GameStop’s Q3 results buoyed by hit game sales

While other companies are screaming that the sky is falling, retailer GameStop said Thursday that sales of hot game titles helped boost its third-quarter profits by nearly 12 percent and offset a sales decline for video game hardware in the quarter. These profits just barely helped the company beat Wall Street expectations. Excluding costs, GameStop’s operating profit of 32 cents per share beat a forecast of 30 cents per share.

Net earnings for the quarter that ended on Oct. 13 were $52.2 million - 31 cents per share, up from a profit of $46.7 million - 28 cents per share, in the same period a year ago. Sales in the quarter climbed 8.2 percent to $1.83 billion; analysts estimated $1.73 billion. A year ago the company raked in $1.7 billion.

Sales of new software rose 9.4 percent, and sales of used products jumped 19 percent. These gains helped offset a decline in sales of new video game hardware. But sales at stores open at least a year, which is considered a measure of a retailer’s financial health — fell 7.8 percent. That’s in line with forecast the company offered last week - a decline of 6 - 11 percent.

So what games pulled GameStop’s fanny out of the fire this quarter? According to the company, Madden NFL 10, Halo 3: ODST, Batman: Arkham Asylum, NBA 2K10 and Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide in its first 72 hours of release as well.

For the fourth quarter, GameStop expects a profit of $1.47 - $1.65 per share; analysts forecast Q4 profits at $1.57.

NBA showdown: NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K10 in stores

2K Sports’ NBA 2K10 is available as a regular vanilla release and a limited-edition NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition that comes packaged in a specially designed 2K Sports locker configured for game storage, with exclusive items featuring 2009 NBA Finals MVP and cover athlete for NBA 2K10, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. This season, NBA 2K10 promises realistic, stylistic, NBA branded gameplay with new features like a revamped career mode, training mode, franchise mode, and support for social features. Developed by 2K Sports’ Visual Concepts studio, NBA 2K10 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PSP. A windows version ships Oct. 12 and a Wii version will be released Oct. 19.

EA Sports’ entry, NBA LIVE 10 is available PS3, PSP and Xbox 360. Developed by EA Canada, NBA LIVE 10 promises a higher level of user control giving them command of dribbling, passing, shooting and driving the lane.

In addition to gameplay, visuals and in-game presentation have also received an overhaul in NBA LIVE 10. NBA LIVE 10 also introduces a premium service called Dynamic Season to this year’s seminal release. Dynamic Season allows users to play along with the regular season as it happens. Dynamic Season will update your game daily with the real results, injuries, statistics, trades and tendencies that happen in the NBA. As users play each game, their results are merged with the real NBA season, giving players the opportunity to alter reality and make their own 2010 NBA Finals.

Both games are available at retail this week.

NBA 2K10 demo released

2K Sports today announced that a free demo of NBA 2K10 is now available for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The demo lets fans relive this past season’s exciting NBA Finals and play in a four minute quarter as either the Orlando Magic or Los Angeles Lakers at a virtual Staples Center in Los Angeles. A demo on PlayStation Network will follow shortly.

Developed by 2K Sports’ Visual Concepts studio, NBA 2K10 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and will be available on October 6th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 2, and PSP. NBA 2K10 ships to retailers for Windows PC on October 12th and Wii on October 19th.

NBA star Derrick Rose signs on for NBA 2K10: Draft Combine

2K Sports has signed rising NBA star, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, as the official spokesman for NBA 2K10: Draft Combine, a download-only title that promises a pre-season basketball experience leading up to the fall launch of NBA 2K10. Rose, the 2009 T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year, has quickly become one of the most prolific playmakers in the league, and this season NBA 2K10: Draft Combine will tap into Rose’s personal knowledge and experience training for the NBA Draft.

Rose, who led the University of Memphis to the NCAA Championship game in his freshman year, was selected the top overall pick by his hometown Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft after only one college season. This past year, he averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Additionally, Rose led the Chicago Bulls back to the NBA playoffs, and his 36 points tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA record for the most points scored by a rookie in his playoff debut.

NBA 2K10: Draft Combine, developed by Visual Concepts, is planned for release in North America, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and India on August 26 for Xbox LIVE Arcade (400 Microsoft Points), and North America and Korea on September 3 for the PlayStation Network

NBA 2K10: Draft Combine announced for XBLA, PSN

2K Sports today announced NBA 2K10: Draft Combine, a download-only game that ptromises some pre-season fun for basketball fans leading up to the fall launch of NBA 2K10. Planned for release this September on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network, NBA 2K10: Draft Combine lets players create their own custom player, begin their career at the ATTACK Athletics gym in Chicago.

Gamers build up their custom players by working with a mentor called the 2K Insider and increase their NBA worth through a variety of basketball drills and 5-on-5 games. When you create that player you will allegedly have access to over 300 different signature customizations, including player-specific shooting animations, dunk and dribble packages and more.

Custom built players from NBA 2K10: Draft Combine and use them in the all-new My Player career mode in NBA 2K10 launching this fall. NBA 2K10: Draft Combine is being developed by Visual Concepts, and will be released in North America, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and India this September on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 (400 Microsoft Points) and PlayStation Network for PLAYSTATION 3 system ($4.99).

For more information about NBA 2K10: Draft Combine, visit www.2ksports.com/games/nba2k10dc.

NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition details

2K Sports is celebrating 10 years of NBA 2K with NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition, planned for release in North America this fall for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Beyond the game, NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition will come in a specially designed 2K Sports locker containing items featuring 2009 NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, along with a special commemorative video looking back on 10 years of NBA 2K and its past cover athletes.

Each NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition will be individually numbered for authenticity too, if that’s important to you. Only 30,000 copies of this limited edition version of the game will be released.

NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition will include the NBA 2K10 video game, 2K Sports’ NBA 2K10 game locker packaging, a 3 inch figurine of Kobe Bryant by McFarlane Toys, a 16 inch x 36 inch Kobe Bryant poster, the commemorative NBA 2K 10th anniversary DVD and access to the Gold Room - the NBA 2K10 VIP online lobby (accessible only with Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network membership, of course).

Look for it in stores this fall.