Video game console makers Microsoft and Nintendohave reported earnings for the most recent quarter. This week, companies thatmake games started issuing their quarterly reports.
Here's a look at reports and results for selected companies that make or sellvideo games.
— July 12: NPD Group reports that U.S. retail sales of video game hardware,software and accessories fell 29 percent in June to $700 million. It's theseventh consecutive month of decline. Sales of console and portable software —the video games themselves — fell 29 percent from a year earlier, while salesof hardware fell 45 percent. Sales of accessories grew 4 percent. Excluded aresales of used games and rentals as well as digital and social-network spending.
— July 19: Microsoft Corp. says it sold 1.1 million Xbox 360 consoles, downfrom 1.7 million a year earlier, in what it calls a soft console market.Membership in its Xbox Live service increased more than 15 percent.
— July 25: Nintendo Co. says it sold 710,000 Wii units in the April-Junequarter, down from 1.56 million a year ago. Nintendo is coming out with asuccessor, the Wii U, this year. It is forecasting 10.5 million units for thefull fiscal year, which ends in March 2013.
— Tuesday: Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. reports a wider net lossand lower revenue in its latest quarter, but results are largely in line withexpectations. It also announces a stock buyback of up to $500 million.
Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., another game publisher, says its loss inthe latest quarter was much bigger than expected, because sales of "SpecOps: The Line" and "Max Payne 3" were not as high as the companyhoped.
— Thursday: Sony Corp. says sales fell about 15 percent, largely because oflower sales of the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable devices and thegames that go with them. The decline was partly offset by the new PlayStationVita, which went on sale in December in Japan and in the U.S. and Europe inFebruary.
Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. says net income dropped becauseof lower revenue from games. But adjusted results — the more closely watchedfigure — easily surpassed Wall Street's expectations and were much higher thana year ago.