New Research Firm EEDAR's Study Analyzes Importance of Online Functionality, Game Review...

SAN DIEGO -- Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR), a new interactive entertainment research firm, has released data which measures to-date success of the latest generation of consoles, looks at the significance of online functionalities and other market factors such as the correlation

The new study, Console Intelligence Brief 2007, examines the range of new business opportunities for developers and publishers that the latest generation of video game console hardware has created. Connectivity has opened up meaningful social interactions with other players which increases audience, brand strength and game longevity for titles that have online features. Digital storefronts for latest generation consoles are providing a means of further monetizing game libraries, including older games, to the audience.

For next generation console games, the critics' favorite list and the blockbuster charts have a lot in common, with highly rated titles selling up to five times better than titles with lower scoring reviews.

"In the increasingly expensive and risk averse publishing environment, understanding the market and a better knowledge of the features that resonate with your customers can help game makers use their creativity to develop titles with blockbuster sales potential," Geoffrey Zatkin, COO, EEDAR, said. "EEDAR's mission is to help publishers and developers make informed decisions about how to build games and market them. We stress hard facts and ease of readability in all our reports and services; good data means nothing if you can't understand it."

The report examines the Sony[R] PlayStation[R]3, Nintendo[R] Wii[TM] and Microsoft[R] Xbox 360[TM] since each consoles' release through June 1, 2007.

After analyzing the 219 retail and 187 downloadable games made available on these new platforms for factors such as genre, ESRB rating, gross sales in the United States, Metacritic scores, online functionalities, multiplayer capability and other core game features, the report contains a comprehensive and eye-opening account of current market conditions.