GameSpasm

GameStop's new, larger Silicon Valley store is being dubbed the retail giant's "store of the future." VentureBeat reports the new stores will meld the worlds of retail and online shopping, by offering "points" to customers who purchase DLC (like the Modern Warfare 2 map pack) from a kiosk in the store. It's all part of the loyalty card program that the company is slowly rolling out across the country.

The retailer's recent purchase of online portal Kongregate is also expected to deliver 10 million unique visitors a month to GameStop's site. The company, which recently missed its earnings target, also plans to invest $100 million a year in expanding its online business.

To use GameStop's online kiosk, customers show their "PowerUp Rewards Pro card" to a scanner and it'll display their purchase history. They can then add games to their wishlist by scanning games off the shelves. To purchase downloadable content for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, users find a specific game in the system, pick the DLC they want, swipe their credit card and out pops a code to redeem at home.

Why would customers take the extra step when the product costs the same at home? Well, because in the store they'll earn rewards and achievements for purchases. It's certainly one way to keep GameStop brick-and-mortar relevant in the upcoming digital distribution age.

GameStop reveals its 'Store of the Future,' pre-order it now for $5 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: business, digital-distribution, DLC, gamestop

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Growth of Apple’s Mac computer sales to enterprises soundly crushed that in the overall market in the second quarter of 2010, rising 50 from a year ago compared to 16 percent growth across the entire market.

The fastest growth was in sales to government organizations, which grew 201 percent year-over-year for the second quarter, followed by 103 percent growth in very large businesses, according to Fortune’s report on a research note from Needham & Company analyst Charles Wolf. (We’ve reached out to Needham to confirm the details.)

Mac sales in education, traditionally a strong point for Apple, fell behind the general market as consumers flocked to cheaper computers. Mac educations sales grew 15 percent compared to 22 percent growth in the general market.

Wolf said Apple’s diligence in its pricing model helped push its share of the amount of money spent on computers up to nearly 10 percent market share, according to AppleInsider, while it still only held about a 5 percent market share in unit sales.

Mac sales also surged in Europe, where Apple’s market share rose from 3.4 percent to 7 percent, and its dollar share rose from 4.6 percent to about 15 percent, Fortune reported.

Wolf attributed the enterprise sales growth to a “halo” effect from iPhone sales — which grew 61 percent year-over-year in its most recent quarter.

Apple set a new record for Mac sales in its second quarter of 2010 selling 3.47 million Mac computers, up 33 percent from the year earlier.

Tags: Business, enterprise, iPhone, mac

Companies: Apple, Needham & Company

People: Charles Wolf

Tags: business, enterprise, iPhone, mac, VentureBeat

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Microsoft is apparently working with Chinese regulators to allow the sale of its Xbox 360 console in the country of 1.3 billion people. Shanghai Daily (subscription required) reports that Ya-Qin Zhang, a corporate VP for MS in China, stated the company is hoping to launch the console legally in the country, but there's currently no timetable on when that will happen. Gamasutra notes the only officially available console in China -- which has a healthy gray console market -- is the iQue, based on N64 hardware and released in 2003.

Neither the Nintendo Wii nor Sony's PlayStation 3 are available in the country. Ironically, both those consoles, along with the Xbox 360, are manufactured in China.

Microsoft working on approval to sell Xbox 360 in China originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: business, China, microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360

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A study commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) found that the video game industry added about $5 billion to the US economy in 2009. The report, "Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2010 Report" [PDF link], claims the industry directly employs about 32,000 people in the States and indirectly employs 120,000 (GameStop employees, video game media, manufacturing and distribution). The average industry employee has an annual compensation of $89,781 -- of course, there's a wide range in that average.

A whopping 41 percent, or 13,041 of industry employees, call California home. Texas and Washington are the next closest, with 3,307 and 2,987 (approximately 10 percent apiece), respectively. The annual growth rate of the industry exceeded 10 percent between 2005 and 2009, which is good -- especially when taking the last few years of bad employment news into account.

ESA: Games industry responsible for $5 billion of US economy originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: business, Economics, Entertainment Software Association, esa, the-esa, usa, Video-Games-In-The-21st-Century

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Financially troubled publisher Majesco recently announced the resignation of its chief financial officer, John Gross, who will be replaced by an interim executive when he leaves August 20. For what are likely his final official remarks at Majesco, Gross leaves with these words: "We have worked as a management team to put an operating plan in place to continue to improve the performance of the company and grow profitability. I wish the company and the management team all the best in the future."

