Sega's latest entry in the Yakuza franchise has proved a significant hit in Japan, with the PlayStation 3 game selling 298,717 units in its debut week.

Although it retains many of the same characters as the previous titles, the new game is a more action-orientated spin-off featuring a zombie attack on Tokyo. Despite the strong sales, the debut is still less than that of the more serious-minded Yakuza 3 (372,000 units) and Yakuza 4 (384,000 units).

Sales in the rest of the chart were as slow as previous weeks, with Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D on 3DS holding onto second place but selling only 15,551 units.

The second-highest new entry of the week was an anime-themed pachinko game at number six with just 6,808 first week sales.

Although its chart position is higher than that achieved in the UK individual format charts Red Faction: Armageddon at number nine sold only 5,436 units on PlayStation 3.

In terms of hardware sales there was little change from the previous week, with the gap between the PSP and 3DS remaining much smaller than previous months. Sony's portable was still the biggest-seller though at 26,681 units to 24,649.

The success of Yakuza did little to affect PlayStation 3 sales, with only a minor increase to 17,104.

Last Week This Week Title Format
New Entry 1 Yakuza Of The End PS3
1 2 Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D 3DS
3 3 Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS DS
4 4 Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional DS
2 5 One Piece Unlimited Cruise SP 3DS
New Entry 6 Gekiatsu!! Pachi Game Tamashi Vol. 1: CR Evangelion - Shinjitsu no Tsubasa PSP
13 7 Wii Party Wii
7 8 Akiba's Trip PSP
New Entry 9 Red Faction: Armageddon PS3
9 10 Patapon 3 PSP
Platform This Week Last Week
PSP 26,681 30,155
3DS 24,649 27,357
PlayStation 3 17,104 16,510
Wii 6,357 6,315
Nintendo DSi XL 5,283 5,452
Nintendo DSi 5,232 5,187
Xbox 360 2,370 2,499
PlayStation 2 1,291 1,228
Nintendo DS Lite 146 138
PSPgo 69 62

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...apanese-charts ...

Sega's mobster/zombie mash-up Yakuza: Of The End takes the top spot in this week's Japanese sales chart, and by some margin.

According to the latest Media Create numbers, as reported by Andriasang, the PlayStation 3 exclusive sold 298,717. That's leagues ahead of runner-up Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, which managed 15,551 in its second week on shelves.

Elsewhere in the chart, Red Faction: Armageddon managed to creep in at number nine, selling 5436 copies.

Here's the full top 10:

Yakuza Of The End (Sega, PS3): 298,717 NEW!
Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D (Capcom, 3DS): 15,551 (Life-to-date: 74,343)
Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS (Pokemon, DS): 11,421 (130,812)
Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 Professional (Square Enix, DS): 10,526 (530,022)
One Piece Unlimited Cruise Special (Namco Bandai, 3DS): 8,384 (105,625)
Gekiatsu!! Pachige Tamashii Portable Vol.1 Evangelion Shinjitsu no Tsubasa (Fields, PSP): 6,808 NEW!
Wii Party (Nintendo, Wii): 6,243 (1,911,195)
Akiba's Trip (Acquire, PSP): 5,523 (89,477)
Red Faction Armageddon (Spike, PS3): 5,436 NEW!
Patapon 3 (SCEJ, PSP): 5,306 (116,798)
Yet again, the PSP took the hardware crown, although sales were down from 30,155 last week to 26,681.

3DS came in second, though sales slipped from 27,357 to 24,649 following a couple of weeks of modest growth.

Nintendo will be hoping the release of Ocarina of Time 3D this week will push the struggling system back to the top of the pile.

The full hardware chart played out as follows:

PSP: 26,681 (Last week: 30,155)
3DS: 24,649 (27,357)
PS3: 17,104 (16,510)
Wii: 6,357 (6,315)
DSi XL: 5,283 (5,452)
DSi: 5,232 (5,187)
Xbox 360: 2,370 (2,499)
PS2: 1,291 (1,228)
DS Lite: 146 (138)
PSP go: 69 (62)

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...s-japan-charts ...

