U.S. video game sales declined 5.7% in 2010

FNN: According to a report by the NPD Group, video game sales in the U.S. posted a 5.7% decline in 2010 to $18.6B from $19.7B in 2009 and $21.4B in 2008. As consumers curtailed spending in the uncertain economy, the group says games and consoles took a hit for the year, with software sales down 5.6% to $9.4B and console sales falling 12.5% to $6.3B. At the same time, video game accessories gained 13% to $2.9B.


Spending should be back to normal this year with an ascendant stock market, healthier jobs market, and Nintendo 3DS.

Tactics Ogre leads Japanese sales

    4Gamer.net has listed the Media Create software sales data for the week of November 11, 2010 and PSP Tactics Ogre leads the pack with 176,153 units sold. PS3 Dragon Ball Raging Blast 2 followed in second place and Wii Super Mario Bros 25th Anniversary Collection came in third.


    Rounding out the top ten were: (4) NDS Pokemon Black, (5) NDS Tongari Boushi to Mahou no Omise, (6) PSP God Eater Burst, (7) PS3 Winning Eleven 2011, (8) Wii Party, (9) Wii Sports Resort, and (10) Wii Keito no Kirby.

Microsoft Moves a Million Kinects in 10 days

   Since its launch on November 4, 2010, Microsoft has sold 1 million Kinect units and bundles in the first 10 days of availability. The Kinect is Microsoft's answer to the Wii's motion-sensing Remote and Nunchuk controllers which allows gamers to play video games without using a handheld controller. Microsoft is expecting to sell a total of 5 million Kinects by the end of 2010 which is up from the company's earlier projection of 3 million units.
  
   Sony's answer to the Nintendo Remote and Wii is a device called the "Move" which shipped to American retailers on September 17, 2010. According to Sony, over 1 million Move devices have sold in the first 30 days of availability.

Medal of Honor sells 1.5 million copies in under 1 week

   Remember the mediocre reviews granted to Medal of Honor last week which caused EA shares to sell off? Despite those mediocre reviews, EA nevertheless presold and sold 1.5 million copies of the game globally in under a week. Maybe no one reads reviews but the "mediocrity" of the game has apparently not caused a sales slump as so-called investors had feared. With the holiday season dead ahead, I'd estimate that EA will sell another 250,000-500,000 copies of the game before the end of the year. If the latter number is hit, EA would have booked roughly $100 million in revenue on the game - not bad.

   EA shares continue to sell off on the back of market weakness but I've been adding shares. I've decided to increase my position to a total of 5000 shares which I'll sit on like a rooster for the next 5 years. My position is currently at 4600 shares so I have another 400 to buy before I lock EA up and then concentrate on my Amazon position.