<![CDATA[Kotaku: Pachter Watch]]> http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: Pachter Watch]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/pachter watch http://kotaku.com/tag/pachter watch <![CDATA[Pachter: Wii Shortage? Blame The Lousy US Dollar]]> Wedbush Morgan analyst and Kotaku reader idol Michael Pachter went on record with the Dallas News with his theory on one reason it's still so damn hard to find a Wii. The United States dollar, he's paraphrased as saying, is so limp, that Nintendo is shipping excess consoles to Europe to meet demand there, squeezing out a bit of extra profit when all is said and done. It's not like Nintendo is completely abandoning American gamers—it sold 432,000 Wiis in February—it may just be allocating stock to its first class customer base. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=374381&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pachter - Rockstar May Split From Take Two]]> Wedbush Morgan analyst always seems like such a mundane title when dealing with the master of video game precognizance that is Michael Pachter. Speaking with Shacknews, the Pachtman puts forth the possibility that Rockstar Games founders Sam and Dan Houser could very well slip from under Take-Two Interactive's wing once their contracts come up in February 2009, much like Bungie jumped from Microsoft. It all comes down to money.
"I don't think that this is an issue of dissatisfaction with Take-Two; rather, I think it is rational to believe that in the wake of the $850 million Pandemic/BioWare deal, high quality developers like Bungie and [Rockstar] North would look to test their market value"
How much do you think a company like Microsoft or Sony would be willing to pay to secure Rockstar's exclusive service? How much would you pay? What if we threw in the magic of Pancake Puffs? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=331077&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pachter Predicts Pair Of Guitar Hero Expansions In 2008]]> Wedbush Morgan analyst and all-powerful seer Michael Pachter has weighed in on the future of Guitar Hero. He and his analyst buddies are receiving messages from the ether that tell them the franchise will move over 7 million copies in 2007, dropping to 6.3 million the following year. How will Activision and RedOctane keep pace? By issuing a pair of expansion packs! More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=327228&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[October Software Sales Predicted Up 50%]]> Michael "Mad Hoodie" Pachter is calling it again. This time, he's predicting the NPD to announce that software sales have increased 50% from October of last year. In hard numbers that means he's calling October 2007 to have $555 million ins sales, up from $369 million October 2006. The even better news is that most of this $555 million would be new money, with $425 million of it from 360, PS3, Wii, PSP and the DS. But the juiced-up numbers will mostly be attributed to one game...place your bets now... More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=321586&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Analyst Puts 360 First For September, Wii Second]]> Nintendo has dominated summer NPD sales charts with its Nintendo DS and Wii platforms, but can Master Chief and his band of merry alien goofball buddies raise the Xbox 360 to September's sales throne? Based on Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's (who?) estimates of some 450,000 Halo 3 playing devices, it's a definitely estimated "yes." It's all part of a big, big September that could indicate a 47% increase over last year. Yay for profit! More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=311159&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[LittleBigPlanet = PS3 Sales in Japan]]> Hot on the heels of TGS, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter strikes again! This time he has found the Holy Grail that will sell the necessary PS3s to back his investments/vacation homes/illegitimate children.
...we think that LittleBigPlanet will be a console seller in Japan.
LittleBigPlanet is fairly amazing in person, with fun multiplayer and beautiful graphics. But will it move PS3s? Maybe Pachter isn't completely crazy this time. In our drunken TGS boozecast, the Kotaku crew talked about this very topic: Sony is doing incredible recruiting for original PSN titles...especially when you compare Everyday Shooter and LittleBigPlanet to mostly ported offerings on Microsoft's Live Arcade. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=306085&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pachter: Sony to Pricedrop-Cockblock Halo 3?]]> Everyone's favorite Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter thinks that there is a good chance of Sony announcing a 40GB PS3 and a $99 PS2 at TGS.
Both of these ideas have merit...[and] we cannot think of a better forum for making such an announcement, given that the event is less than a week before the launch of archrival Microsoft's Halo 3.
