What's happened in the business of video games this past week ...
QUOTE | "Microsoft could launch a new Xbox Live tier."—Veteran journalist Chris Morris talks about the implications of Microsoft's subsidized $99 Xbox deal with Xbox Live two-year subscription.
STAT | 32%—Amount US video game sales (for hardware and software combined) dropped in April over the same month last year, down to $630.4 million.
QUOTE | "The death knell is ringing for boxed software."—Matt Spall, game industry veteran, talking about how dedicated game hardware is dying.
QUOTE | "As a consumer the prices being talked about look like a sucker deal to me."—David Cole of DFC Intelligence, talking about the Xbox 360 for $99 deal that Microsoft has just introduced.
QUOTE | "Mobile has become a peer to PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo systems."—EA CEO John Riccitiello talking about the huge importance of mobile gaming in a presentation at CTIA Wireless.
QUOTE | "While the industry loves the Vita, consumers simply don't seem to care about it."—Rob Fahey, veteran game journalist, talking about how Sony has only sold 1.8 million PS Vitas so far, and why.
QUOTE | "Any serious game developer needs to explore HTML5."— GameDuell's Michael Kalkowski and Jonas Gebhardt talking about the problems and myths around HTML5 and its future in mobile and web games.
QUOTE | "The relationship between developer and publisher has changed forever."—Chris Ulm, Appy Entertainment CEO, and other developers talk about whether publishers are necessary for mobile games.
QUOTE | "We want people to see it as the best pre-order incentive in the business."—Jon Brooke, brand director for IO Interactive, talking about the Sniper Challenge pre-order incentive for Hitman: Absolution.
STAT | 80%—Amount that Konami's profits rose for their fiscal year ending in March, even though sales rose only 3% because of their social games.
QUOTE | "I'd be terrified to be marketing games right now."—Seamus Blackley, co-creator of the Xbox, talking about the huge changes in the game industry.
QUOTE | "Xbox 360 and PS3... next-gen replacements will be built very much with cost in mind."—Richard Leadbetter, tech specialist at Eurogamer, talking about how the new consoles will not make the same technical leap as the last generation.
STAT | 300 million—Number of downloads of Storm8 games on Android and iOS, reaching more than 100 million mobile devices or more than 1 out of 5 devices.
QUOTE | "Become the leading pure-play digital entertainment company."—Electronic Arts' new mission, as stated in their end-of-the-year earnings call with stock analysts.
This Week in the Business courtesy of GamesIndustry International
(Image from Shutterstock)