Works For Wii
NCsoft Sales, Profits Surge Following Global Aion Launch
Wii Fit Plus Leads As Dragon Age Debuts Strong In UK
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Launch Defeats Street Dates
Konami Reports Sales, Profit Declines In Half-Year
Activision Donating $1 Million To Military Veterans
Analyst: October NPD To See 9 Percent Software Decline, Uncharted 2 As Top Title
Release This: Modern Warfare 2, Phantasy Star Zero Debut in U.S.
Analysis: Mole's Eyes - Fatale's Storytelling Attitude
Interview: Tri-Ace on Resonance of Fate's Battles, Manly Characters
Interview: Al Lowe Talks New iPhone App, Evolution Of The Adventure Game Genre

[11.06.09]

Game Boy, The Ball Admitted To National Toy Hall Of Fame
iPhone Dev Storm8 Sued Over User Data Harvesting Allegations
Namco Bandai Swings To Loss In First-Half, Posts Lower Sales
Infinity Ward's Emslie: Animation 'First And Foremost' Key To Visual Realism
Japanese Hardware: PS3 Closes In On Leader DSi
Analyst: CoD: MW2 Could Sell $500 Million Week One, Music Genre Still Challenged
Iwata: 35% Japanese Connectivity Ratio For Wii, 20% For DS
Iwata: Nintendo Is Not 'Losing Its Edge' To iPhone, Rival Tech
RedLynx Intentionally Leaked Trials To Torrent Sites
Saling The World: Dragon Age, Uncharted 2 Top U.S. Charts
Best Of Indie Games: Eufloria, Home, Run Away!
Game Developer November Issue Showcases Scribblenauts, The Game Developer 50
Direct2Drive Tussles With Valve By Declining To Sell Steamworks-Powered MW2
Interview: OneBigGame's de Ronde On Making Games For Charity
Analysis: Turn-Based Versus Real-Time
Round-Up: Gamasutra Network Jobs, Week Of November 6
Q&A: CCP On Keeping EVE Online Fresh And Growing


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April 17, 2008

Saling The World: GT5 Prologue Leads U.S. PS3 Sales; Mario Kart Wii Tops UK Charts

Gamasutra's weekly column, "Saling The World", covers the top five sellers for every available platform in the United States, Japan, and Europe, providing an important update of sales patterns worldwide.

This week's charts, with data taken from April 17th, 2008, find Mario Kart Wii on top in the UK and Japan, while North American sales are headed by the just-released Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the public sales information on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp, with sales split out for each platform and territory, and pre-orders disregarded.

This results in a true sense of what games are selling worldwide on the real-time updated service, as follows:

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo), 2. Wii Play (Nintendo), 4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 5. Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Dairantou Smash Brothers X (Nintendo), 4. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 5. Hajimete no Wii Pack (Nintendo).

UK: 1. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 2. Wii Play (Nintendo), 3. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 4. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (EA Sports), 5. Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training (Nintendo).

As Mario Kart Wii leads for the second week running in Japan, its recent UK debut tops cross-platform European sales as well. Mario Kart Wii also remains a popular preorder item in North America, though U.S. multiplatform sales at Amazon this week are topped by the upcoming Wii Fit, which manages to outsell all competition on all platforms on preorder strength alone. These strong presale numbers are likely to continue through the weeks leading up to Wii Fit's May release, after which the title could become a difficult find, unless initial supplies are available in larger quantities than expected.


Xbox 360
North America: 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 2. Blue Dragon (Microsoft), 3. Rock Band Special Edition (MTV Games), 4. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Ubisoft), 5. Halo 3 (Microsoft).

Japan: 1. The Idolm@ster: Live for You! (Namco), 2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 3. Armored Core: For Answer (From Software), 4. The Idolm@ster -- Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (Namco), 5. Skate (EA Games).

UK: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Ubisoft), 3. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft), 4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision).

The Xbox 360 edition of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare climbs North America's multiplatform charts this week thanks to a recent and possibly permanent price drop at Amazon. Blue Dragon also finds a new surge of interest following a sharp discount in price, though demand will quickly cool now that the resulting sales rush has completely drained Amazon's available stock.


PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (SCEA), 2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 3. Rock Band Special Edition (MTV Games), 4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 5. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft).

Japan: 1. Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 (Konami), 2. Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! (Sega), 3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 4. Armored Core: For Answer (From Software), 5. Devil May Cry 4 (Capcom).

UK: 1. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (SCEE), 2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 3. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft), 4. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Ubisoft), 5. MotorStorm (SCEE).

