During 2008 Japan's sales dropped a whole 15% lower than what it was in 2007.
While the market was able to rack up Ґ 582.61 billion in 2008, it's still 15% down from 2007, with both the hardware and software sales experiencing their own drops.
Hardware sales took a much harder fall, with sales dropping 23.5% (Ґ 250.5 billion) compared to software which only dropped 7.9% (Ґ 332 billion). Even with the strong numbers we would normally see from the Media, sales did not quite match up to 2007, when patronage for expensive gaming goods continued to mellow down.
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360-Hq
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Japan Gaming Sales down 15%
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 8:09pm EST by Posted by hq_hacker_girl
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TeamXbox
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UGO Acquires 1UP, EGM Closes?
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 6:58pm EST
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Ziff Davis has sold the 1UP digital network to Hearst, the owner of UGO Entertainment, firing up rumors that Electronic Gaming Monthly will publish its last issue this month.
1UP
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UGO Entertainment Acquires 1UP
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 6:40pm EST
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You may have heard the rumors in the past, but today the announcement we've all been waiting for has officially come: UGO Entertainment and parent Hearst Corporation have acquired 1UP and its associated sites GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com, and GameTab.com. 1UP and its sites now join UGO's network of gaming properties that will reach over 40 million monthly unique visitors. UGO and 1UP representatives commented on the deal:
"Since we started UGO 11 years ago, we have served the gamer community and built a world-class online publishing platform," said J Moses, CEO of UGO Entertainment. "The acquisition of 1UP, with its authentic voice, tenured editorial personalities and bustling user community, allows us to expand our base of quality content and represents a major step forward in UGO's mission to become the leader in the games space."
"We are extremely excited to join the UGO team," said Sam Kennedy, editorial director and creator of 1UP. "Relying on UGO's publishing platform will allow us to focus on what we do best -- creating great content and 'owning the conversation' among gamers through our unique, authentic and definitive voice and community."
GameTrailers
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Chaos;Head Noah - Japanese TV Spot
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 6:39pm EST
Enclosure: [download]
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Chaos;Head Noah - Japanese TV Spot
1UP
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PS3 Had a "Strong Holiday Season," Says Sony
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 6:34pm EST
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Not to be bested in the battle of marketing spins by Microsoft, Sony has released figures of their own to spin people's perception of the PS3's success. Sony claims that the year-over-year drop in sales during November was simply an anomaly and that the system has actually seen much better numbers overall.There was understandably some concern following the release of the November NPDs when the PS3 was the only system of the three current-gen consoles to sell fewer consoles than in November 2007. But Sony claims this was an unusual set of circumstances that can be traced back to "an abnormally strong month due to a price cut (with) the introduction of the 40GB PS3," referring to that SKU's release on November 2, 2007.
Sony Computer Entertainment America VP Ian Jackson said (via CNET):
We've had a solid holiday season and have delivered consistent growth throughout this year. 2008 was a pivotal year for PlayStation with the best software line up in the industry, a dramatic expansion of PlayStation Network including the launches of the video delivery service and the beta of the PlayStation Home.
GameTrailers
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Lord of the Rings: Conquest - Multiplayer Gameplay
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 6:33pm EST
Enclosure: [download]
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Lord of the Rings: Conquest - Multiplayer Gameplay
1UP
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Game Night with Street Fighter 4 Postponed
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 6:30pm EST
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SF4 Game Night Coming Tuesday at 5 p.m. PST on ustream.
UPDATE: Due to issues beyond our control, we're postponing this week's episode of Game Night. We want to apologize to all our users for the delay.
1UP's Game Night: Street Fighter 4
Time: Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 5 p.m. PST
Location: Watch the embedded video player right here in this story.
Questions: Ask your question in the Game Night thread on the Street Fighter 4 boards.
360 Fanboy
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Ask X3F: Gotta have Faith edition
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 6:00pm EST by Richard Mitchell
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Filed under: X3F Features
Welcome to the first installment of Ask X3F in the year 2009. We'd like to tell you it's extra special because its the first one of the year, but it's totally not! Nope, It's completely ordinary and mundane. All we do in answer some questions as best as we can. Nothing special about that. Still, if you insist on reading it, you should know that we discuss VGA backwards compatibility problems, Saints Row 2 issues, Faith and a .45, and an assortment of other random topics. Click forth and read like it's 2009. Because, well, it is.
Got a question for Ask X3F? Maybe you have a story or some information you'd like to share? Send it all to ask [att] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.Continue reading Ask X3F: Gotta have Faith edition
Ask X3F: Gotta have Faith edition originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
1UP
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Leak Seemingly Confirms Forza Motorsport 3
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 5:57pm EST
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Forza Central, a fansite dedicated to Microsoft's and Turn-10's racing series, discovered an interesting bit of info regarding Forza Motorsport 3 late last month. It seems that Kaarbo Design, a company that worked with Turn-10 in the past on menu graphics in the original Forza, accidentally let slip on their website that they're again working with Turn-10 on Forza 3. This also, naturally, seems to have once and for all confirmed the existence of Forza 3.
All mention of Forza 3 has since been taken down from Kaarbo Design's website, but not before a user on Forza Central's forum took screen captures for proof (via EvilAvatar). As you can see in the picture to the right, it looks like Kaarbo created a number of sample posters for race events that would appear in Forza 3, with a clear "Forza 3" logo in the corners of each poster. Furthermore, Forza 3 was also temporarily included on Kaarbo's website in the list of games they've worked on (you can see that screen capture here.)
