IGN: Halo, Madden, GTA IV To Top Yearly 2007 Sales

According to the latest GamerMetrics report from IGN Entertainment, Halo 3 is predicted to be the prize of top selling game of 2007, followed by Madden NFL 08 and Grand Theft Auto IV, which combined will account for 30 percent of game sales in the second half of the year. GamerMetrics has said the remaining 70 percent of those sales will be made up primarily of Guitar Hero III, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Half-Life 2: The Orange Box. Among other key findings of the new report are a diverse lineup for the Xbox 360, including Mass Effect, BioShock, Too Human, and Two Worlds, many console exlcusive, while the PlayStation 3 could have to wait until early 2008 to see a true exclusive "killer app." The report also notes that Nintendo's Wii lineup is "extremely top heavy and does not feature the depth of content that might be required to reach the console's expanding audience demographics," though it notes that Super Smash Bros. Brawl is "poised to repeat the success of Super Smash Bros. Melee, which happens to be the best-selling Nintendo GameCube title of all time." For the Nintendo DS, IGN says The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, scheduled for an October launch, is the "runaway favorite to be the best selling Nintendo DS title of the second half of the year." Finally, the report says that almost 20 percent of IGN mindshare over the past 90 days is made up of second-half Electronic Arts releases, including Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, Army of Two, Need for Speed Pro Street, Mercenaries 2, Medal of Honor: Airborne, and Rock Band. Said GamerMetrics analyst Nick Williams "While many analysts and journalists are predicting Halo 3 to dominate the market once it is released, GamerMetrics is also focused on determining what games will thrive in spite of the hype and emerge as winners in the second half of the year. As the gaming industry continues to grow and develop, GamerMetrics will continue to evaluate the games and trends that are driving forces behind the video game industry's success." Weekly GamerMetrics data is provided exclusively to Gamasutra for its regular Release This! column.