GTA4 & Tony Stark Kill A Dumb Idea

Last year with the release of Halo (the ever popular XBox first person shooter) we saw the beginning of a heavy PR campaign to place the blame of decreasing Box Office revenue on video games. You see, the fact that a movie fails to live up to studio estimates no longer is solely due to the quality of the film. It apparently has to do with pirates, weather & now video game releases. A popular video game (so the theory went) draws disposable cash from the same core demographic as most films and therefor if a $50 video game comes out the same week as a movie then it will naturally kill the first week revenue of that film.

The theory was a joke almost from the moment that it came out of Studio Exec’s mouths and was reported on by everyone including PC World: Halo 3 Triggers Worst Box Office October in Eight Years? but no one had any solid example to disprove the idea.

Half a year later comes the epic match up of Grand Theft Auto 4 & Iron Man. There could not have been two better products with the same audience. The anticipation for both was extremely high for months if not years in advance.

Who would sink? Who would swim? Which would come out alive?

In the end the answer was a clear and resounding……BOTH.

GTA4 had a first week sales of over 1 million units in England alone where it broke previous first week sales records. Estimates of 6 million units sold worldwide, generating $400 million for Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

Iron Man on the other end had a weekend box office of over $200 million worldwide. With expectations of breaking $300 million within a month.

So in the end what did the battle show? That you make a good game or movie and you will get people to pay. You make something like “The Heartbreak Kid” and you get nowhere fast. Time to go back to the drawing board to come up with a new scapegoat for that $100 million flop you have coming down the pipe.

Economy is Soft but Porn Industry is Flaccid

Till now, porn has been a recession-proof business. As many business watchmen will tell you Porn is often a bell weather industry and right now Porn is on the decline.

The numbers are:

DVD porn is down between 10% and 30%, depending on which genre you scrutinize.

Joy King, executive vice president of Wicked Pictures, says the smallest drop is in “couples-friendly porn” Women account for roughly half of this audience.

“Gonzo” is having some of the biggest loss.

Online Porn which has long held some of the largest viewers but smallest per capita revenue is also on decline.

source: Peter Bart

Top 100 Selling Games of 4/07-4/08

100. Ninja Gaiden Sigma
PS3 Exclusive
470K Units Sold
88% Rating
June/Action
Tecmo/Team Ninja

99. Cooking Mama: Cook Off
Wii Exclusive
470K Units Sold
61% Rating
March/Other (Cooking)
Majesco/Office Create

98. Naruto: Ninja Council 3
DS Exclusive
470K Units Sold
57% Rating
May/License
D3Publisher/Eighting

97. NASCAR 08
PS2/PS3/X360
490K Units Sold
56% Rating
July/License
EA/EA Tiburon

96. EA Playground
Wii/DS
500K Units Sold
66% Rating
October/Other (Party)
EA/EA Canada

95. Turok
X360/PS3
500K Units Sold
69% Rating
February/Shooter
Touchstone/Propaganda Games

94. Bee Movie Game
DS/Wii/PS2/X360/PC
530K Units Sold
58% Rating
October/License
Activision/Beenox (PS2/X360/PC), Smart Bomb (Wii), Vicarious Visions (DS)

93. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
PS3 (other versions came out earlier and are not counted here)
530K Units Sold
93% Rating
March/RPG
Bethesda/Bethesda

92. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Wii Exclusive
540K Units Sold
75% Rating
November/Shooter (Rail Shooter)
Capcom/Capcom, cavia

91. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
PC Exclusive Expansion Pack
540K Units Sold
74% Rating
September/Other (Simulation)
EA/EA Redwood Shores

90. Surf’s Up
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/DS/GC/Wii/GBA/PC
560K Units Sold
60% Rating
May/License
Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal

89. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
PS2/PS3/X360/Wii/DS
560K Units Sold
36% Rating
June/License
2K Games/Visual Concepts (PS2/PS3/X360), 7 Studios (Wii/DS)

