It seems as if video game retailers may not be as affected by the recession as other entertainment industries; some very convincing evidence for this statement can be found in Gamestop’s quarterly earnings report that was released today. Gamestop raked in a record $57.2 million in profit from a gross income of $1.8 billion in the second quarter of 2008. Compared with the situation a year ago, when Gamestop made $21.8 million in profit from $1.4 billion gross revenue, it is surprising. That is a 162% yearly increase in profit and a 38% increase in revenue. This is quite an accomplishment in today’s economy, and a good sign for video games making a place in mainstream entertainment. Gamestop cited GTA IV, MGS4, NCAA ‘09, Wii Fit, and Battlefield: BC as the top 5 sellers in the quarter, in that order, also noting that GTA IV’s first five days of release were out of the quarter. Things can only go up in the second half of the year with major blockbusters like Gears of War 2, Rock Band 2, Fable 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Call of Duty: World at War, Fallout 3, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and many more set for release.
I think most people agree that this hasn’t been the best year for Atari, with a series of scandals ranging from getting their CEO to step down by paying him under the table to attacking a German gaming website for posting a negative review of Alone in the Dark. Many have been expecting Atari’s fall for years as they are now known for releasing lackluster games and many very unsuccessful games every year. Last year they posted an operating loss of 11.3 million. Atari’s bad year culminated when Infogrames finished buying them through an aggressive stock maneuver. (Note: the CEO that was paid to leave was the same one that oversaw this transaction)
But, things may be looking up for Atari. They have finally posted a yearly profit of $3.5 million. In reality, this is chump change for corporations, but we’ll overlook that fact when looking at last year’s losses. Atari cited great sales on Alone in the Dark (over 1 million copies) and Dragon Ball Z as the reason for the profit bump. Let’s just hope the old giant can keep this up.
via Press Release
For everyone residing in the US legally or illegally, here is a list of the newest videos added to the XBL marketplace:
TV
The Closer
UFC New Fights
Atom Films:
- Hell Holes
- Nun Fu: Found
- Closing Time
- Possum Death Spree
Feature Films
Letters from Iwo Jima (6/21) (HD)
Good German (6/21)
Shadow Walkers (HD)
Game Over
Land of the Blind
Cocaine Cowboys
UKM: The Ultimate Killing Machine
Amandla! (HD)
And God Created Woman
Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss (HD)
Blue Hill Avenue
Continue reading ‘Xbox Live Video Marketplace Gets New Content’
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