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue makes an impressive chart debut in North America this week, ranking just behind Call of Duty 4 on the Xbox 360 in overall sales across all platforms. Prologue also continues to lead in the UK, and its popularity shows no sign of weakening anytime soon. Sales remain stagnant in a slow release week in Japan, meanwhile, though activity is expected to pick up again in the coming weeks.


PlayStation 2
North America: 1. God of War II (SCEA), 2. Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection (Konami), 3. Arcana Heart (Atlus), 4. Rock Band Special Edition (MTV Games), 5. Final Fantasy X (Square Enix).

Japan: 1. Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin (Koei), 2. Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Lost Colors (Bandai), 3. Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 (Konami), 4. Suzumiya Haruhi no Tomadoi -- Limited Edition (Banpresto), 5. Kyuuketsu Kitan Moonties -- Limited Edition (Interchannel).

UK: 1. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 2. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 3. SingStar Legends (SCEE), 4. SingStar Party (SCEE), 5. SingStar '80s (SCEE).

As preorder numbers for next week's North American release of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES continue to outpace the sales of all competing PlayStation 2 software, the discounted Greatest Hits version of God of War II once again leads among all currently available titles. Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection hangs on at second place, meanwhile, as the recently released 2D fighter Arcana Heart manages yet another surprisingly strong sales week with a third-place finish.


PC
North America: 1. The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff (EA Games), 2. World in Conflict (Sierra), 3. Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition (Ubisoft), 4. Sins of a Solar Empire (Stardock), 5. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest (Blizzard).

Japan: 1. Clannad Full Voice (Key), 2. Vocaloid 2 Character Vocal Series 01: Hatsune Miku (Crypton Future Media), 3. Little Busters! (KEY), 4. Final Fantasy XI: The Vana'diel Collection (Square Enix), 5. Infinity Plus (CyberFront).

UK: 1. Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition (Ubisoft), 2. Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath (EA Games), 3. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War -- Soulstorm (THQ), 4. The Sims 2 (EA Games), 5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision).

This week sees yet another PC chart upheaval in North America, with the recently released The Sims 2 expansion pack Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff topping weekly sales in its first week of release. World in Conflict hangs on at second place after making a sudden return last week, while Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition climbs up to take third. Sins of a Solar Empire returns to the top five after a one-week absence, meanwhile, and pushes last week's sales champion, World of Warcraft: Battle Chest, down to fifth place.


Nintendo DS
North America: 1. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo), 2. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 3. Brain Age 2 (Nintendo), 4. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 5. Brain Age (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. DS Bimoji Training (Nintendo), 2. SimCity DS 2 (EA Games), 3. Maji de Manabu: LEC de Ukaru - DS Hishou Boki 3-Kyuu (Square Enix), 4. Bokura wa Kaseki Holder (Nintendo), 5. Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Season (Konami).

UK: 1. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo), 2. 42 All-Time Classics (Nintendo), 3. Solitaire DS (Deep Silver), 4. More Brain Training (Nintendo), 5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega).

With last week's DS sales leader Final Fantasy III bumped back up to retail price and suffering a related drop in customer interest at Amazon, the weekly battle between New Super Mario Bros. and Professor Layton and the Curious Village resumes. Professor Layton comes out on top in this week's results, though next week could tell a different story. Preorder demand for the upcoming roguelike sequel pair Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time indicates that both titles could find themselves topping U.S. Nintendo DS sales upon their release next week.


PlayStation Portable
North America: 1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix), 2. God of War: Chains of Olympus (SCEA), 3. Jeanne D'Arc (SCEA), 4. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Konami), 5. Patapon (SCEA).

Japan: 1. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (Capcom), 2. Star Ocean: The Second Evolution (Square Enix), 3. Maplus Portable Navi 2 (Edia), 4. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (Capcom), 5. Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Lost Colors (Bandai).

UK: 1. God of War: Chains of Olympus (SCEA), 2. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar), 4. Patapon (SCEE), 5. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar).

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and God of War: Chains of Olympus make another predictable appearance at the top of the PSP's software sales chart in North America this week, while strategy-RPG favorite Jeanne D'Arc returns after a long absence following a drop in price at Amazon. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops jumps up a place in this week's results, meanwhile, leaving Patapon at the bottom of the top five.

POSTED: 3.25pm PST, 04/17/08 - Danny Cowan - LINK



[04.15.08]  [Next Column]  [View All...]  [View Other Saling The World Columns]


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