88. Boogie
Wii/DS/PS2
560K Units Sold
57% Rating
August/Other (Music)
EA/EA Montreal

87. Cars Mater-National
DS/PS2/PS3/X360/Wii/PC
570K Units Sold
69% Rating
October/License
THQ/Rainbow Studios

86. Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
DS/PS2/PSP/X360/Wii/PC
570K Units Sold
55% Rating
October/License
Activision/Next Level (PS2/PSP/X360/Wii/PC), Artificial Mind (DS)

85. Burnout Dominator
PS2/PSP
570K Units Sold
76% Rating
March/Racing
EA/EA UK

84. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
X360/PS3/PC
590K Units Sold
65% Rating
November/Shooter
Eidos/io Interactive

83. Ben 10: Protectors of Earth
PS2/PSP/DS/Wii
590K Units Sold
59% Rating*
October/License
D3Publisher/High Voltage Games

82. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
PS3 Exclusive
600K Units Sold
88% Rating
October/Action
SCEA/Insomniac

81. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party
Wii Exclusive
610K Units Sold
69% Rating
September/Other (Music)
Konami/Konami

80. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Wii
610K Units Sold
71% Rating
March/Sports
EA/EA Redwood Shores

79. Heavenly Sword
PS3 Exclusive
630K Units Sold
79% Rating
September/Action
SCE/Ninja Theory

78. Spongebob’s Atlantis Squarepantis
DS/Wii/PS2/GBA
630K Units Sold
65% Rating
October/License
THQ/THQ

77. Crash of the Titans
PS2/PSP/X360/DS/Wii
630K Units Sold
70% Rating
October/Action
Sierra/Radical

76. Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
Wii/DS
630K Units Sold
67% Rating
November/Other (Minigame)
Ubisoft/Ubisoft Paris

75. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2
PS2 Exclusive
660K Units Sold
73% Rating
June/License
Namco Bandai/CyberConnect2

74. The Darkness
360/PS3
660K Units Sold
82% Rating
June/Shooter
2K Games/Starbreeze Studios

73. NBA 2K8
PS2/PS3/X360
670K Units Sold
72% Rating
October/Sports
2K Sports/Visual Concepts

72. Burnout Paradise
X360/PS3
680K Units Sold
89% Rating
January/Racing
EA/Criterion

71. Dirt
360/PS3/PC
690K Units Sold
83% Rating
June/Racing
Codemasters/Codemasters

70. Tomb Raider: Anniversary
PS2/PSP/X360/Wii/PC
700K Units Sold
81% Rating
June/Action
Eidos/Crystal Dynamics

69. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas
PS3/PSP (other versions came out earlier and are not counted here)
700K Units Sold
86% Rating
June/Shooter
Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal

68. Medal of Honor: Airborne
X360/PS3/PC
710K Units Sold
73% Rating
September/Shooter
EA/EA LA

67. Imagine: Fashion Designer
DS Exclusive
710K Units Sold
30% Rating*
October/Other (Fashion Sim)
Ubisoft/Virtual Toys

66. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
PS2 (other versions came out earlier and are not counted here)
720K Units Sold
75% Rating
March/Action
Rockstar/Rockstar Leeds

65. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
PS3 Exclusive
730K Units Sold
88% Rating
November/Action
SCE/Naughty Dog

64. The Bigs
Wii/X360/PS2/PS3/PSP
730K Units Sold
66% Rating
June/Sports
2K Games/Blue Castle Games

63. MX Vs ATV: Untamed
360/PS2/PS3/PSP/Wii/DS
750K Units Sold
70% Rating
December/Racing
THQ/Rainbow Studios

62. Skate
360/PS3
780K Units Sold
86% Rating
September/Sports
EA/EA Black Box

61. Drawn to Life
DS Exclusive
820K Units Sold
73% Rating
September/Action
THQ/5th Cell

60. Medal of Honor: Vanguard
PS2/Wii
820K Units Sold
63% Rating
March/Shooter
EA/EA LA

59. Spectrobes
DS Exclusive
820K Units Sold
63% Rating
March/RPG
Disney Interactive (the Buena Vista)/Jupiter Corp

58. Pokemon Battle Revolution
Wii Exclusive
850K Units Sold
53% Rating
June/Action
Nintendo/Genius Sonority

57. Hannah Montana: Music Jam
DS Exclusive
890K Units Sold
60% Rating
November/License
Disney Interactive/Gorilla Games

56. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
Wii Exclusive
900K Units Sold
91% Rating
June/Action
Capcom/Capcom

55. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
PS2/Wii
920K Units Sold
73% Rating
November/License
Atari/Namco Bandai, Spike

54. Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground
PS2/PS3/Wii/DS/X360
950K Units Sold
65% Rating
October/Sports
Activision/Neversoft

53. Football Manager 2008 (Worldwide Soccer Manager 2008 in America)
PC/X360/PSP
1M Units Sold
86% Rating
October/Sports
SEGA/Sports Interactive

52. Motorstorm
PS3 Exclusive
1M Units Sold
82% Rating
March/Racing
SCE/Evolution Studios

51. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
PS2 Exclusive
1M Units Sold
69% Rating
July/Other (Music)
Activision/Harmonix

50. Devil May Cry 4
X360/PS3
1M Units Sold
84% Rating
February/Action
Capcom/Capcom

49. The Sims 2: Castaway
DS/PS2/PSP/Wii
1M Units Sold
66% Rating
October/Other (Life Simulator)
EA/Maxis

48. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Wii Exclusive
1.1M Units Sold
90% Rating
August/Shooter
Nintendo/Retro Studios

47. Carnival Games
Wii Exclusive
1.1M Units Sold
56% Rating
August/Other (Minigame)
Global Star/Cat Daddy Games

46. NBA Live 08
PS2/PS3/PSP/360/PC/Wii
1.1M Units Sold
68% Rating
October/Sports
EA/EA Canada

45. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
X360/PS3/PSP/PC
1.1M Units Sold
86% Rating
March/Shooter
Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal

44. The Orange Box
X360/PS3/PC
1.1M Units Sold
96% Rating
October/Shooter
EA/Valve

43. Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day
DS Exclusive
1.1M Units Sold
59% Rating
October/Other
Nintendo/Namco Bandai

42. TMNT
PS2/GBA/DS/GC/Wii/PC/PSP/X360
1.2M Units Sold
61% Rating
March/License
Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal

41. Mario Strikers: Charged
Wii Exclusive
1.2M Units Sold
79% Rating
July/Sports
Nintendo/Next Level Games

40. High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut!
DS Exclusive
1.2M Units Sold
66% Rating
August/License
Disney Interactive/A2M Units Sold

39. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
PC/X360
1.3M Units Sold
85% Rating
March/Other (Strategy)
EA/ EA LA

38. Thrillville: Off the Rails
PS2/PSP/PC/Wii/DS/X360
1.3M Units Sold
70% Rating
October/Other (Simulation)
LucasArts/Frontier

37. Singstar (all PS2 versions)
PS2 Exclusive
1.3M Units Sold
78% Rating
Various/Other (Music)
SCE/SCE Studios London

36. High School Musical: Sing It!
Wii/PS2
1.3M Units Sold
64% Rating
October/License
Disney Interactive/A2M Units Sold

35. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Wii Exclusive
1.3M Units Sold
68% Rating
June/Puzzle
Nintendo/Nintendo

34. Mass Effect
X360 Exclusive
1.4M Units Sold
91% Rating
November/RPG
Microsoft/BioWare

33. Shrek the Third
PS2/PSP/X360/PC/GBA/DS/Wii
1.4M Units Sold
56% Rating
May/License
Activision/Amaze (PS2/Wii/PSP), 7 Studios (360/PC), Vicarious Visions (GBA/DS)

32. Rock Band
X360/PS3/PS2
1.5M Units Sold
93% Rating
November/Other (Music)
MTV Games/Harmonix

31. Mario Party DS
DS Exclusive
1.5M Units Sold
72% Rating
November/Other (Party)
Nintendo/Hudson Soft

30. NCAA Football 08
PS2/PS2/XBX/X360
1.5M Units Sold
83% Rating
July/Sports
EA/EA Tiburon

29. BioShock
X360/PC
1.7M Units Sold
96% Rating
August/Shooter
2K Games/2K Boston

28. Super Paper Mario
Wii Exclusive
1.8M Units Sold
85% Rating
April/RPG
Nintendo/Intelligent Systems

27. LEGO Star Wars: Complete Saga
Wii/DS/PS3/X360
1.8M Units Sold
80% Rating
November/License
LucasArts/Traveller’s Tales

