Gaming industry's booming January, Activision's busted quarter
The gaming industry was the recipient of news both good and bad this past week. On the up side, the monthly NPD Group sales report for January indicated gaming continues to be relatively recession-resistant. Gamers also have something to cheer now that Nintendo has announced the US release date for its Nintendo DSi handheld gaming machine.
Activision, however, announced losses in its fourth fiscal quarter, reporting a $72 million net loss. That quarter ended on 31 December, though, and the gaming industry as a whole looked better in January - it grew 13% last month over January 2008's numbers. Hardware sales were a bright spot.