Sony knew hackers had pinched personal PSN data a full day earlier than we've been lead to believe, according to a new report.

Kyodo news (via Kotaku) obtained, via a freedom of information request, sensitive documents that proved Sony understood roughly the extent of the PSN hack on 25th April. PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai said this wasn't the case until 26th April.

On 26th April, Sony downplayed that internal report of a "fairly large" data theft by telling the world it "couldn't rule out the possibility" personal information had gone walkabouts.

Why?

Sony didn't want to "bewilder" customers. "We hadn't figured out (at that time) what kind of data had been leaked," a Sony spokesperson defended. "If only passwords and IDs (were breached), they cannot be considered personal information, and so we didn't want to bewilder our customers."

Does a day's delay signify Sony deliberately belittling the importance of the data theft?

PlayStation Network went offline on 20th April 2011. Nine days later, Sony announced that personal data including credit card information had been stolen. Upwards of 70 million people were at risk. Sony still doesn't know who was responsible.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...k-truth-report ...

Call of Duty: Black Ops' Escalation pack at last lands on PS3, a month after its initial Xbox 360 launch.

For £10.99, yours will be five new maps to the mix, including George Romero-inspired zombie killing in Call of the Dead. There's even a digital version of Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Also watch out for delightfully named The 2D Adventures Of Rotating Octopus Character as a mini for both PS3 and PSP. The aquatic adventure tugged an 8/10 (out of tentacle?) from Kristan in Eurogamer's PSN: Comeback Special review roundup earlier this week.

Other DLC adds more cars for Dirt 3, new missions in Operation Flashpoint: Red River and extra challenges to Marvel Vs Capcom 3.

Like your fighting a lot more retro? The original series-spawning PSone title Tekken is available to nab for four quid.

You can read the full listing below, courtesy of the EU PlayStation blog.

PS3 Games and Demos

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 - (£7.19/€8.99) - 20% off for Plus subscribers, free trial available
Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition (£19.99/€24.99)
Back to the Future: Episode 3 (free with Season Pass)
Ape Escape demo (free)
Black Ops: Escalation zombies. A bit like escalator zombies.
minis (PS3 and PSP)

Babel, The King Of The Blocks (£2.49/€2.99)
The 2D Adventures Of Rotating Octopus Character (£1.74/€1.99)
Run Ghost Run (£2.39/€2.99)
Best Of Solitaire (£4.99/€6.19)
Jellycar 2 (£1.99/€2.49)
PSone Classics (PS3 and PSP)

Tekken (£3.99/€4.99)
PSP Games

WWE All-Stars (£23.99/€29.99)
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean (£23.99/€29.99)
PS3 Add-Ons

Alice: Madness Return - Weapons Of Madness And Dresses Pack (1.59/€1.99)
Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation (£10.99/€13.99)
DanceDanceRevolution: New Moves - DDR Konamix Greatest Hits(£2.99/€3.59)
Dirt 3 - Teams And Cars Unlock Pack (£2.39/€2.99), Power And Glory Car Pack (£4.39/€5.49) (contains the following content also available separately): BMW M3 Rally (£1.19/€1.49), Chevrolet Camaro Ssx Concept (£1.19/€1.49), Ford Focus St Rallycross (£1.19/€1.49), Lancia Delta S4 (£1.19/€1.49), Scion TC (£1.19/€1.49)
Hyperdimension Neptunia - 99 Knights (free), Apple Beret (Compa) (£0.79/€0.99), Black Kitty (Neptune) (£0.79/€0.99), Bourne Hazard (free), Level Cap +200 (3) (£0.79/€0.99), Witch Hat (If) (£0.79/€0.99)
Marvel Vs Capcom 3 - Shadow Battle 09 (£0.79/€0.99)
MotorStorm Apocalypse - Prestige Pack(£1.99/€2.49) (contains the following content also available separately): Prestige Supercar Custom Pack (£0.79/€0.99), Prestige Rally Car Custom Pack (£0.79/€0.99), Prestige Supercar 2 Custom Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
LittleBigPlanet - Solstice Costume (free – 1 week only!)
SOCOM Special Forces - Pro Assault Pack (free)
Rock Band & Yoostar

