Nintendo says it released some of its greatest ever titles over the last year. Key hits were Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword and a lovingly crafted 3D remake of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and two triple- A Mario titles in Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. Other critically acclaimed Nintendo-published titles that have also seen commercial success in 2011 included Professor Layton and the Spectreʼs Call and Pokemon Black and White on DS. It also pushed hard into digital through its eShop with both a mix of free games and paid-for new IP such as Pullblox, Zen Pinball 3D, and Mighty Switch – the firm says it has seen download numbers hugely increase since the December sales period. Nintendo has also released acclaimed Wii titles targeted more toward a niche audience, including Xenoblade: Chronicles and The Last Story.
SCE UK Sony suffered more than most in the last year thanks to external forces like natural disasters and cyber attacks. But the resilience of the Japanese giant shone through in adversity: it delivered a tonne of triple-A software, including Uncharted 3, Killzone 3, Infamous 2, Motorstorm Apocalypse, Resistance 3, DanceStar Party and five Move titles in the run up to
Christmas. February 22nd saw the launch of the brand new handheld, PlayStation Vita with an unprecedented launch line up of six first party titles, five digital only titles, and three free AR games. The format-holder also boosted its hardware offering through firmware updates – including a key addition in enabling 3D content for many games.
UBISOFT
Continued momentum reinforced Ubisoftʼs position as the No.3 independent publisher in the last year, with on-going success in the casual sector, especially the dance segment where it has 85 per cent share of the whole ʻdance categoryʼ in 2011. Other milestones included taking a leadership position as publisher at the 3DS launch, being the top selling publisher on Wii, strong multi-platform sales on its key franchises Just Dance (4.2m units in just over 2 years) and Assassinʼs Creed (over 5m units in four years), and becoming the No.1 independent publisher on Kinect. Its digital efforts also impressed, with 100 per cent growth, led with breakthrough new products like From Dust. Ubisoft finished the year with three titles in the Top 15 All Formats for the year and was No.1 for unit sales over Christmas, the best end to the best year the company has ever had.
WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
ENTERTAINMENT 2011 was a watershed year for WBIE, the publisher says. Its slate kicked off with Mortal Kombat and FEAR 3, both praised for growing their respective franchises – and in the case of the former, returning it to glory after years out of the spotlight. Later in the summer, Bastion from developer SuperGiant games showcased WBIEʼs commitment to new IP and almost owning the digital space with its first major product for download and a sign of what is to come. But Batman: Arkham City was the big game, winning over 40 game of the year titles, and rafts of positive reviews. The publisher says the title is specifically “a beacon to the industry in how games should be made, and an example of when teams band together to create a fantastic launch scenario and beyond”. Warner Bros. International financial reports singled out WBIEʼs success – and there were metrics to prove its power: in less than four years of operation.