Xbox 360 | New Dragon Age in Q1 '11, Crysis 2 due in Q4 '10, APB delayed

In an earnings report issued today, Electronic Arts reported an $82 million loss for the October-December quarter of 2009. The Redwood City, California-based company also used the report to announce its release schedule for its 2011 fiscal year, giving release windows to some of its most anticipated games--and unveiling many previously unknown projects.

Why so sad? It looks like Dragon Age will be getting either a sequel or major expansion next year.

January-March 2011
For role-playing game fans, the biggest news will be that Dragon Age: Origins will apparently be getting a follow-up or major expansion in the first quarter of 2011. The game "Dragon Age Title TBA" is on EA's schedule for the January-March period for the PC, unspecified consoles, and--for the first time--portable platforms. (The game's first major expansion, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening, is due out March 16.) In a postearnings report conference call, EA executives also promised the three months would yield "something far-reaching for Mass Effect," BioWare's other ongoing RPG series.

The January-March 2011 window will also see the arrival of Dead Space 2, the sequel to Visceral Games' sci-fi horror survival game, which is also getting a portable edition--but not a PC version, according to EA's schedule. Also due during the time frame are the as-yet-unseen shooter from Epic Games' Polish subsidiary, People Can Fly (Painkiller), which is being distributed under the EA Partners program. The quarter will also see the release of new entries in the Spore, Need for Speed, and Sims franchises, as well as two unidentified titles in the fighting and action genres--the latter of which will be download-only for consoles.

October-December 2010
Turning to calendar year 2010, EA has dated Crysis 2, the award-winning shooter series' debut on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as coming during the fourth quarter. Also due around the holiday shopping season is a Need for Speed game for consoles, handhelds, and PCs--most likely the coming reboot of the series by Burnout creator Criterion. An unnamed digital trading card title (DTC) is also due then.

This guy won't be so smug when Crysis 2 comes out.

EA Sports has a robust lineup for Q4, including NBA Jam, FIFA Manager 11, NBA Live 11, and EA Sports MMA, which is apparently also now in development for handheld platforms. The division also has two separate unnamed EA Sports Active games coming to unidentified consoles during the same period. Though EA did not identify any specific platforms, EA Sports president Peter Moore mentioned at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo that his division was working on a version of the workout game for both the PlayStation 3 Motion Controller and the Xbox 360's Project Natal. Both motion-sensing systems are set to launch this fall.

The EA Play label has several holiday-quarter releases, including The Sims 3's debut on consoles, which was first revealed back in November 2006. A new Harry Potter game is also planned, as are new entries in the Hasbro Littlest Pet Shop and Hasbro Family Game Night series. Finally, one game for PCs, consoles, and handhelds is left completely unidentified, with its title simply listed as "TBA."

July-September 2010
EA's summer lineup includes its sports heavyweights: NCAA Football 11, Madden NFL 11, FIFA 11, and NHL 11. The division will also be launching its second browser-based game, EA Sports FIFA Online, during the quarter. Meanwhile, EA Play has two offerings--a new Monopoly and MySims--and EA Games will launch the Afghanistan-set reboot of the previously World War II-set Medal of Honor shooter series. Previously announced for the PS3, 360, and PC, Medal of Honor is now also coming to handhelds, according to EA.

Medal of Honor will be bringing the Afghanistan War to handhelds.

One bit of news tucked into the July-September schedule wasn't welcome. Realtime Worlds' online open-world crime game APB, which EA Partners is publishing, has apparently been pushed back. First announced in 2005, the game had been slated for a March launch.

April-June 2010
Last and numerically least, EA's first fiscal quarter now has just four releases. EA Black Box's skateboard sim Skate 3 is due out in May, with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 arriving in June. 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa hits the soccer field on April 27, with the free-to-play massively multiplayer racer Need for Speed World Online launching at an undetermined date.

Missing from the schedule are two high-profile titles: EA Sports' annual NCAA Basketball installment and the EA Partners-distributed Green Day: Rock Band. Requests for clarification sent to EA Sports, EA Partners, and Rock Band publisher MTV Games had not been returned as of press time.

ELECTRONIC ARTS FISCAL YEAR 2011 RELEASE SCHEDULE

FYQ1 (April 1-June 30, 2010)
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (consoles, handhelds)
Need for Speed World (PC)
Skate 3 (consoles)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (consoles, handhelds)

FYQ2 (July 1-September 30, 2010)
APB (PC)
EA Sports FIFA Online (PC)
FIFA 11 (consoles, handhelds, PC)
Madden NFL 11 (consoles, handhelds)
Medal of Honor (final title TBA - consoles, handhelds, PC)
Monopoly Title TBA (consoles)
MySims Title TBA (consoles, handhelds)
NCAA Football 11 (consoles, handhelds)

