I have been caught out a bit with a few things happening, so this is a bonus post!

• Betting on the Christmas number one. Pretty much dominated by EA titles, again. They certainly know how to make profit with Q4 blockbusters. In fact it has become a self fulfilling prophecy, everyone expects it, so it happens.
• Family timer on Xbox 360. This is a brilliant form of parental control. We know that game playing is very good for kids but there are other things in life. This system will stop a lot of arguing. Another plus for 360 sales.
• EA Q3 revenue breakdown. Very significant figures. They are getting their Wii act together, but the big news is how dismal PS3 is compared to Xbox 360. Also they are reaping the benefits of sticking with PS2.
  Xbox 360 – $218 million
  PlayStation 2 – $73 million
  Nintendo Wii – $59 million
  Nintendo DS – $47 million
  PlayStation Portable – $21 million
  PlayStation 3 – $17 million
• Kaz Hirai not happy with Sony Home. The sands of time are slipping through Sony’s fingers here. Added to the Metal Gear Solid delay they are just falling behind. Xbox Live was a massive investment for Microsoft, one that is paying off. Strategically the online environment is more important than the console in your house.
• Super Mario Galaxy number one in Japan. And soon to be number one everywhere else. The Wii really needed a good solid title to keep their audience happy. Too many publishers are putting rubbishy shovelware on Wii and wondering why it doesn’t sell. Here are some Wii development rules:
  1) Don’t do shovelware. You are just damaging your brand(s).
  2) Write Wii specific titles. Don’t port. You have to respect the interface difference.
  3) Understand that most Wiis live in the lounge. And most other consoles live in the bedroom.
  4) Polish, lots. Then polish some more.
  5) Realise that you have to provide entertainment for the population at large. FPS titles are not a good idea.
  6) You need to market completely differently. PR in women’s magazines will work a lot better than adverts in game magazines.
  7) Talk to your wife/girlfriend. They understand the Wii better than you do.
• Warner brothers flex their muscles. This is not some one off, this is the big global media companies moving concertedly into games. They have no option. Gaming will be bigger than both film and television, if they aren’t in they will be left behind.
• Target pull Manhunt 2. Not a game that appeals to me, but adults should be free to buy it. Target are just so small minded here, there is vastly more objectionable content sitting in their video department. Gaming still has a long way to go before some people understand it.
• Bungie working on new IP. Just one more step in the battle that Microsoft is winning. AAA exclusives are the main differentiator between platforms, not HDTV or Blu-Ray or anything else. It is the game that matters.

I don’t want this blog to be just a news commentary, but a few significant things all happened at once! Please add any comments you may have.