On Launching Major Videogames Outside Xmas

Thanks to the Hollywood Reporter for its column discussing major videogames originally due to launch in time for Christmas 2003, but which didn't quite make it. In the course of discussing these titles, which include James Bond 007: Everything Or Nothing, the article notes: "Game publishers, in general, recognize that the Christmas rush... is a huge marketing problem. This past Christmas, they say, there were too many good games coming out at the same time and quite a few didn't sell well." A spokesperson for Microsoft elaborates on this: "My prediction is we'll be spreading out the releases and shipping some in early September and others in January and February of 2005... But we can only do that with really great games that can stand on their own." Is weak sales when launching outside the holiday season a genuine problem, or just a self-perpetuating myth?

Comments

Why games get released around Christmas

[Radius9]

I am a video game programmer, and have been in the industry for many years. Here's what I've experienced. The reason why Christmas is a big season is that games won't sit on the shelf for very long. The retailers quickly move games off the shelf to make room for new games. Since titles sell more units around Christmas, it makes sense to release them then. If I have a game that I release in June, chances are it won't sell nearly as well as it would around Christmas. And chances are, even if it is a good game, it won't be stocked by most retailers by the time Christmas rolls around. This is *especially* true of the really big retailers, for example WalMart and Toys 'r Us. On the other hand, certain titles sell well at different times of the year. Sports titles tend to sell well during the first half of whatever the sports season is, and poorly after that (comparitively speaking). Everyone here of course mentions games they would buy games no matter what the time of year is, but all the examples I've seen cited are existing franchises. Most game companies will try and release their unknown titles and/or new franchises during the Christmas holiday, and have their known titles release at other times of the year to fill the void. When I say unknown titles, I mean unknown, and not bad. I know plenty of games that were very good in my opinion, and just didn't sell well, usually because of poor marketing support or releasing at an awkward time.