Rock Band Mini-Sale (ends 22/06/11): Going Country Pack 01 – (was £4.39/€6.59 - now £2.49/€3.99), Going Country Pack 02 – (was £5.99/€8.99 - now £4.39/€6.59, Going Country Pack 03 – (was £4.99/€7.99 - now £3.49/€5.29, Alt Country Pack 01 – (was - £4.39/€6.59 - now £2.49/€3.99, Johnny Cash Pack 01 – (was £6.69/€9.99 - now £4.99/€7.99, Roy Orbison Pack 01 (was £4.99/€7.99 – now £3.49/€5.29
Rock Band 2 - Lost Soul - Amberian Dawn (£0.99/€1.49), Airbrushed – Anamanaguchi (£0.99/€1.49), You Will Leave A Mark - A Silent Dawn (£0.99/€1.49), Fight For Greatness – Bloom (£0.59/€0.79), Spaghetti Cat - Parry Gripp (£0.59/€0.79)
Rock Band 3 - Hard Rock Hallelujah – Lordi (£0.99/€1.49), I Alone – Live (£0.99/€1.49), Lightning Crashes – Live (£0.99/€1.49), Take On Me - A-Ha (£0.99/€1.49), Tubthumping – Chumbawamba (£0.99/€1.49), Unholy Confessions - Avenged Sevenfold (£0.99/€1.49), Welcome To The Family - Avenged Sevenfold (£0.99/€1.49), King Of Rock - Run-DMC (£0.99/€1.49), Foo Fighters Pack 04 (£3.49/€5.29) (contains the following songs also available separately): Long Road to Ruin (£0.99/€1.49), Rope (£0.99/€1.49), Stacked Actors (£0.99/€1.49), Walk (£0.99/€1.49)
Yoostar 2 - Are You Trying To Seduce Me? (£1.39/€1.75), The Parthenon In Greece (£0.59/€0.75), Fast-Moving Clouds (free), Atop The Great Wall Of China (£0.59/€0.75), Licoln Memorial (£0.59/€0.75), Buckingham Palace Garden (£0.59/€0.75), One Senior Always Has To Be The Badass (£1.39/€1.75), They Think He's A Righteous Dude (£1.39/€1.75), Damone's Dating Advice (£1.39/€1.75), Has The War Started? (£1.59/€1.99), Give 'em Hell! (£1.39/€1.75), The War Department Promised 180 Men (£1.39/€1.75), Classic Hollywood (£4.99/€6.19), Hollywood Sets Pack (£4.39/€5.49), Hollywood Icons (£4.39/€5.49), Horror (£4.39/€5.49), The Death Of Kirk (£1.39/€1.75), You're Terminated (£1.39/€1.75)
PSP Add-Ons

Buzz: TUMQ - Decades Quiz 90's (£3.19/€3.99)

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...date-15th-june ...

Amazon offers buy one, get one half-off on select games

f last week's video game industry festivities filled you with an unquenchable thirst to buy more video games, you should turn your unhealthy impulses towards Amazon. For a limited time, the retailer's offering buy one, get one-half off on a beefy list of 186 titles across various platforms.

Notable titles eligible for the offer include:
Killzone 3: Helghast Edition -- $59.99
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood -- $39.99
Heavy Rain -- $27.99
Fallout New Vegas -- $59.99
Medal of Honor -- $19.97
Demon's Souls -- $19.73
Metal Gear Solid 4 -- $19.16

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...96491&plpage=4 ...