This isn't the first leak Forza 3 has been involved with. Way back in June, Forza 3 was part of the massive series of leaks from marketing and research company Intellisponse. The leak at that time indicated a number of potential features for Forza 3, including the possibility that the game would be released on two discs and would be packed with 100 tracks and 400 cars.
TeamXbox
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Street Fighter IV Cammy Screens and Concept Art Images
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 5:29pm EST
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Capcom has released new screenshots and concept art images of Street Fighter IV featuring Cammy.
1UP
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Nintendo Dominates Contracting Japanese Videogame Market
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 5:22pm EST
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Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft translated Famitsu's report on the 2008 year end sales data for Japan put together by Enterbrain. Overall the combined market for hardware and software declined a substantial 15 percent from 687.95 billion Yen in 2007 to 582.61 billion Yen on 2008. Hardware bore the brunt of the loss, falling some 23 percent from 327.41 billion Yen to 250.5 billion Yen spent, and in part this can be attributed to price reductions on the consoles. In contrast, software sales only slipped about 8 percent compared to 2007, falling from 360.54 billion Yen to 332.12 billion Yen spent.
The figures also overwhelmingly show that when Japanese gamers do spend on games, that money predominantly winds up going to Nintendo. Its handheld hardware rolled on, racking up combined sales 4,029,804 units of the DS, Lite, and new DSi. Likewise, the Wii topped the home console arena with 2,908,342 sold in 2008. That story repeats in software sales where Nintendo games nabbed four of the top five spots with Pokemon Platinum, Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Despite the Nintendo avalanche, Sony managed to land the top selling software of 2008 on its PSP platform, but from a third-party developer. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G took those honors with 2,452,111 sold. Buoyed by its popularity, the PSP hardware also sold well, coming in second in total sales for the year at 3,543,171 sold. Meanwhile PS3 failed to crack a million sold for the year, coming in at 991,303. And Microsoft brought up the rear moving an estimated 317,859 Xbox 360s in Japan for 2008. That only brings its estimated total lifetime sales in Japan up to 866,167, but given its struggles there this could be an indication that with the right software titles Microsoft's console may have some hope of carving out a little market space. Then again, the PS3 still outsold that number in just its 2008 sales.
360 Fanboy
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Roy Orbison Rock Band DLC now available
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 5:15pm EST by Dustin Burg
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Filed under: News, Xbox Live Marketplace, Rock Band 2
Delayed only a few hours from its traditional early AM release, we're pleased to inform you that new Roy Orbison music for Rock Band is ready for purchase. All six DLC tracks can be found on the Xbox Live Marketplace, each costing 160 Microsoft points or bundled for 800. Look towards the fold for a listing of all of today's new Rock Band music and ponder how musically talented Orbison really is.Continue reading Roy Orbison Rock Band DLC now available
Roy Orbison Rock Band DLC now available originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
1UP
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Midway Reaches Extension Agreement with Bondholders
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 5:01pm EST
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It's hard to call this good news, considering the circumstances, but it's one step in the right direction for Midway. Business Week reports that the financially troubled publisher has reached an agreement with some of its bondholders to extend the deadline to have their bonds bought back until February 19.When Sumner Redstone sold his majority stake in Midway back in December, it triggered a provision that allowed bondholders to have their bonds bought back by Midway in full. It was likely that all bondholders would seek this option, meaning Midway would have to pay out a total of $150 million -- a move that would have bankrupted the publisher. Midway had only 50 days to pay back the money, but this extension gives them a little more time.
It's not a complete solution, however, as the agreement was only with holders of $75 million senior notes due 2026. Midway said it's also working on a similar agreement with holders of senior notes due 2025, but evidently such an agreement hasn't been reached yet.
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Xbox 360 Records its Biggest Year Ever in 2008
Posted: January 6th, 2009, 4:30pm EST
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Following up on yesterday's announcement that the Xbox 360 had its best ever Christmas performance in Europe, Microsoft today announced that 2008 has turned out to be the biggest year for the console since its launch. With Xbox Live expanding to 17 million "active members" (what deems someone an "active member" is unbeknownst to us) and 28 million consoles sold worldwide, Microsoft claims that the 360 now has more than an 8 million unit lead over the PlayStation 3. They also report that online consumer spending increased by 84% -- but that could very easily be attributed to the increase in Xbox 360 owners and the expanding library of content."For Xbox, 2008 will be remembered around the world as a pivotal growth year at retail and online -- even in the face of tough economic conditions," said Microsoft senior VP Don Mattrick. "Worldwide, a record number of players flocked to our broadest games and entertainment lineup ever, while the New Xbox Experience thrilled millions of fans by making our console even more engaging. And yet, we've only provided a glimpse into the new world of interactive entertainment that we're imagining. The best of Xbox 360 is yet to come."
Whether that's hyperbole or if Microsoft really does have some aces up their sleeves, we don't know at this point. With Gears of War 2 having just released along with the New Xbox Experience, we've seen a lot of what Microsoft has to offer -- at least from a first-party perspective. If you're not a Halo fan, there doesn't seem to be much on the horizon, but Microsoft could quite easily be waiting for the right moment to spring new announcements on us.
