Top-renting videogame for week ended Oct. 28 was Take-Two Interactive Software’s Grand Theft Auto 3 for PlayStation 2 (PS2), Video Software Dealers Assn. (VSDA) said Thurs. Game, which earned $620,000 in its first week on VSDA’s top 5 chart, was one of 4 PS2 games on list. Only game in top 5 not for PS2 was Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 for Nintendo 64 at number 4, which earned $250,000 in week for total of $2.72 million since Aug. 23 street date. Rounding out top 5 were: Capcom’s Devil May Cry ($460,000 for week, $740,000 since Oct. 17); Midway’s Spy Hunter ($250,000, $1.17 million since Sept. 25); Electronic Arts’ Madden NFL 2002 ($220,000, $2.04 million since Aug. 14). Grand Theft was only new game in top 5.
Acclaim Entertainment is backing release of PS2 videogame Burnout with marketing campaign including dedicated Web site at www.acclaim.com, national print and TV ads, online contests. Game, developed by Criterion Games, is one of few titles Sony International will support this holiday season with co-marketing money in European markets, Glen Cove, N.Y.-based Acclaim said. Game is shipping now at $49.99.
Infogrames is shipping 3 new titles in Backyard Sports series for kids from its Humongous Entertainment Studio: Backyard Baseball and Backyard Football 2002 for PC and Macintosh and Backyard Soccer for PlayStation. Each game is rated E and is $19.99.
Suit filed Wed. by major entertainment companies seeking to block SonicBlue from shipping ReplayTV 4000 personal video recorder (PVR) is likely to raise many of same issues that followed advent of VCR and later DAT, officials said. Among PVR’s features that are at issue in suit is ability to skip through commercials using same technology licensed from Arthur D. Little that first brought features to VCRs several years ago. ReplayTV device also allows user to e-mail recorded programs to other ReplayTV PVR owners, although feature requires broadband connection. ReplayTV 4000 is being sold only through sonicblue.com Web site at start, and SonicBlue is seeking to license PVR technology to cable operators.
THQ and Nokia are collaborating on national promotion in U.S. for upcoming PS2/Xbox videogame Dark Summit, due to ship in first quarter 2002. Title will be Calabasas Hills, Cal., game maker THQ’s first game for Xbox, Mktg. Vp Peter Dille said. As part of promotion, Instant Win Game will give consumers chance to win $5,000 grand prize, Nokia 3300 series mobile phones, Dark Summit gear including hats and T-shirts. “Decoder” game piece is available at more than 2,000 retail locations, THQ said, and more than 2 million game pieces will be distributed nationwide. Consumers must visit www.darksummit.net to decode secret messages from game pieces to see whether they are instant winners. Game, running through Dec. 31, is being supported by THQ via print ads and with point-of-purchase materials including posters.
PS2 version of Activision’s E-rated game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 began shipping at $49.99. PlayStation version of title shipped earlier at $39.99 and Santa Monica game maker said it would move version of game for GameCube in time for Nintendo system’s rollout Nov. 18.
MicrosoftSF technology showcase/retail store in San Francisco’s Metreon center closed Thurs. Landlord is Sony and closing comes 2 weeks before rollout of Microsoft’s Xbox videogame system. One of Microsoft’s main competitors on game console front, of course, is Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation 2. But closing of store coming so close to rollout of game system is just coincidence, Microsoft said. MicrosoftSF store opened in Metreon entertainment and shopping complex with much fanfare June 16, 1999. Microsoft spokeswoman told us Thurs.: “We were open to a retail partnership with Sony in a new space they were developing in [San Francisco]. We viewed this as an opportunity to explore this unique setup for us to sell directly to consumers. While we've been happy with the response to the store, we've decided we'd rather focus on our core business of developing… software and selling it via our current sales and distributions channels. The decision to close the store was mutual and our relationship with Sony remains very strong. In fact, we continue to collaborate with Sony on other projects, most notably, the recently announced PC for Life program.”
KB Toys spotlighted its eToys Web business by announcing list of most popular products it was selling this holiday season. Top products included interactive LeapPad Learning Center from LeapFrog. Chain bought assets and inventory of failed dot-com eToys last spring and added eToys name to KBKids.com site in summer. KB then created separate site for eToys that opened without fanfare early last month. Company has yet to back eToys return with TV ads and KB Senior Mdsg. Vp Tom Alfonsi recently told us his company didn’t plan to spend big bucks on eToys via that route anytime soon. EToys had major presence on TV with ads company ran before folding.