GameSpot Announces Most Anticipated Video Games For the 2004 Holiday Season; GameSpot Trax ''Holiday Hot List'' Provides Insight into This Year's Most Popular Games

Business Wire, Nov 23, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO -- GameSpot, a leading online source for gaming information, today announced the most anticipated video games of the 2004 holiday season based on statistics from GameSpot Trax, the company's market intelligence tool, which is used by marketers, analysts and retailers to analyze current and future trends in gaming.

This season promises heavy competition among game publishers and developers, with over 350 new game SKUs expected to release in the last three months of 2004 across all console, portable, and PC platforms. According to GameSpot Trax, the most anticipated games that are likely to be top sellers this holiday season include: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Halo 2, Half-Life 2, Need for Speed Underground 2, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

"Last year, 240 million games were sold in the United States, which averages out to two games for every household(1)," said Joshua Larson, director of GameSpot Trax. "The stakes are incredibly high for game publishers as we head into the holiday shopping season. More than ever, we're noticing that they are leveraging popular gaming franchises-- such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2 -- by creating sequels, to ensure a built-in buying audience."

GameSpot Trax is widely considered the game industry's scorecard. By following the activities from over one million gamers every day across the GameSpot family of Web sites, GameSpot Trax is the industry's most advanced tool for analyzing the buying cycle for games. It tracks and analyzes game data ranging from consumer awareness, interest and purchase intent to competitive mindshare, campaign effectiveness, audience profiles and editorial coverage. GameSpot Trax selected the five most anticipated games based on their leadership across the following metrics:

--Unique gamers measures the overall awareness for the game title

--Video streams expose initial interest in the game, as gamers experience its look and feel

--Demo downloads measures trial, as gamers can download a segment of PC games to play.

--Message boards activity provides insight to the word-of-mouth buzz among gamers

--Number of Trackers reflects the users that are receiving updates on the game through their tracking lists and it is a strong indicator of purchase intent.

Highlights of what made each of the five selected games winners this year include:

1. Halo 2 (Xbox), Release Date: Nov. 9th - Halo 2 appears on nearly 65,000 GameSpot users' tracking lists and wish lists -- more than any other title -- proving that members of this game's fan base do not want to miss a single detail. First officially announced more than two years ago, this rabid enthusiasm has generated the single biggest opening day for an entertainment release ever, according to the game's publisher, Microsoft.

2. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2), Release Date: Oct. 24th - Anticipation for the latest Grand Theft Auto reached a crescendo upon its launch, with more than 476,000 gamers generating information requests for the game in a single day on the GameSpot Network, a new record. Early review scores (average of 96%) are actually slightly higher than those for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (average of 94%), leading analysts to expect record sales.

3. Half-Life 2 (PC), Release Date: Nov. 16th - The original Half-Life PC game was innovative and influential when released in 1998, and its sequel delivers a new game engine that will be used in various games in the near future. The photo-realistic graphics are a key feature, as evidenced by nearly 1.5 million video streams of Half-Life 2 trailers and gameplay movies since the beginning of the year.

4. Need for Speed Underground 2 (PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC), Release Date: Nov. 15th - As the sequel to last year's blockbuster street racer, Need for Speed Underground 2 will take the lead this holiday season, especially with Gran Turismo 4's recent move to a Q1 2005 release date. Need for Speed Underground 2 will hit multiple console and PC platforms and has generated a great amount of trial with over 225,000 downloads of its PC demo in less than a month.

5. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2), Release Date: Nov. 17th - The Metal Gear Solid franchise really helped create the stealth shooter genre, and the newest installment takes the action to the jungle. With over 13 million message board views for this title since January 2004, its fan base has dissected every available detail and ensured a big launch in mid-November.

About GameSpot

GameSpot (www.gamespot.com) is a leading online source for gaming information. The GameSpot family includes GameFAQs, Game Rankings, Wireless Gaming Review, GameSpot DLX, and GameSpot Trax, its real-time market intelligence tool. GameSpot's Websites offer free access to tens of thousands of PC and video game reviews from expert editors, previews of the hottest upcoming games, game downloads, video streams, guides, breaking news, and hints. GameSpot also has one of the most active online gaming communities which is a free, innovative social network service that makes it fun and easy for gamers to meet and interact with others that share their specific gaming interests.