Bets Opened For UK Christmas Game #1

The British trade organization ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) has announced, in collaboration with the UK bookmaker Ladbrokes, the list of computer and video games vying for the Christmas #1 title in the UK retail charts. Since many bets are regularly taken on the Christmas #1 music single in the UK, a similar concept has arisen over the past few years for video games, with odds given for each games's chances of reaching the top spot, and UK citizens being able to bet money on their favorite title. Combined multi-format sales will be used to calculate the Christmas #1, using the week ending December 18, and Ladbrokes will take the final result from the ELSPA/Chart-Track official UK game sales chart. This year, a number of licensed game titles head the betting, with Buena Vista's The Chronicles Of Narnia getting 3/1 odds, swiftly followed by Ubisoft's Peter Jackson's King Kong and EA's Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire, though original games from Activision, EA, and Rockstar do feature further down the rankings. The leading contenders and their odds are as follows: The Chronicles Of Narnia - Buena Vista Games - 3/1 Peter Jackson's King Kong - Ubisoft - 6/1 Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire - EA - 6/1 Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones - Ubisoft - 6/1 Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One - Activision - 8/1 Need for Speed: Most Wanted - EA - 8/1 Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - LucasArts - 12/1 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - Rockstar - 16/1 Last year's results saw Electronic Arts' Need For Speed Underground 2 taking the top spot from Rockstar's GTA: San Andreas, securing another Christmas number 1 for EA, which enjoyed a similar surprise win with Medal Of Honor: Pacific Assault in 2003. David McMorrow, retail marketing manager for Ladbrokes, observed of this year's contenders: "Games with big movie tie-ins are once again going to prove extremely popular this Christmas. We're anticipating a roaring trade on The Chronicles of Narnia (3/1), monster sales of King Kong (6/1) and magical sales of Harry Potter (6/1) - so it's bound to be tight!"