While there's no doubt that pricedrops and cheaper (but non-gimped) SKUs could help spur Sony's sales, I'm not sure if there's any good time to make a videogame announcement that's Halo 3 time. I mean, unless you can get a cheap PS3 on a Taco Bell cup or something...and then get it running Halo 3. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=299952&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pachter Dates GTAIV DLC]]> Analysts aren't just for predicting sales figures and price drops. No sir. A good analyst...say, one of Michael Pachter's caliber, can utilize their magical analyzing sextant for any number of game-related prognostications. Take DLC release dates, for instance. Microsoft's exclusive episodic content for GTA IV was originally set to go live in March, but seeing as the game won't hit until possibly April, Pachter used his powers to deduce the adjusted drop date for said DLC.
"We note that the USD 50 million deferred revenue for GTA episodic content was reclassified as 'long term,' implying a release date no earlier than Q4 2008," commented Pachter in a note to investors following publisher Take Two's latest financial results.
He's a magic man, I'm telling you. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=298600&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Analysts Predict PS3 Price Cut Again]]> As the holiday season approaches, video game analysts' thoughts go to their holiday bonuses, and there's no better way to get a bonus than to be an internet famous analyst like Michael Pachter, which is exactly what Michael Pachter has done. This is why we listen to him when he predicts a price cut for the 80GB PS3 in time for the holidays.
Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in his latest report, "We note that Sony recently acknowledged that it will no longer produce its 60Gb PS3, and we expect the price of the 80Gb PS3 to be reduced to $499 before the holidays, maintaining a premium SKU at that price point."
Seems like a no-brainer to me, really. Pachter's prediction is backed up by the simExchange's analyst Jesse Divnich, which I liken to Gary Coleman trying to back up John Shaft. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=296228&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[US Wii Supply Diverted From Japan?]]> Wii sales were up this past quarter, and with the reports of component shortages and manufacturing issues running rampant, it doesn't take a gaming industry super-analyst to deduce that more consoles are coming from somewhere, but where? For that question, GameDaily turned to gaming industry super-analyst and snappy dresser, Michael Pachter.
"Wii sales remain strong, with an apparent increase in supply during the quarter. This increase is inconsistent with reports that Nintendo has had difficulty in increasing its manufacturing capacity," he states, "suggesting to us that the company has diverted supply from other areas (perhaps Japan) to the U.S."
It's like he has supernatural powers, isn't it? More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=293229&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Analysts Predict PS3 To Beat 360 For July]]> Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter notes in an investor letter released today that he expects NPD monthly sales figures to favor the PLAYSTATION 3 over the Xbox 360 for the month of July. With 160,000 and 115,000 projected sales, respectively, Pachter credits the shift to the PS3's July price drop and the negative press surrounding Microsoft's hardware woes. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=290892&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Prophetic Pachter Predicts PlayStation Pricing]]> Wedbush Morgan analyst and Kotaku reader crush Michael Pachter (not pictured) has issued his end of month notes for the video game market, predicting a pair of PlayStation family price cuts. First, the Pach expects that Sony will be "in a position" to slash the PLAYSTATION 3 price just prior to or in time with the release of Rockstar Games' recently delayed Grand Theft Auto IV and Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4, both due in the first half of 2008. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=286984&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pachter, Pidgeon Explain The Magic Of Analysis]]> There's a common misconception that video game market analysts such as Michael Pachter and Billy Pidgeon do nothing but talk out of their respective asses, one that's sure to be shattered by this week's edition of Bonus Round featuring the two paid predictors. It's confirmed that analysts speak not from the ass, but from the gut. Watch the analysis fly as Pachter and Pidgeon talk about what it means to be an analyst and hear the following from the Pach's mouth—"I'm an idiot." Aw, don't let 'em get you down, Mikey. We think your as sharp as a tack. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=286540&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pachter Blames PS3 For GTA IV Delay]]> As soon as we heard about the GTA IV delay we knew it was only a matter of time before Michael Pachter showed up on the scene to Pachterize the situation. So what is the real reason behind the delay of Grand Theft Auto VI? According to Wedbush Morgan's analyst supreme, it's none other than Sony's PlayStation 3.
