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Breaking Gaming Industry NewsSony to Launch Online Entertainment Store in 2010Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 11:23am.
 Tokyo
- Sony (NYSE: SNE) announced plans on Friday to launch a new online store next year that will sell books, music and movies next year, and deliver content to
networked televisions and other devices. The company did not provide many
details about the "Sony Online Service," as it is tentatively being
called, but is expected to be positioned as a competitor to Apple's iTunes
Store.
tags: Games | Video | TV | Sony | Apple | Movies | Publishing | Books | iTunes Store | Sony Online Service |
"Call of Duty" Generates Record $550 Million in First 5 DaysAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 18, 2009 - 11:26am.
 Santa Monica,
Calif. - Video game publisher
Activision Blizzard (NASD: ATVI), a unit of Vivendi, announced on Wednesday that its
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" has become "the biggest
entertainment launch in history," racking up $550 million during
its first five days on sale. The previous five-day sales record for a video game was
set last summer by "Grand Theft Auto IV," which sold 6 million units
and made $500 million; the largest five-day opening worldwide box office gross
is held by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" ($394 million).
In-Game Video Ad Firm NeoEdge Merges With OffspringAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 19, 2009 - 10:22am.
Mountain View,
Calif. - NeoEdge, a provider of
in-game video ad insertion services, announced on Thursday that it will merge
with Offspring, a developer of casual online games.
Adknowledge Buys Ad Network Unit of SocialMedia.comAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 19, 2009 - 9:59am.
Kansas City,
Mo. - Adknowledge, a provider of
behavioral online advertising services, announced on Thursday that it has
acquired the advertising business of SocialMedia.com.
tags: Games | Deals | Advertising | Social Networking | Acquisitions | Adknowledge | SocialMedia.com |
GameStop Buys Stake in Digital Game Distributor JoltAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 19, 2009 - 9:47am.
Grapevine, Texas - U.S. video game
retail store chain GameStop (NYSE: GME) has purchased a stake in U.K.-based Jolt, a
provider of video game news and a digital distribution platform.
Blockbuster Expands Online Game Rental Pilot to SeattleAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 18, 2009 - 1:19pm.
Dallas - Video rental chain
Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) on Wednesday announced that it will expand a pilot test of its
online game rental service to Seattle, after
launching in Cleveland
earlier this year. The $7.99 Games By Mail service is available to Blockbuster
Online movie rental subscribers, and allows unlimited monthly rentals with one
game out at time.
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Get Facebook, Social Media IntegrationAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 18, 2009 - 12:47pm.
Foster City,
Calif. - A day after Microsoft (NASD: MSFT)
introduced Xbox 360 integration with social media services including Facebook,
Twitter and Last.fm, Sony (NYSE: SNE) Computer Entertainment America announced its own
integration of Facebook on the PlayStation 3 platform.
tags: Games | Social Networking | Sony | Microsoft | Facebook | Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | last.fm | Twitter |
LimeLife Raises $1 Million for Women's Lifestyle SiteAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 18, 2009 - 9:52am.
Menlo Park,
Calif. - LimeLife, a
women-focused community site offering news, entertainment and lifestyle content, has
raised $1 million in new venture capital financing, PaidContent reported,
citing a regulatory filing.
Zynga Raises $15.1 Million for Casual Social GamesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 17, 2009 - 7:25am.
San Francisco
- Zynga, a publisher of casual games on social networks, has raised $15.1
million in a third round of funding, PEHub.com reported, citing a regulatory
filing. Investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Foundry Group and
Reid Hoffman.
tags: Games | Deals | VC | Social Networking | Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers | Zynga | Foundry Group | Reid Hoffman |
AFTRA Accepts New Video Game ContractAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2009 - 1:23pm.
Los Angeles
- Members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) voted
2-to-1 in favor of approving a new labor contract with video game developers
and publishers, the guild said last week. The new 15-month deal includes a 2.5%
increase in pay. A similar contract with game publishers was recently rejected
by the Screen Actors Guild.
Report: Despite Economy, Entertainment Subscriptions Hold UpAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2009 - 12:48pm.
Port Washington,
N.Y. - While fewer Americans
subscribe to newspapers and magazines, the subscription model continues to either
maintain popularity or grow in areas including television, music, games and
mobile services, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group.
