GAMING – ONLINE TIME & POINTS CARDS 2011 (UNITS) 1. XBOX LIVE 2100 MICROSOFT POINTS CARD
2. Xbox Live 3 Month Gold Membership 3. Call Of Duty Back Ops 1200 Points 4. Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Membership 5. Xbox Live 800 Microsoft Points Card 6. Xbox Live 4200 Microsoft Points Card 7. Playstation Network Card (25)
8. World Of Warcraft 60 Day Time Card 9. PlayStation Network Card (£20)
10. Xbox Live 12 Month Gold & 800 Points
Naturally, the low price and form factor of the cards lend themselves to impulse purchases and gifting, considerably more so than a £50 boxed console title.
And let’s not forget the safety and convenience of a one-time code. The world of entertainment may have embraced downloads, many shoppers still place their faith in retail. “Not all customers have credit cards, and some are wary of using them online,” says Asda’s Thompson. “Therefore sales of cards are very healthy in bricks-and-mortar retail.”
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MICROSOFT Microsoft
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Sony Entertainment Activision
Sony Entertainment Microsoft
Source: GfK Chart-Track
Presence in store offers Club Penguin prime real estate that’s visible to our target audiences: parents and tweens. Matt Carrol, Disney
Carroll adds: “Consumers still live in both worlds and are shopping online and offline.”
ON THE CARDS
So where do we go from here? In the last year, Microsoft has released cards that entitle users to full XBLA titles or DLC for boxed games, but what else can publishers pack onto these prepaid cards? McGill is keen to explore the possibilities: “There’s a market for both digital and retail purchases and we’ll continue to invest in both.
GAMING – ONLINE TIME & POINTS CARDS 2011 (REVENUE) 1. XBOX LIVE 2100 MICROSOFT POINTS CARD
2. Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Membership 3. Xbox Live 3 Month Gold Membership 4. Xbox Live 4200 Month Gold Membership 5. Call Of Duty Black Ops 1200 Points 6. PlayStation Network Card (£25)
7. Xbox Live 12 Month Gold & 800 Points 8. Modern Warfare 3 12 Months Live + 2 Free 9. Gears Of War 3 Months Gold + 2 Months 10. Xbox Live 800 Microsoft Points Card
Microsoft Microsoft
Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft
Sony Entertainment Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft
Source: GfK Chart-Track
We’re working with other UK retailers to look at similar business models.” Asda’s Thompson predicts: “As development costs continue to rise on triple-A products, and with the next generation of consoles just around the corner, I think we will see games developers producing more and more episodic content, which will further drive sales of points and DLC cards.
“This is a good thing for both publishers and retail, as all parties can benefit from the sales opportunity this will bring.”