April 2006 in video gaming

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Despite a gain in revenue and an overall profit for Microsoft, their Home and Entertainment division announces a Q3 loss of USD 388 million. Xbox 360 shortages and money spent to put the console into stores worldwide are cited as the main reasons for the loss. [1]

The name of Nintendo's fifth home video game console, previously code named the "Revolution" has been announced as the Wii.[2]
With expensive Blu-ray and Cell processor technology in the PlayStation 3, Sony's Game Division is expected to lose $872 million in this fiscal year. [3]

According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is set to acquire developer Massive Incorporated for over $400 million. [4]

A PlayStation Portable firmware update, v2.7, is released in Japan. [5]
An inadvertently mailed version of publisher Bethesda's forthcoming game release list reveals plans for a PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable version of Oblivion. [6]
A report by Niko Partners finds that the video game market in China will reach $2.1 billion by 2010. [7]

Media conglomerate Viacom purchases gamer-oriented freeware instant messaging service Xfire for $102 million. [8]
GameSpot launches a United Kingdom run version of its site, GameSpot UK. [9]
Sony announces that it will begin testing chip components for the PlayStation 3 shortly, suggesting a worldwide November release. [10]
4sight Licensing Solutions, a subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment, announces plans to oversee Xbox and Xbox 360 global licensing. [11]

Chartered Semiconductor announces that it will produce 65 nm CPUs for the Xbox 360, which will lower the console's heat and power consumption. [12]
The film adaptation of Silent Hill is released in North America and the United Kingdom. Response is mixed, with the film praised by fans but criticised by reviewers.
THQ lowers its earnings guidance for the March quarter, citing a change in development strategy for the WWE games and poor sales performance of Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers. [13]

Development of PC and Xbox 360 game TimeShift transfers from Atari to VU Games. [14]
Sony cuts the price of the PlayStation 2 from US$149.99 to US$129.99 (CAN$139.99). [15]
Shigesato Itoi, creator of the MOTHER/EarthBound RPGs released the third (and probably final) title of the MOTHER/EarthBound franchise in Japan for the Game Boy Advance.

Former Ubisoft Montreal head Martin Tremblay becomes president of Worldwide Studios. [16]
The 2007 Game Developers Conference is announced to take place in San Jose, California, from March 5 to 9th. [17]
The NPD group reports that March 2006 U.S. sales for video games were $499 million, down eight percent from March 2005. [18]
Square Enix cuts its profit forecast for the year by over 40 percent, and drops its revenue forecast by eight percent. [19]
The I Am 8-Bit video-game themed art exhibit opens for a second show. [20]

An "Online Games Market in India" report indicates that the online games market in India will exceed $200 million by 2010. [21]
Microsoft announces that by the end of 2006, it hopes to produce and ship 1 million Xbox 360 units per month. [22]

A sequel to Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero 2, is announced. [23]
According to the Yankee Group, in-game advertising could increase to $732 million by the year 2010, up from $56 million in 2005 and $22 million in 2004. [24]

The Nintendo DS is announced as the top-selling console in Japan for 2005, selling 4.32 million units. The PlayStation Portable is second, selling 2.07 million units, while the PlayStation 2 is third, selling 1.77 million units. [25]

Kingdom Hearts II reaches 2.5 million units in worldwide shipment. After it releases in Europe, Square Enix expects the entire series' shipments to reach 10 million units. [26]
Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS is announced as the top-selling video game in Japan for 2005, selling 2.34 million units. Final Fantasy XII for PlayStation 2 is second, selling 2.05 million units, and Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day for Nintendo DS is third, selling 1.85 million units. [27]

Lara Croft is entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as "Most Successful Human Video Game Heroine". [28]
The seventh game in the Tomb Raider series, Tomb Raider: Legend is released in Europe for multiple platforms. It is the first game in the Tomb Raider series not to be developed by Core Design, instead being developed by Crystal Dynamics.[29]

Ritual Entertainment's SiN Episodes: Emergence preload begins on Valve Software's Steam platform in preparation for a May 9, 2006 launch. The 1998 game SiN is available to play immediately for customers who preorder the game. The game will also be available in stores following a distribution deal with EA.[31][32]

Sega acquires game developers Secret Level and Sports Interactive. [33]
Nintendo confirms that the Opera internet browser will launch for the Nintendo DS in Japan in June. [34]

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