2005 in video gaming

Events

• March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship.^[1]
• March 7–11 — Game Developers Conference:
  • Nintendo keynote speech: "The Heart of the Gamer" by Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo.
  • Microsoft keynote speech: "The Future of Games: Unlocking the Opportunity" by J Allard, corporate vice president and chief XNA architect.
• May 11 — The global version of Maplestory is launched.
• May 12 — The Xbox 360 was officially announced on MTV in a special hosted by Elijah Wood.
• May 16 — The PlayStation 3 was unveiled by Sony during a pre-E3 press conference, at 21:25 GMT. At the same time, the press release^[2] was released through the Japanese PlayStation website.
• May 17–20 — E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) takes place in Los Angeles, California. Four hundred exhibiting companies and 70,000 industry professionals representing 79 countries attended. Next-generation systems from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft were unveiled.
• June 1 — IBM held the first virtual video game on-demand conference in which game developers and manufacturers were able to come together to discuss issues with online games, including management and distribution.
• July — IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) hosts 6th annual Executive Summit.
• September 16–18 — Tokyo Game Show takes place at Makuhari Messe. One hundred-thirty companies are expected to show with 1,429 booths.
  • Nintendo keynote speech by Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo.
    • During Iwata's keynote speech, the Wii controller is unveiled.
  • Microsoft keynote speech by Robert J. Bach, chief Xbox officer and senior vice president, Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft.
• November 14 — Nintendo's first mainstream online service (Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection) is launched with Mario Kart DS and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land.
• November 22 — Microsoft's Xbox 360 is released.
• December 16 — The Family Entertainment Protection Act (FEPA) is introduced by Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh. The bill calls for a federal mandate enforcement of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings system for video games in order to protect children from inappropriate content.

Business

• January 6 — French publisher Titus Interactive, owner of Interplay Entertainment, is declared bankrupt after being in receivership since October 2004.
• January 12 — Video game companies and players worldwide donate money to the UNICEF South Asian Tsunami Relief Fund for rescue and reconstruction efforts upon the South Asian tsunami disaster. Electronic Arts pledges to donate $250,000 to the UNICEF South Asian Tsunami Relief Fund. CCP, the publisher of EVE Online, establishes a fund that video game players can contribute to.
• January 17 — Electronic Arts and ESPN announced a 15-year partnership that would give EA access to ESPN's broadcast, print and online content.
• January 20 — Activision announced that it acquired developer Vicarious Visions known best as a developer of Game Boy games as well as for their middleware program, Alchemy.
• January 24 — Major League Baseball and Take-Two Interactive sign exclusive seven year deal that gives Take-Two the rights among third-party publishers to develop games based on the MLB license.
• January 25 — Take-Two Interactive announced that it acquired developer Visual Concepts and their wholly owned subsidiary Kush Games from Sega for $24 million. Additionally, Take-Two also announced the start of another publishing label named 2K Games.
• February — Troika Games defunct after being unable to get contracts for development work.
• March 2 — The Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB added the rating of "E10+" to its ratings system. E10+ was created in order to divide E ratings for younger and older children.
• March 7 — Sammy Studios breaks away from Sega Sammy Holdings and renames itself High Moon Studios.
• March 9 — Sega acquires Creative Assembly.
• March 23 — Vivendi Universal Games buys developer Radical Entertainment. Radical is best known for developing The Simpsons Hit & Run.
• April 2 — Keiji Inafune, the creator of Mega Man series, was promoted from corporate officer to senior corporate officer.
• May — Buena Vista Games announces that it had bought the rights to the Turok video game franchise and will be publishing new games. The rights were originally held by bankrupt Acclaim Entertainment.
• July 20 — After coming under heavy fire from many politicians, most notably Hillary Clinton, the Entertainment Software Rating Board re-rated Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Adults Only 18+ (AO) due to the sexually explicit minigame mod "Hot Coffee". Additionally, Rockstar Games ceased production of the game and has announced plans to offer a new version of the game that can't be affected by the mod, and plans to patch the PC version.
• July 27 — Sony Computer Entertainment released the first major update in Japan for their video game handheld, the PlayStation Portable. Version 2.00 includes an web browser, A-B repeat mode, Wi-Fi picture sending, as well as additional audio & video support among other features.
• August 8 — Abandon Mobile announces its formation through a partnership between Abandon Entertainment, Inc. and GF Capital Management and Advisors, LLC.
• August 22 — Square Enix acquires Taito Corporation. That leads to Square Enix entering the arcade sector of the electronic game industry.
• November — Pandemic Studios and BioWare partner to create BioWare/Pandemic Studios.
• November 7 — Take-Two Interactive acquires Firaxis Games.
• November 30 — Sony Computer Entertainment announce that PlayStation 2 breaks a record: the fastest console to reach cumulative shipment of 100 million units, beating the previous record holder, the PlayStation, by three years and nine months. The PS platform has until the present year the biggest sales of all times of video games history, with 120 million consoles shipped.
• December 12 — Working Designs closes down.