"We think it is likely that the Rockstar team had difficulty in building an exceptionally complicated game for the PS3, and failed to recognize how far away from completion the game truly was until recently," said Pachter.
More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=285713&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Watching Pachter Watch Stuff]]> How does part-time analyst, full-time soothsayer Michael Pachter describe games? As fate would have it, I was in the Pach's presence at least three separate E3 events: the Nintendo presser, the THQ presser and SEGA's game demos. Apparently, Pachter spent his E3 checking pretty much everything out, only to retire to his lair to shift through burnt embers and put in livestock orders for sacrificial water buffalo. I jotted down some non-newsy worthy E3 quotes the Pach said and present them here taken them totally out of context: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=279112&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nintendo Won E3, Analyst Sayeth]]> Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has analyzed E3 with his patented, non-prescription Analysis Glasses, concluding that Nintendo "won" the E3 Media & Business Summit. Claiming a "decent" software showing and highlighting the introduction of new hardware—including somehow convincing the masses that $19.95 was a bargain for the Wii Zapper—Pachter says the Wii and Nintendo DS manufacturer eked out a victory over its rivals. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=279056&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[PACHTER WATCH: T2's Costly Manhunt Problems]]> Yesterday was a really bad day for Take Two. First Manhunt 2 is banned completely in the UK and Ireland. Then they reveal that the ESRB has given the dubious distinction of being one of very few non-porn games to recieve an AO rating (GTA San Andreas ironically being one of the others). And now industry analyst extraordinaire Michael "Master P" Pachter is spelling out doom for the franchise and financial trouble for the company over the game. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=270481&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pachter Has Visions Of Wii 2]]> Are Sega's concerns about the longevity of the Wii hardware valid? Is Nintendo doomed? Are they going third party?! No. No. And hell no. However, could the Wii have a shorter lifecycle, with a new, improved, faster Wii 2 arriving in the not too distant future? Sure, why not, says Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=269278&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Mama is Cooking]]> Pachter's at it again, this time he's predicting a sunny $15 million in forecasted sales for Majesco's Cooking Mama series in their second quarter earnings. The weather should be so bright for a company that was struggling to stay in the stock market back in April. According to Pachter: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=268762&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Take-Two Losses]]> Well, the verdict is in and it looks like Take 2 is looking at a loss of $50 million in its second quarter financials. Although redundancies will most likely be one of the ways publisher will handle cutting the$25 million worth of costs by the end of the next fiscal year, no one particulars on who or when the lay-offs will take place. Favorite Wedbush Morgan analyst, Michael Pachter is predicting that approximately 200 of the 2,100 employees would get their walking papers. Of course, he also predicted a delay in the release of GTA IV, which Take-Two now needs to boost its end of the years fiscal results, or at least break even after factoring in the cost of restructuring. Kim Phu More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=268018&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[PACHTER WATCH: Summer Hardware Slump]]> Soothsayer and Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has looked into his crystal ball and has a handful of predictions. He always does. In short, software sales are up, hardware sales aren't. Today's forecasts: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=267984&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pachter Watch: Sony May Be "Overly Ambitious"]]> Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter told GamesIndustry.biz that Sony's inclusion of Cell and a Blu-ray drive in the PLAYSTATION 3 may have been "overly ambitious" and says that consumers are "balking" at the machine's high price. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=261765&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[PACHTER WATCH: Pachter Ponders Summer PS3 Price Cut]]> Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter thinks that maybe, just maybe, Sony could possibly drop the price of the PLAYSTATION 3 this summer. Possibly, not definitely. There's a chance, is what he's saying. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=260758&view=rss&microfeed=true