IndustryGamers notes the company lost another $1.6 million in its second fiscal quarter. Also, with a little under a month to go, the company is coming dangerously close to hitting its Nasdaq stock exchange delisting deadline. Come on, Majesco, have Cooking Mama bake up some compliance again.

Majesco's CFO gets out of the kitchen originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: business, cfo, cooking-mama-3, Cooking-Mama-3-Shop-and-Chop, Majesco, majesco-entertainment, Resignation

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From the knocked-out teeth of developer GRIN comes a new studio: Whiteout. GI.biz reports the team is currently working on a CryEngine 3 project, for which it has already created a playable prototype, and will generally focus on downloadable titles. This is likely a wise direction to take, considering Bionic Commando: Rearmed was GRIN's one real success amidst the retail disaster trifecta of Bionic Commando, Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Terminator: Salvation.

Whiteout is at least the third studio to respawn (which is a totally different studio) out of the death of GRIN. Outbreak Studios formed before the corpse was even cold, while Might&Delight -- made up of the Rearmed team -- is also grappling new projects.

Former GRIN devs form Whiteout originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: bionic-commando-rearmed, Bionic-Commando-Remake, Bionic-Commando-XBLA, business, grin, Whiteout

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Spacefaring game designer Richard Garriott has been awarded $28 million in his lawsuit against former employer NCsoft. The Austin American-Statesman reports that Garriott was seeking $47 million -- a much higher figure than earlier reports -- to cover the losses he incurred after being forced to quickly sell his stock in the company at a low point in the market following his termination. He was apparently in quarantine after his $20 million trip into space when NCsoft dropped the banhammer on him. Garriott's agreement with NCsoft was that he would have 10 years to sell his stock if he were ever fired, and NCsoft argued unsuccessfully that he left the company voluntarily.

Garriott said he was "extremely pleased with the jury's decision" in a statement released to the Statesman. Meanwhile, an NCsoft lawyer confirmed that the company is still "considering all options for next steps in the legal process." It might be best to just move on at this point -- you know, start over with a tabula rasa.

Richard Garriott wins $28 million in NCsoft suit originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: business, Lawsuit, Ncsoft, PC, richard garriott

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As analysts predicted, Sony finished the first quarter of its fiscal year (ending June 30, 2010) with a net income of ¥25.7 billion ($295M), a significant increase from the ¥37.1 billion ($426M) loss during the same quarter last year. Overall, sales were up 3.8 percent year-over-year to ¥1.7 trillion ($18.7B).

Compared to the same time last year, the division that houses the PlayStation brand is in a much better place, even though it still operates at a loss. While sales increased 32 percent this year to ¥326 billion ($3.7B), bumped up by PC and PlayStation 3 hardware and software, the division had an operating loss of ¥3.8 billion ($43 million) -- a vast improvement from the ¥36.7 billion ($422M) loss last year. The company expects hardware sales of the PS3 to continue increasing this year and software sales to remain flat.

Sony's PlayStation division sees sales increase, still operating at a loss originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: business, Financials, fiscal, Playstation, PS3, PSP, q1, Sony

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Dutch publisher Playlogic (Fairytale Fights, Obscure: The Aftermath) has notified the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it has entered into "surseance van betaling," which is closely equivalent to the States' Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company claims in the filing that "Tough market conditions, late payments by large customers and the delays in projects have forced the company to seek protection under the Dutch bankruptcy laws."
According to GI.biz, Playlogic is suing distribution partner Koch Media for €1.7 million ($2.2M) in unpaid bills as it continues hemorrhaging money, after recording a $20 million loss in its previous fiscal year. For a company that stated just yesterday that it wasn't bankrupt, it's amazing what a difference a day makes.

Playlogic asks for mercy from court against creditors originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: Bankrupt, Bankruptcy, business, chapter-11, Koch media, Playlogic

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Atari announced that revenues were down 65 percent to €19.3 million ($25M) in the first quarter of its fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. The company didn't reveal any profit or loss data, but given its loss during the previous fiscal year, it's pretty safe to guess that Atari isn't doing so hot. Last year's Q1 included Ghostbusters and The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, while this year had, according to the company, "only one major game" ... Sandlot Sluggers.

A small piece of "good news" during the quarter, which also included another major executive shuffle at the publisher, was that online revenues were up 320 percent to €8.4 million ($10.9M). The much-needed money injection was thanks to digital distribution sales and subscriptions for Star Trek Online and Champions Online.

Some of the hopes Atari has for the rest of the year include the reboot of Haunted House in September, The Witcher 2 next spring and "numerous casual and social online game releases based upon Atari's classic video game brands."

Atari sales down in Q1, online is the glimmer of hope originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments Tags: Atari, business, Financials, q1, revenue, Sales

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