FYQ3 (October 1-December 31, 2010)
"TBA" (consoles, handhelds, PC)
Crysis 2 (consoles, PC)
DTC Game For Console Online (consoles)
EA SPORTS Active Title 1 TBA (consoles)
EA SPORTS Active Title 2 TBA (consoles)
EA SPORTS MMA (consoles, handhelds)
FIFA Manager 11 (PC)
Harry Potter Title TBA (consoles, handhelds, PC)
Hasbro Family Game Night Title TBA (consoles)
Hasbro Littlest Pet Shop Title TBA (handhelds)
NBA Jam (Wii)
NBA LIVE 11 (consoles, handhelds)
Need For Speed Title TBA (consoles, handhelds, PC)
The Sims 3 on Console Title TBA (consoles, handhelds)

FYQ4 (January 1-March 31, 2011)
Action Title TBA ("full game download" for consoles)
Dead Space 2 (consoles, handhelds)
Dragon Age Title TBA (consoles, handhelds, PC)
Fighting Title TBA (consoles)
Hasbro Title TBA (consoles)
Need For Speed Title TBA (consoles, PC)
New Sims Title TBA (PC)
Shooter from Epic TBA (consoles, PC)
Spore Title TBA (consoles, PC)

PlayStation 2 | Gran Turismo series sales top 55 million

Sony showed some life during its October-December fiscal period, reporting a 660.6 percent profit spike on revenues of ?2.24 trillion ($24.6 billion). As part of that report, Sony said that 47.6 million PlayStation 3 games sold during the three-month stretch, as well as an additional 15 million PSP games and 11.2 PlayStation 2 titles.

Gran Turismo 5's release date remains blurry.

It turns out that one of Sony's top-performing titles during the period came from its internal racing studio Polyphony Digital. In a recent update to Polyphony Digital's Web site, Sony revealed that the Gran Turismo franchise has sold 55.45 million units through December 2009. Gran Turismo PSP, which launched October 1, 2009, alongside Sony's heavily revised and tepidly adopted PSP Go, contributed 1.8 million units to the franchise's total.

The portable installment in Polyphony's ultrarealistic racing franchise came replete with 800 cars, as well as 35 tracks and 60 different layouts associated with them. Receiving positive reviews, the game features a variety of challenge modes for single-player action as well as local multiplayer racing for up to four.

Through December, Polyphony has seen three of the four marquee releases in its Gran Turismo franchise break the 10-million-unit mark. Gran Turismo 3 A-spec, which received glowing reviews upon its launch for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, ranks as the franchise's top seller with 14.89 million units. 2005's Gran Turismo 4 has sold 10.98 million units, slightly outpacing the seminal installment's 10.85 million units.

One game not on Polyphony's sales rundown is Gran Turismo 5. It was announced for a March launch in Japan in September, but Sony bumped the game out of its current fiscal year last month. Though the publisher has yet to officially attach a new release date to the game, Sony Computer Entertainment Portugal president James Armstrong indicated recently that Gran Turismo 5 is tentatively scheduled to arrive this fall.

Title / First Release / LTD Sales
Gran Turismo / 1997 / 10.85 million
Gran Turismo 2 / 1999 / 9.37 million
Gran Turismo 3 A-spec / 2001 / 14.89 million
Gran Turismo Concept Series / 2002 / 1.56 million
Gran Turismo 4 Prologue / 2003 / 1.35 million
Gran Turismo 4 / 2004 / 10.98 million
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue / 2007 / 4.65 million
Gran Turismo PSP / 2009 / 1.80 million
Total - 55,450

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Wii | Nintendo stomps Aussie Mario pirate

New Super Mario Bros. Wii was a massive hit for Nintendo last year, with reports stating the re-imagining of the classic platformer sold nearly 10.5 million units globally in its first two months of sale. The game seemed to be a popular one for illegal downloaders, too, with Nintendo saying copies of the game were available on the web as early as November 6, 2009, days before its official release.

Mario to get A$1.5 million from software pirate.

Now it seems Nintendo has nabbed a pirate, today reaching a settlement against an individual in Australia for illegally copying and uploading New Super Mario Bros. Wii in November last year. Queenslander James Burt has been ordered to pay a damages bill to Nintendo of A$1.5 million ($1.3 million), and to cover the company's legal fees. According to Nintendo, this fee is to compensate the company for the loss of sales revenue caused by Burt's actions.

In a statement from Nintendo, the company said it used "sophisticated technological forensics to identify the individual responsible for illegally copying the file and making it available for further distribution". This lead to police searching Burt's home on November 23 last year. Court documents also show Nintendo wanted any details and passwords found during the search relating to the Wii hack site www.yafaze.com. Visiting the site now only results in a message stating yafaze has shut down, and that "the site and all of it's [sic] contents has been removed out of respect for Nintendo".