Notable releases

• January 10 — The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA)
• January 10 — Software Tycoon (Lin)
• January 11 — Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
• January 11 — Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (PS2, Xbox)
• January 25 — Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (Xbox)
• February 4 — Postal²: Share the Pain (Lin)
• February 8 — Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords (PC)
• February 8 — Shadow of Rome (PS2)
• February 14 — Star Fox Assault (GCN)
• February 14 — WarioWare: Touched! (NDS)
• February 22 — Gran Turismo 4 (PS2)
• February 24 — Tekken 5 (PS2)
• February 28 - Star Wars: Republic Commando (Xbox)
• March 1 — Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (PS2)
• March 1 — Star Wars: Republic Commando (PC)
• March 14 — Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN)
• March 15 — Act of War: Direct Action (PC)
• March 21 — TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (GCN, PS2, Xbox)
• March 22 — God of War (PS2)
• March 22 — Lumines (PlayStation Portable)
• March 22 — The Matrix Online (PC)
• March 22 — Metal Gear Acid (PSP)
• March 29 — Dynasty Warriors 5 (PS2)
• March 31 — Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (GCN, PC, PS2, Xbox)
• April 4 — Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (PC)
• April 5 — Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (GBA, GCN, PC, PS2, Xbox)
• April 12 — Jade Empire (Xbox)
• April 18 — Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict (Xbox)
• April 19 — Psychonauts (Xbox)
• April 21 — Haunting Ground PS2
• April 25 — Crash Bandicoot (Mobile)
• April 26 — Psychonauts (PC)
• April 26 — ObsCure (PC, PS2, Xbox)
• April 27 — Predator: Concrete Jungle (PS2, Xbox)
• April 28 — Guild Wars
• May 1 — Pokémon Emerald (GBA)
• May 5 — Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (PS2, Xbox, NDS, GBA, Mobile Phone App)
• May 23 — WarioWare: Twisted! (GBA)
• May 23 — Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA)
• June 7 — Medal of Honor: European Assault (GameCube, PS2, Xbox)
• June 13 — Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (GBA)
• June 13 — Kirby: Canvas Curse (NDS)
• June 21 — Battlefield 2 (PC)
• June 21 — Psychonauts (PS2)
• June 21 — Destroy All Humans! (PS2, Xbox)
• June 24 — Soul Ride (Lin)
• June 27 — Meteos (NDS)
• June 28 — Falcon 4.0: Allied Force (PC)
• July 5 — Façade (Win, Mac OS X)
• July 7 — killer7 (PS2, GameCube)
• August 8 — Madden NFL 06 (PS2, NDS, GCN)
• August 16 —Dungeon Siege II (PC)
• August 16 —EyeToy: Play 2 (PS2)
• August 17 —Madden NFL 06 (PC)
• August 22 —Nintendogs (NDS)
• August 22 —Advance Wars: Dual Strike (NDS)
• August 23 —The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (PS2, GCN, Xbox)
• September — Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault (PC)
• September 13 — Dynasty Warriors 5 (Xbox)
• September 13 — EverQuest II: Desert Of Flames (PC)
• September 13 - Scooby-Doo! Unmasked (PS2, GC, NDS, GBA, Xbox)
• September 16 — Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (North America) (PS2, Xbox)
• September 19 - Tak: The Great Juju Challenge ( PS2, Xbox, GBA, NDS, GC
• September 20 — Indigo Prophecy (PS2, Xbox, PC)
• September 20 — Ninja Gaiden Black (Xbox)
• September 20 — We Love Katamari (PS2)
• September 20 — Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (GC, PS2, Xbox, DS, PSP)
• September 26 — Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (PS2)
• September 30 — Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (Europe) (PS2, Xbox)
• October 4 — Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (NDS)
• October 7 — Black & White 2 (PC)
• October 11 — Serious Sam II (PC, Xbox)
• October 17 — F.E.A.R. (PC)
• October 17 — The Warriors (PS2)
• October 18 — Quake 4 (PC)
• October 18 — Age of Empires III (PC)
• October 18 — Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
• October 18 — Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species (PC)
• October 19 — Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GameCube)
• October 19 — Crash Tag Team Racing (PS2, GC, PSP, Xbox)
• October 20 — Navy Field Online (PC)
• October 24 — Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (PC, Xbox)
• October 25 — Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (PS2, Xbox)
• October 25 — Call of Duty 2 (PC)
• October 25 — Civilization IV (PC)
• October 25 — Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP)
• October 25 — Resident Evil 4 (PS2)
• October 25 — Ratchet: Deadlocked (PS2)
• October 25 — Soul Calibur III (PS2)
• November 1 — Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (GCN, PS2, Xbox)
• November 1 — Star Wars Battlefront 2 (PC, PS2, Xbox, PSP)
• November 7 — Kameo: Elements of Power (Xbox 360)
• November 7 — The Matrix: Path of Neo (PC, PS2, Xbox)
• November 8 — Guitar Hero (PS2)
• November 14 — Mario Kart DS (NDS)
• November 14 — Shadow the Hedgehog (PS2, Xbox, GCN)
• November 15 — Sonic Rush (NDS)
• November 15 — Call of Duty 2 (Xbox 360)
• November 15 — Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360)
• November 15 — WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 (PS2)
• November 15 - True Crime: New York City (PS2, Xbox, PC, GC)
• November 16 — Need for Speed: Most Wanted (NDS, GBA, GCN, PC, PS2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360)
• November 17 — Perfect Dark Zero (Xbox 360)
• November 17 — Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Xbox 360)
• November 21 — Battlefield 2: Special Forces (PC)
• November 22 — Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)
• November 22 — Quake 4 (Xbox 360)
• November 30 — Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (PS2, Xbox, GCN)
• December 5 — Animal Crossing: Wild World (NDS)
• December 5 — Super Mario Strikers (GCN)
• December 12 — Final Fantasy IV Advance (GBA)

