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Next-Gen Consoles Might Be Revealed Relatively Soon, GameStop Predicts
New consoles from Microsoft and Sony might be coming soon. Retailer GameStop today said on an earnings call that it expects new hardware sales to slow down in 2019 on account of people hearing about new consoles and waiting for them to arrive.
“With respect to new hardware, as we get closer to the end of the current console cycle for Xbox and PlayStation, we expect demand to decline as some customers choose to wait on the sidelines in anticipation of acquiring the next generation of innovative consoles,” CFO Rob Lloyd said.
Lloyd was specifically talking about business elements that GameStop shared with analysts to “help provide context” for 2019. This suggests that new consoles from Microsoft and Sony may be announced and/or released this year.
Microsoft is rumoured to announce one or multiple new consoles at E3 in June, while Sony is known to be working on a new PlayStation console. Sony is not coming to E3 this year but that doesn’t mean the company won’t have news to share at other venues at some point. Nintendo, meanwhile, could announce multiple new Switch models at E3 and release them not long after.
Llyod specifically mentioned Xbox and PlayStation in his comments, but not Nintendo.
There have been numerous rumours and reports about Microsoft’s new consoles, a lot more than the new systems from PlayStation and Nintendo. You can check out GameSpot’s rundown of all the big rumours about Xbox hardware here.
In other news about GameStop, the retailer announced a $673 million full-year loss. Despite the downturn, the retailer is optimistic about its future, thanks in part to new cost-saving and profit-improving efforts to be implemented by incoming CEO George Sherman.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-gen-consoles-might-be-revealed-relatively-soo/1100-6465997/
Borderlands Game Of The Year Edition Releases Tomorrow
Fans of the Borderlands series can rest easy, as developer Gearbox announced Borderlands 3 during its PAX East panel last week. Also during the panel, Gearbox confirmed the remaster of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition. The release date for the remastered Borderlands: GotY is nearly here–here’s exactly when it unlocks and how to get it for free on PC.
The official Twitter account confirmed that Borderlands: GotY drops tomorrow, April 3. It’ll be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET. Steam customers who own the existing Game of the Year Edition can download an update for free at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. It’s possible to obtain physical copies of the game on consoles, but they’re limited to US and Canada stores only.
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition drops TOMORROW with new weapons, visual upgrades, character heads, gold chests and keys, all 4 add-on packs, and more!
➜ https://t.co/ud6BPxbt1u pic.twitter.com/QnuNPlb2Zq— Borderlands 3 (@Borderlands) April 2, 2019
When the Borderlands: GotY launched in October 2010, it gathered the original Borderlands with all four of its DLC packs–The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution–into one package. This remastered version will do the exact same, but will also bring about some new additions like gameplay tweaks (such as a new minimap, for example), a series of new guns, new character customization options, and more. Gearbox is also altering the campaign’s final boss, making it “more engaging, challenging, and rewarding.”
Further, an Ultra HD texture pack for Borderlands: The Handsome Collection will be available the same day as the Borderlands: GotY drops. According to the official Borderlands website, the UHD texture pack will affect “characters, vehicles, weapons and environments.” Gearbox didn’t specify how the UHD texture pack will affect the game, so it’s unclear if it’s receiving more frames per second, higher graphical fidelity, or both.
Borderlands: GotY is currently not live on neither the PlayStation 4 nor Xbox Store. However, it’s currently available for pre-order through GameStop for $30 on both platforms.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-game-of-the-year-edition-releases-tomo/1100-6465990/
GameStop Lost $673 Million Last Year, But Believes Its Future Is Bright
Video game retailer GameStop today reported earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal full year, and the results were not all that rosy. Before getting into the numbers, it’s important to note that GameStop’s fiscal Q4 and fiscal full year were one week shorter (13 weeks in the quarter compared to 14 and 52 weeks in the year compared to 53) than the previous year due to the way in which GameStop collected its numbers and data last year. As a result, GameStop’s sales numbers were likely to take at least a small hit in part to having one fewer week of sales.
With that out of the way, GameStop announced fourth quarter sales of $3.1 billion, which is a decrease of 7.6 percent. The key contributors to the downturn in sales were a tough comparison to an extra week last year and the timing of the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. While there was an overall decrease in sales for the quarter, US store sales rose 3.4 percent while international stores saw revenue decrease by 2.9 percent.
New hardware sales dropped 9.8 percent in the quarter. The Nintendo Switch was a bright spot, helping offset the decline in Xbox One X sales. That was always going to be a tough comparison for Xbox One X given it launched during the previous fiscal year, and consoles typically have huge opening numbers and then taper off. New software sales for GameStop in the quarter dropped by 7.8 percent, while pre-owned sales fell further, by 21.3 percent. In terms of growing businesses, GameStop’s accessories sales rose 18.8 percent (thanks to controllers and headsets), digital sales rose 4.7 percent (thanks to digital currency), and collectibles sales jumped 3.1 percent.
Overall, GameStop posted a loss of $187.7 million for the quarter, which is worse than the $105.9 million loss that GameStop recorded during the same quarter a year earlier.
Moving to the full year, GameStop’s total global sales reached $8.3 billion, which is a decrease of 3.1 percent. US store sales increased 1.8 percent while international sales dropped 4.8 percent.
Looking at GameStop’s various business units, it was a mixed bag for the full year. New hardware sales fell 1.3 percent, while new software sales dropped 5.1 percent. Pre-owned sales fell 13.2 percent. On the better side, accessories sales jumped 22 percent, collectibles sales rose 11.2 percent, and digital sales increased 16.5 percent.
GameStop overall posted a net loss of $673 million for the full year.
Despite the difficult fourth quarter and full fiscal year, GameStop executive chairman Dan DeMatteo said in a statement that the company expects to grow in the future under the leadership of its new CEO, George Sherman.
“We are excited to move forward under George’s leadership as we refine our strategic direction and implement several initiatives under development to strengthen the company for the future and drive sustainable growth and profitability,” DeMatteo said.
GameStop CFO Rob Lloyd said in his own statement that the company recognises “the challenges facing our pre-owned video game business.”
GameStop says it will address these issues in several ways as part of its overall ambition to save costs and improve profit. Some of the ways GameStop plans to save money in the new fiscal year is to focus on “supply chain efficiencies, operational improvements, expense savings, and pricing and promotion optimization.”
“GameStop is a leader in the video game industry, and we remain committed to capitalizing on our leadership position to discover new and unique ways to meet our loyal customers’ entertainment needs and attract new customers,” he said.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-lost-673-million-last-year-but-believes-i/1100-6465995/
