FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

XBLA Sales Up 11% in April Due to Holdovers, Inventory Sale

May 28th, 2010 - As per the released report by Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment, LLC (FADE), the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) market grew by 11% in April when compared to April of 2009. FADE estimates that XBLA has grown 7% overall in 2010 due to weaker than expected showings in January and February.

Gaming revenue in April for XBLA topped $7.6 million USD during the month, a new record for April, which compares favorably to $6.9 million grossed during the month last year. Year-to-Date revenue stands at $33.8 million - 7% more than this time last year, which saw $31.7 million through the first four months of 2009.

Signal Studio's March blockbuster 'Toy Soldiers' remained at the #1 spot, despite a 74% drop in units sold from the month prior, with 53,000 units sold during the month. The top new title of the month was Capcom's retro sequel 'Mega Man 10' which shot its way to #5 overall, with an estimated 37,000 units sold during the month. Capcom also provided another new top-10 entry in 'Final Fight: Double Impact' at an estimated 32,000 units during the month.

Microsoft also engineered a success in their 'Inventory Blowout' sale and other major price reductions. Titles on clearance grossed over $500,000 USD on the month, with most titles seeing a 200-400% increase in units sold. "With the second quarter of the year typically being the worst quarter of Xbox Live Arcade revenue, Microsoft has made notable changes to their lineup and pricing strategy,"  said Benjamin Schlichter, Director of Research & Analysis at FADE. "We forecast that due to these changes, significant gains will be made through April, May and June compared to the normally low revenues in prior years."


FADE Top 10 Estimates for XBLA Revenue, April 2010:

• Toy Soldiers (Signal Games) - 53,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
  
• Trials HD (RedLynx) - 42,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
• Perfect Dark (4J Games) - 49,000 Units ($10.00 USD)
  
• Castle Crashers (The Behemoth) - 29,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
• Mega Man 10 (Capcom) - 37,000 Units ($10.00 USD)
• Battlefield 1943 (EA Dice) - 22,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
• Final Fight: Double Impact (Capcom) - 32,000 Units ($10.00 USD)
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Capcom) - 21,000 Units ($15.00 USD)
• Family Game Night (Hasbro) - 29,000 Units ($10.00 USD)
• After Burner Climax (SEGA) - 22,000 Units ($10.00 USD)

FADE maintains a comprehensive database on Xbox Live Arcade, with sales estimates from January 2008 to current. FADE offers a wide array of reports for Xbox Live Arcade for any given month, and offers volume discounts for large orders. Visit http://www.fadellc.com for more information.


About Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment, LLC

FADE is a strategic market research and consulting firm focused on electronic entertainment and the emerging download and mobile game markets. With very little information currently available in these markets, FADE allows smaller developers to investigate these new potential sources of revenue and make informed business decisions moving forward. Currently, FADE produces monthly and annual reports for Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare & Virtual Console, and mobile markets including iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry. For more information, please visit http://www.fadellc.com.