This is the biggest UK new game launch week in the history of the universe. LittleBigPlanet, Mirror’s Edge, Call of Duty, Gears of War 2, WoW The Lich King, Guitar Hero World Tour, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Shaun White Snowboarding, Wii Music etc etc. More good stuff than we once got in a year. 

Can the buying public digest such a huge glut in one weekend? Obviously not, there will be big winners and big losers here. What is for sure is that games will massively outsell recorded music and video combined over the next few months. We are the biggest entertainment industry on earth. All down to our technical advantages of interactivity, connectivity and non linearity.

The game consoles will also sell in massive quantities, even the PS3. In fact the three platform holders will find it impossible to keep up with the demand for machines, especially as tens of millions of PS2 owners will now upgrade. The chasm between the platform generations has now become so wide that the PS2 is hardly a viable gaming option any more

It is a pity that our industry has become so seasonal. It is a self fulfilling prophecy resulting from the lemming behaviour of the publishers. The industry would be more successful and they would make more money if they were more reponsible and looked after consumers throughout the year. Many games released now will fall on their faces when an October or a February launch would see them as chart hits. Bad game industry management rears its ugly head once again.