GameStop says sales of October's big releases were weaker than expected

GameStop published a cautionary note for investors today (ahead of its third-quarter earnings report later this month) warning that results will be "weaker than expected" due to October releases underperforming at GameStop sales counters.

Devs should know that we're talking about a month which saw the launch of the PlayStation VR headset as well as big-budget games like Mafia 3, Gears of War 4 and Battlefield 1. We're also not talking about poor sales overall -- just sales that weren't as high as what GameStop was counting on.

"Our expectation was that the new titles released in October would provide a catalyst for new software sales," company chief Paul Raines stated in the investor's note. "But despite gaining market share, the titles underperformed our forecasted sales."

It's also worth pointing out that earlier today Take-Two reported 2K Games saw record-setting retailer demand for Mafia 3, with 4.5 million units sold in to store shelves within its first week. This note from GameStop is a good reminder that retailers sometimes overestimate how well the products they buy will actually sell.