Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Return of the Video Game Sequel: Part 12

There may not be an entertainment category that is so predictable as video games. The latest video game sales figures came out Thursday from NPD, which measures sales of consumer products. And the list of best-selling games looks very familiar, going back many, many years.
Electronic Arts has made a dozen versions of its popular football game.Electronic Arts has made a dozen versions of its popular football game.The war game has remained a bestseller in its third time out.The war game has remained a bestseller in its third time out.
The top-selling game in September was Madden NFL 12. That’s the 12th iteration. As in dozen. Next on the list was Gears of War 3. The fourth best-selling game was Fifa Soccer 12, then NHL 12, both made by Electronic Arts, king of the sequel.
Others on the Top 10 list: Resistance 3, Lego Stars Wars III, and Call of Duty: Black Ops, all sequels.
It all stands to reason. When a publisher makes a hit game, it creates a base of loyal users who, having played a particular version for a year, are ready for another version. It’s not quite tantamount to movie or television sequels because the players of a particular game, like Madden, actually get invested in playing and improving at the game. So the sequel is as much about the game content as it is about a player’s involvement.
But, still. No one wants to see Terminator 12, although there have been 6 sequels to Saw.
Other tidbits in NPD’s numbers: September’s total video game sales (hardware and software) were $1.16 billion. That’s down about 6 percent from the same period a year earlier. Not great but better than August, when sales fell 23 percent from a year ago.

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