Video Game Sales Collapse as Holiday Shopping Begins

The companies that will be most badly damaged by the trend are the major console makers, which include Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) and Nintendo. They cannot follow the migration of games to smartphones and tablets because these new devices take the place of their console products.

There is a bit more hope for companies that make software — the games themselves. At the top of this list is Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), the largest of the traditional game makers. It has begun to create games that can be played on new portable devices, which means EA has begun to undermine the hardware sales of its traditional partners like Sony. But EA and its long-time rivals may be unable to stay ahead of new companies that do nothing but program for the next generation of portable devices.

Douglas A. McIntyre