Trends

In 2005, the total U.S. sales of video game hardware, software and accessories rose 6% over 2004 to $10.5 billion USD ($9.9 billion, 2004) breaking 2002's $10.3 billion record for the industry.

The increase is largely due to the portable game market which counterbalanced sluggish console game sales. Delays, hardware shortages, and anticipation of next-generation video game consoles have been cited as reasoning for slow sales for both console games and console hardware. Console games and hardware dropped by 12% and 3% respectively.

The portable market of the video game industry rose to $1.4 billion, the second time sales have broke the $1 billion mark in the industry's history. Mostly due to the release of the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable in North America, sales for portable hardware rose 96% over 2004. Although the release of the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP aided in spurring growth in the portable market, the Game Boy Advance still represented 62% total portable software units sold and 52% of total portable software dollar sales.^[3]

Computer games continued its trend and declined by 14%, dropping from $1.1 billion in 2004 to $953 million. Although sales did decrease, NPD claims that playing games on the PC is actually increasing through a variety of different mediums including online websites and MMO subscriptions.^[4]

Video game systems

• Xbox
• Nintendo GameCube
• PlayStation 2

Additionally, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii were officially unveiled during or just prior to E3; however, only the Xbox 360 was released in 2005. The Xbox 360 was released in North America on November 22, Europe on December 2, and Japan on December 10.

Handheld game systems

• Game Boy Advance SP
• Nintendo DS
• PlayStation Portable

Additionally, the Game Boy Micro was unveiled and was released in the fall of 2005.

Video game sales

Computer game sales

References