Report: U.S. Video Game Sales Fell 19% in OctoberAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 13, 2009 - 10:21am.
 Port Washington, N.Y. - U.S. video game sales dropped 19% in
October from a year ago, to $1.07 billion, continuing a recent downward trend
that will likely lead to slightly lower annual sales figures than 2008,
according to a report from market research firm NPD Group. Overall sales this
year so far are down 13%, to $11.43 billion, and are likely to reach $20-$21
billion, below 2008's $21.3 billion total. "The continued economic
turmoil, and in particular the troubling unemployment rate, is undoubtedly impacting
industry sales," said NPS analyst Anita Frazier. "If consumers'
personal outlook continues to erode, they could very well be much more
conservative with their holiday shopping this year."
tags: Games | Sony | Reports | Microsoft | Nintendo | Activision | Retail | Take-Two Interactive | Research | NPD Group |
Social Games Firm Playdom Acquires Green Patch, Trippert LabsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 13, 2009 - 9:02am.
Mountain View,
Calif. - A day after it raised
$43 million in new financing, social games developer Playdom announced that it
has acquired Facebook game developer Green Patch, and iPhone and social game
developer Trippert Labs.
Microsoft's Massive, comScore to Study In-Game AdsAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 12, 2009 - 11:06am.
Redmond,
Wash. - Microsoft's (NASD: MSFT) Massive
in-game advertising network announced on Thursday that it has partnered with
Internet audience measurement firm comScore, to measure the effectiveness of
in-game ads. The companies will seek to find out the degree to which in-game
ads motivate gamers to visit websites; conduct brand-related searches; and
engage in other actions that had previously gone unmeasured. Preliminary
research indicates that people exposed to in-game ads registered a 280%
increase in visits to a TV channel's website, compared with those not exposed
to the ads.
Report: Microsoft Project Natal Game System May Cost $50Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 12, 2009 - 10:23am.
London - Microsoft's (NASD: MSFT) forthcoming gesture-based gaming
system, codenamed Project Natal, could launch in November 2010 with a price tag
of just $50, Britain's MCV reported, citing demonstrations of the technology
Microsoft is providing U.K. studios in a bid to encourage developer support.
"Call of Duty" First-Day Sales Top 4.7M Copies, $310 MillionAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 12, 2009 - 9:35am.
Santa Monica,
Calif. - Video game publisher
Activision (NASD: ATVI), a unit of Vivendi, announced on Thursday that its anticipated "Call
of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" game racked up an estimated $310 million in
first-day sales across North America and the U.K. Activision said the game
received a record number of pre-orders before its official release on Tuesday,
when over 10,000 U.S. retail outlets stayed open until midnight to sell the
title.
Churchill Downs Bids $126.8 Million for Youbet.comAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 12, 2009 - 8:48am.
Louisville,
Ky. - Churchill Downs
Incorporated, whose holdings including the Kentucky Derby horse race and other
race tracks, announced on Thursday a $126.8 million bid to acquire online
gambling site Youbet.com.
Berlin's Wooga Lands $7.5 Million for Social GamesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 12, 2009 - 8:11am.
Berlin
- Wooga, a Berlin-based developer of games for online social networks, announced
on Thursday that it has raised $7.5 million in new financing, led by Balderton
Capital.
Playdom Raises $43 Million for Social Online GamesAuthored by Mark Hefflinger on November 11, 2009 - 1:35pm.
Mountain View,
Calif. - Playdom, a developer of
online games for social networks whose titles include "Mobsters," has
raised a $43 million first round of funding, led by New Enterprise Associates, TechCrunch
reported.
tags: Games | Deals | VC | Social Networking | Norwest Venture Partners | New Enterprise Associates | Lightspeed Venture Partners | Playdom |
Activision Releases "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2"Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 10, 2009 - 11:38am.
Santa Monica, Calif. - Video game publisher Activision (NASD: ATVI) on Tuesday
released its anticipated title "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," with
more than 10,000 U.S.
retail outlets staying open until midnight last night to sell the game.
Activision also said that the game saw an unprecedented number of pre-order
reservations across the globe. The release has the potential to be the biggest
entertainment release of all time, eclipsing last summer's "Grand Theft
Auto IV," which racked up $500 million in sales in its first week.
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