Sony PS3 Pricecut, Welcome News for Activision, Electronic Arts, Game... -08/18/09 at 12:57 PM CDTby Perry Rod

There is a universal sigh of relief in the interactive entertainment industry today as Sony has just announced at the end of their Gamescon 2009 presentation that the new PlayStation 3 Slim will now be $299 (299 euros, 29980 yen).  That will also be the new price for all PlayStation 3's for sale on the market starting tomorrow, August 19, 2009. Kotak...

Activision Executives Sell Millions of Shares While Company Buys Back... -08/17/09 at 10:41 AM CDTby Mahyar Hashemi

Activision Inc. (ATVI) upped their stock buyback program from 1 to 1.25 billion dollars worth of shares on August 5 as a part of their first quarter earnings report announcement.  At the same time, the company’s CEO Robert Kotick was still busy selling stock, including recent sales disclosed late in the day to the SEC on Friday, August 14.&nbsp...

Electronic Arts CFO Says EA No Longer Interested in Take Two Interactive -08/11/09 at 3:18 PM CDTby Perry Rod

In response to a question at the Pacific Crest Technology Leadership Forum in Vail, Colorado earlier today, Electronic Arts (ERTS) Chief Financial Officer Eric Brown offered EA's most definitive statement yet on a possible deal between Take Two (TTWO) Interactive Inc. and EA. "That's a deal whose timeframe has, you know, come and long gone. And so we're j...

Summer Meltdown For The Video Game Industry -07/30/09 at 8:18 AM CDTby Perry Rod

Sony and Nintendo reported disappointing numbers in Japan overnight. Nintendo Wii sales dropped 57% year over year from 5.17 million to 2.23 million units worldwide.  Sales of PlayStation 3 dropped 31% year over year from 1.6 million to 1.1 million units worldwide.  PS3 software sales were down 35% in that same period.  The PlayStation Port...

THQ Talks Up Darksiders and Red Faction 2, But Talk is Cheap For This... -07/28/09 at 7:15 PM CDTby Perry Rod

THQ announced today that they made .09 non-GAAP earnings from what looked to be a spectacular quarter, which included UFC Undisputed, Red Faction and considerable cost reductions.  Now they are talking about making only around 90 million in revenues in the second quarter and somewhere in the ballpark of -.50 earnings.  That'll make it around -.4...

No Regrets, No Responsibility: Strauss Zelnick, Take Two Interactive'... -07/20/09 at 11:03 AM CDTby Perry Rod

“I don’t engage in regrets,” he said in an interview with CNBC last month. It was a revealing statement by the chairman of Take Two Interactive, Inc. (TTWO). A humble man may have had some regrets, given the dramatic fall of the company’s stock.  But humility is almost certainly not a quality requirement for one who engages in...

THQ Inc. Sells Over 1 Million UFC Undisputed Copies In First Month -06/11/09 at 6:40 PM CDTby Mahyar Hashemi

According to research group NPD, UFC Undisputed moved just over a million copies in its first twelve days on the shelf in North America.  That may explain why THQ stock is up 64% since its release date.  Analysts were expecting much fewer first month sales.  Wedbush Morgan senior analyst Michael Pachter had predicted 400,000 copies to sell ...

THQ Inc. and Take Two Interactive - A Similar Value? -06/10/09 at 11:22 AM CDTby Perry Rod

According to recent trading, video game companies THQ Inc (THQI). and Take Two (TTWO) Interactive Software, Inc. have a nearly identical market capitalization value.  THQ stock has nearly tripled in the last three months on word of solid sales of their new games, UFC Undisputed and Red Faction Guerilla.  But do these companies really deserve sim...

THQ Unloads a Powerful Punch at E3 -06/09/09 at 3:04 PM CDTby Mahyar Hashemi

Since the start of the E3 Expo in Los Angeles just five business days ago, THQ Inc. stock has soared nearly 27% as of midday trading today. Investors must have been impressed.  THQ showed off Darksiders, Homefront and Warhammer, along with current releases Red Faction and UFC Undisputed.  THQ stock had hit a low of $2.23 this year as a...

THQ Ships Two Million Copies of UFC Undisputed -06/03/09 at 8:13 AM CDTby Mahyar Hashemi

In a special message to investors, THQ Inc. (THQI) CEO Brian Farrell announced that the new mixed martial arts title, UFC Undisputed, has shipped over two million copies worldwide.  He added that he is, "very pleased with the sell through" of those copies.  The game released in North America on May 19th. On their May 7th conference call, Farrell...

Take Two Interactive Unveils Bioshock 2 Multiplayer at E3 Expo -06/02/09 at 10:21 PM CDTby Perry Rod

Upstairs in a private room, away from the spectacle that is the E3 Expo floor convention, Take Two (TTWO) Interactive privately showed us Bioshock 2 Multiplayer. The original and highly acclaimed Bioshock did not have a multiplayer experience, which analysts suggest limited sales despite the rave reviews. But hold onto your hats.  Not only does the s...