Tag Archives: sne

Video game business a ‘Battlefield’ in March

Cops-and-robbers video game “Battlefield Hardline” from Electronic Arts (EA) shot up the competition last month in what was an overall down month for the video game sector. “Battlefield Hardline” was the No. 1 best-selling video game at U.S. retail in March, the NPD Group reported late Thursday. Sony ‘s (SNE) “Bloodborne” came in second place for sales, followed by Take-Two Interactive Software ‘s (TTWO) “Grand Theft Auto 5” and Nintendo ‘s (NTDOY) “Mario Party 10.” Overall sales of new video game products fell 6% year over year to $964 million in March, NPD said. Game hardware suffered the biggest drop, down 21% to $311 million. Game software sales dipped 3% to $395 million. Game accessory sales rose 15% to $257 million.

New ‘Guitar Hero’ game rocks Activision stock

Activision Blizzard (ATVI) investors decided to rock out with their stock out Wednesday on news that the video game publisher plans to release its first version of the once-popular music game “Guitar Hero” in five years. Activision shares were up as much as 2.2% on the stock market today. In afternoon trading, Activision was up a fraction, near 23. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based game publisher said that “Guitar Hero Live” will be available this fall on Microsoft ‘s (MSFT) Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Sony ‘s (SNE) PlayStation 3 and 4 and Nintendo ‘s (NTDOY) Wii U console, as well as select mobile devices. The game will cost $99 and include one controller. “Guitar Hero Live” will use a redesigned

Over-the-top TV bundles deemed dead on arrival

New Internet television services from Dish Network (DISH), Sony and possibly Apple are unlikely to please either potential cable TV cord-cutters or cord nevers, Bernstein Research said in a report Thursday. The over-the-top video services announced or rumored so far are too narrow for existing pay-TV subscribers and are too expensive for people who have opted not to subscribe to traditional pay-TV services, Bernstein analyst Todd Juenger said in the report. His findings were based on comments made at focus groups in New York City and San Francisco. The groups were composed of people who identified themselves as “highly likely to cut the cord in the next six months,” as well as people who felt just the opposite. Based on the focus groups, Juenger is pessimistic on the prospects for Sling TV from Dish Network, PlayStation Vue from Sony (SNE) and a rumored Apple (AAPL) TV service. “A strong body…