NEWS - Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Europe still doing well, not publishers
LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - European video games sales are still on track for a record Christmas despite a series of profit warnings from prominent developers and retailers this week, analysts said on Wednesday. A batch of new titles featuring dark alley shootouts or the manoeuvring of a stolen car down city streets are, as expected, racking up steady sales. What has perplexed industry observers is a cut-throat price war that has blown holes in profit margins. The latest data from market research firm ScreenDigest of Britain shows that European video game software sales are poised to increase 23 percent this year to $5.9 billion despite a profit warning on Tuesday from Europe's biggest specialty games retailer Game Group PlcSource: http://www.reuters.com/