A Nintendo Australia spokesperson told GameSpot AU that apart from the loss of revenue caused by piracy of the game, the fact that an Australian was the first to illegally upload the game could jeopardise the release timings of future Nintendo titles. Typically, Australians have had to wait days and sometimes months after other regions for Nintendo games to be released locally. New Super Mario Bros. Wii was a rare occurrence where Australia received the game earlier than any other territory.

"Nintendo Australia is always pushing for games to be released here at the same time as the rest of the world, so we were pleased to get New Super Mario Bros. Wii before anyone else," the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, due to the actions of this individual, future release dates may be affected for Australia, which is disappointing for us."

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PC | NCAA Basketball, Rock Band, Dead Space 2 PC missing from EA schedule

Earlier today, Electronic Arts revealed its 2011 fiscal year calendar as part of its quarterly earnings report. Besides assigning launch windows to high-profile releases like Crysis 2 (Q4 2010) and announcing APB's delay to the April-June quarter, the schedule also unveiled new titles, such as a new Dragon Age title.

EA may have benched the NCAA Basketball series.

EA's FY2011 calendar was also notable for what it did not list. Missing from the schedule was EA Sports' annual NCAA Basketball series, which saw its last installment receive decent-to-middling reviews in November. EA Sports reps had not responded to request for clarification about its status as of press time.

NCAA Basketball's absence from EA's detailed schedule raises the possibility that EA Sports may not release a college basketball game for the first time since NCAA March Madness 2004 arrived in late 2003. The franchise's suspension--or outright cancelation--would come just over two years after 2K Sports permanently benched its rival College Hoops series.

MTV Games might be publishing Green Day: Rock Band solo.

Another title missing from EA's FY2011 schedule were any Rock Band games, including Green Day: Rock Band, announced in December via a trailer at the VGAs. Though EA has distributed all prior Rock Band games since the franchise launched in 2007 under its EA Partners program, its logo was conspicuously absent from the trailer. Also missing were the monikers of the game's co-publisher, MTV Games, and its developer, Harmonix.

When contacted by GameSpot about the omission, Harmonix reps deferred to spokespersons for parent company MTV, which politely declined immediate comment. Inquiries sent to reps for the EA Partners program had not been returned as of press time.

Dead Space 2 for PC is lost in space.

Finally, EA's schedule shook up assumptions about the forthcoming sci-fi horror sequel, Dead Space 2. Though it slated the game to arrive in Q1 2011 for consoles and, for the first time, handhelds, the calendar did not list the PC version.

Dead Space 2 PC's omission comes just a month and a half after it was officially announced for Windows, as well as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. However, since figures from the NPD Group show the original Dead Space sold under 40,000 copies on the PC domestically, a summary cancellation of a follow-up would not be completely surprising.

PC | January US game software sales down 4%, predicts Pachter

This Thursday, the NPD Group is expected to issue its report for US game sales for the month of January. As usual, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter has preempted the industry-research firm's date with his company's predictions about last month's performance.

Commander Shepard would like to be paid now.

On the hardware front, the ubiquitous analyst is prognosticating that sales will dip by 1 percent, with 1.975 million consoles and handhelds sold domestically during January. Despite possible post-holiday shortages, the Wii is pegged as the top platform with an estimated 555,000 units sold, followed by the DS with 525,000 units. Pachter predicts that 340,000 360s were sold, just beating out the PS3's 330,000-unit total. The PSP is slotted for fifth place with 150,000 units, followed by the aging PS2 with just 75,000 units.

In terms of software, Pachter predicts $655 million in domestic game sales, down 4 percent year over year from January 2009's $683 million. The analyst partially pinned the blame for the year-on-year decline on ongoing shrinkage of the rhythm-game genre.

"We expect another precipitous decline in music genre sales to around $45 million compared to $82 million last January," he said. "The expected decline should account for more than 100 percent of the overall industry decline for the month."

Pachter believes that three-quarters of January software revenue--some $491 million to be exact--came from just six publishers. Thanks to Mass Effect 2's double-platinum performance, he expects loss-plagued Electronic Arts to come out on top with $165 million in monthly game sales, followed by cash-flush Nintendo with $145 million. Activision Blizzard is predicted to be in third place with $80 million, followed by THQ with $45 million, Ubisoft with $35 million, and Take-Two Interactive with $21 million.

By platform, the analyst believes Wii games accounted for 37 percent of all January software sales, or $240 million. Xbox 360 games are pegged as the second-most popular with $170 million in sales (26 percent), followed by the PlayStation 3 ($115 million, 18 percent), the DS ($95 million, 15 percent), the PSP ($20 million, 3 percent), and the PlayStation 2 ($15 million, 2 percent).

Given that both Darksiders and Mass Effect 2 have already gone platinum worldwide--shipping 1.2 million and selling over 2 million, respectively--it's no surprise that Pachter believes they will be amongst January's top titles in the US. However, he thinks the rest of the month's best-sellers will be holiday holdovers such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit Plus, and Wii Sports Resort.