Were you perplexed by the odd, seemingly misspelled word that kept periodically popping up during Sony's updates about the PSN outage? You know, Qriocity? It seems Sony is attempting to take advantage of your piqued attention, as PlayStation Blog has announced that all PS3 owners ages 18 and up are eligible to receive a free 180-day membership to the streaming music service.

To access the offer, PS3 owners simply need to select the "Music Unlimited" option under the Music pane of the XMB. After that, it's just a matter of figuring out which of the seven million tracks therein you want to listen to first. No, seriously, it's an important decision. If you kick off your Qriocity career with Hoobastank, we're going to be very disappointed in you.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/15/so...to-ps3-owners/ ...

Sony Computer Entertainment in the UK is still in a state of flux, as the company continues to seek a replacement for managing director Ray Maguire.

Seventeen-year veteran Maguire, who also held the position of senior vice president of Europe, left the company in April - leaving one of Sony Europe's strongest markets without a figurehead.

Sony told GamesIndustry.biz that the search for a replacement was still ongoing but declined to comment on whether it was promoting internally or seeking an external candidate.

"There will be an announcement in due course and I don't think it will be a hugely long, drawn out process," said Andrew House, European president.

It's a key strategic market for us and obviously we need really good leadership
Andrew House, Sony
"The UK is an absolutely key market for us, there's a great team of guys in place that who I think are doing a phenomenal job. It's a key strategic market for us and obviously we need really good leadership.

"Ray left fantastically big shoes to fill but we hope to find that right person," he added.

As well as establishing the PlayStation brand in the UK and Europe, Maguire was widely respected and a passionate advocate of using video games to improve the national curriculum.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-state-of-flux ...

The Xbox 360 is once again the highest selling console in the US, according to data released by the NPD Group, with the console sold 270,000 units in May - up 39 percent over last year.

The Xbox 360 has occupied the top-spot for 11 of the last 12 months, and enjoyed 17 consecutive months of year-on-year sales growth. Microsoft released an official response predicting that the seventh year of the Xbox 360's life-cycle would be its most successful, "a feat never achieved by any console in history."

Four of the top-ten console games in May were available on Xbox 360 – L.A. Noire, Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, and Brink – with software sales reaching $140 million for the system and total retail spend amounting to $265 million, the highest of any current generation console.

However, while Microsoft's game business is enjoying a period of growth, the NPD data painted a less optimistic picture for the wider industry. Sales of hardware and accessories were both down year-on-year, with physical software sales at their lowest point since October 2006.

Nevertheless, Microsoft is anticipating a "monumental" finish to 2011, "with the biggest blockbuster games, Kinect games and experiences, as well as movies, music and TV together all in one place. This will propel Xbox 360 to be number one worldwide by the end of the year, out-selling PlayStation 3 and Wii."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...one-spot-in-us ...

Sony has responded to the most recent round of US industry sales figures from NPD by pointing out that its PS3 console is selling 14 per cent more, year on year, than it was last May - making last month the fourth consecutive month of double digit sales growth.

The NPD report paints a grim picture for the US market, showing the lowest physical games sales for five years, albeit partially due to a sparse release schedule. Nonetheless, hardware sales for the PS3 and 360 were both up.

"The PS3 platform is stronger than ever, and with the launch of Infamous 2, we continue to show our commitment to delivering the best and freshest content line-up available to our consumers," said SCEA senior director of corporate communications, Patrick Seybold.

"At E3 last week, we saw first-hand the consumer excitement for 3D, PlayStation Move and our first party franchise titles that will continue to drive the brand."

Sony has suffered considerable setbacks over the last year, after experiencing production issues for the forthcoming PS Vita during the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, and then enduring six weeks of PSN outage, at the cost of $170 million, thanks to a security breach.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...t-year-on-year ...