26. MySims
DS/Wii
1.8M Units Sold
68% Rating
September/Other (Simulation)
EA/Maxis

25. God of War II
PS2 Exclusive
1.8M Units Sold
93% Rating
March/Action
SCE/SCE Santa Monica

24. Ratatouille
DS/PS2/GC/PS3/Wii
PC/GBA/X360/PSP/XBX
1.9M Units Sold
64% Rating
June/License
THQ/Heavy Iron

23. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
DS Exclusive
1.9M Units Sold
90% Rating
October/Action
Nintendo/Nintendo

22. Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
Wii/DS/GBA/X360/PS2/PS3/PSP/PC
2M Units Sold
68% Rating
June/License
EA/EA UK

21. Guitar Hero II
X360 (other versions came out earlier and are not counted here)
2M Units Sold
92% Rating
April/Other (Music)
Activision/Harmonix

20. Forza Motorsport 2
X360 Exclusive
2.1M Units Sold
90% Rating
May/Racing
Microsoft/Turn 10 Studios

19. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/PC/Wii/DS
2.2M Units Sold
54% Rating
May/License
Disney Interactive/Amaze (DS), Eurocom (All Others)

18. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
Wii/DS/X360/PS2/PS3/PSP/PC
2.3M Units Sold
72% Rating
August/Sports
EA/EA Tiburon

17. Mario Party 8
Wii Exclusive
3M Units Sold
62% Rating
May/Other (Party)
Nintendo/Hudson Soft

16. Transformers: The Game
PS2/PS3/PSP/DS/Wii/X360
3.3M Units Sold
56% Rating
June/License
Activision/Vicarious Visions (DS), Traveller’s Tales (All others)

15. Spider-Man 3
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/Wii/DS/GBA
3.4M Units Sold
50% Rating
May/License
Activision/Treyarch (PS3/X360), Beenox (PC), Vicarious Visions (All others)

14. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Wii/DS
3.4M Units Sold
67% Rating
November/Sports
Sega/Sega

13. WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2008
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/DS/Wii
3.5M Units Sold
71% Rating
November/License
THQ/Amaze (DS), Yuke’s (All others)

12. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/DS/Wii/PC
3.8M Units Sold
82% Rating
November/Sports
Konami/Konami

11. The Simpsons Game
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/Wii/DS
3.9M Units Sold
68% Rating
October/License
EA/Rebellion (PS2/PSP/Wii), EA Redwood Shores (PS3/360/DS)

10. Brain Age 2: More Brain Training in Minutes a Day
DS Exclusive
4M Units Sold
77% Rating
August/Other
Nintendo/Nintendo

9. Super Mario Galaxy
Wii Exclusive
4.1M Units Sold
97% Rating
November/Action
Nintendo/Nintendo

8. Assassin’s Creed
X360/PS3
4.9M Units Sold
81% Rating
November/Action
Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal

7. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl
DS Exclusive
5M Units Sold
85% Rating
April/RPG
Nintendo/Game Freak

6. Need for Speed: ProStreet
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/Wii/DS/PC
5.4M Units Sold
62% Rating
November/Racing
EA/EA Black Box

5. Madden NFL 08
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/Wii/GC/DS/PC/XBX
5.7M Units Sold
78% Rating
August/Sports
EA/EA Tiburon

4. FIFA Soccer 08
PS2/PS3/PSP/X360/Wii/DS/PC
5.7M Units Sold
83% Rating
October/Sports
EA/EA Canada

3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
PS2/PS3/X360/Wii/PC
7.5M Units Sold
82% Rating
October/Other (Music)
Activision/Neversoft

2. Halo 3
X360 Exclusive
8M Units Sold
94% Rating
September/Shooter
Microsoft/Bungie

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
X360/PS3/PC/DS
8.3M Units Sold
94% Rating
November/Shooter
Activision/Infinity Wars (X360/PS3/PC), n-Space (DS)

source: Next-Gen