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2006 saw the release of many sequels and prequels in video games, prominently including Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Madden NFL 07, NBA Live 07, NBA 2K7, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007, Tony Hawk's Project 8, New Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, alongside many prominent new releases including Bully, Company of Heroes, Dead Rising, Gears of War, Just Cause, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Ōkami, Prey, Resistance: Fall of Man, Saints Row, and Thrillville. Two new home consoles were released during the year: Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3.
The year's best-selling game console was the Nintendo DS, while the year's best-selling video game was New Super Mario Bros. for the DS. The year's most critically acclaimed title was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Nintendo's GameCube and Wii consoles.
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| Month | Date(s) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| January | 26 | Nintendo announces its newly redesigned handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite. The new model is lighter, smaller, has configurable brightness and features an improved user interface.[1] |
| Konami Corp. announces the list of titles it expects to ship in 2006, ranging from Beatmania to Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, and covering multiple platforms.[2] | ||
| Public schools in West Virginia will add Dance Dance Revolution by Konami to their curriculum, in an effort to combat obesity.[3][4] | ||
| 27 | Players of the Horde clan from World of Warcraft start the "Gamers Against No Kash" charity, to pay the subscription fees for valuable players strapped for cash.[5] | |
| Microsoft of Japan made a statement to Japanese game magazine Famitsu regarding the Xbox 360 launch. "It was a lot more difficult than we had imagined. We couldn't prepare the launch titles that we had promised, and it made an impact," said Microsoft of Japan Xbox chief of operations Yoshihiro Maruyama. At the launch of the first Xbox in Japan, more units were sold in three days than have been sold of the Xbox 360 in one month.[6] | ||
| The PlayStation Portable 2.01-2.50 firmware versions, previously considered unhackable, are hacked by Fanjita.[7] | ||
| The Los Angeles attorney's office sues Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive over the Hot Coffee mod.[8] | ||
| 30 | A mandatory update for Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 was released. Microsoft claimed the update was for bugfixes and improvements. Members of the modding community claim that "the true purpose of this update was to halt the progress of the modding community".[9] | |
| Nintendo released a statement regarding the Red Tulip phenomenon on Animal Crossing: Wild World, stating "We have isolated the problem and determined that there was a temporary error with the upload tool when this letter was posted". Earlier, there had been speculation that the tulips were a result of black hat hackers.[10] | ||
| 31 | Sony is reportedly building an Xbox Live-killer for the PlayStation 3.[11] | |
| StarForce, a DRM maker for computer games, threatens to sue popular weblog Boing Boing for criticising its products.[12] | ||
| Blizzard Entertainment responds to the LGBT debate happening in World of Warcraft. The company stated: "To promote a positive game environment for everyone and help prevent such harassment from taking place as best we can, we prohibit mention of topics related to sensitive real-world subjects in open chat within the game, and we do our best to take action whenever we see such topics being broadcast." | ||
| Sony announces that ten servers will be merged with ten others on Everquest 2. Players are cautiously optimistic.[13][14] | ||
| February | 6 | After Tiger Telematics' bankruptcy, the Gizmondo handheld console is discontinued, only selling nearly 25,000 units.[15] |
| May | 10–12 | The 12th annual E3 is held in Los Angeles, California, United States.[16] |
| November | 7 | Left Behind Games releases Left Behind: Eternal Forces amid much controversy. |
| 17 | Sony releases the PlayStation 3 in North America. | |
| 19 | Nintendo releases the Wii. |
Business
| Month | Date(s) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| January | 5 | Vivendi Universal Games acquires High Moon Studios (formerly Sammy Studios, Inc), which gained independence from Sammy in 2005.[17] |
| 9 | Take-Two Interactive acquires Irrational Games. | |
| 26 | Sony reports that strong sales of the PlayStation Portable helped the company make a profit of ¥70 billion, the first time in 11 years that the company has managed to avoid an annual loss.[18] | |
| Microsoft announces $293 million losses in its Home and Entertainment division, record revenues overall.[19] | ||
| Nintendo reports declining GameCube and Game Boy Advance sales but increased profits: ¥92.2 billion.[20] | ||
| 27 | The Nintendo DS returns to the top of the weekly Japanese charts, with 64,515 units sold compared to 38,271 for the PlayStation Portable. The PlayStation 2 is third with 26,135 units sold, while the Xbox 360 continues to sell poorly (just 3,616, less than the GameCube). The five best-selling games were Brain Training for Adults 2, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Super Mario Strikers, Brain Training for Adults and Mario Kart DS, all published by Nintendo.[21] | |
| Microsoft lowers its estimate of Xbox 360 sales in its first 90 days from 2.75-3.0 million units to 2.5 million due to supply shortage. The yearly estimate (4.5 to 5.5 million) is unchanged since Microsoft plans to increase its console production with the help of a new manufacturer, Celestica.[22] Meanwhile, Microsoft postpones the Australian 360 launch from March 2 to 23, 2006 due to a "short term manufacturing challenge".[23] | ||
| 30 | Shares of Take-Two Interactive, the controversial creator of the Grand Theft Auto series, rose Monday after news that the company was in takeover talks with an unnamed buyer.[24][25][26] | |
| 31 | CNET reports that Cisco Systems might be interested in buying Nintendo.[27][28] | |
| February | 15 | ScrewAttack, a video game-related website is launched. |
| Unknown | Tiger Telematics, the manufacturer of the Gizmondo handheld console, files for bankruptcy.[29] | |
| May | Unknown | IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) successfully merged with VSDA (Video Software Dealers Association) to form combined organization EMA (Entertainment Merchants Association) |
| July | Unknown | ECA (Entertainment Consumers Association) formed. |
| July | Unknown | Atari plans to sell-off their game development studios. |
| October | Unknown | ECA (Entertainment Consumers Association) soft-launched. |
| Unknown | Esports organization OpTic Gaming is founded. | |
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Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
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Best-selling game consoles
| Rank | Console | Manufacturer | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan[35] | Europe & North America[36] | Combined | |||
| 1 | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 8,862,969 | 11,700,000 | 20,562,969 |
| 2 | PlayStation 2 | Sony | 1,547,866 | 10,700,000 | 12,247,866 |
| 3 | PlayStation Portable | Sony | 1,946,911 | 7,000,000 | 8,946,911 |
| 4 | Xbox 360 | Microsoft | 208,697 | 5,900,000 | 6,108,697 |
| 5 | Wii | Nintendo | 998,118 | 1,800,000 | 2,798,118 |
| 6 | PlayStation 3 | Sony | 466,716 | 700,000 | 1,166,716 |
Japan
| Rank | Console | Manufacturer | Units sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nintendo DS Lite | Nintendo | 7,526,038 |
| 2 | PlayStation Portable | Sony | 1,946,911 |
| 3 | PlayStation 2 | Sony | 1,547,866 |
| 4 | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 1,336,931 |
| 5 | Wii | Nintendo | 998,118 |
| 6 | PlayStation 3 | Sony | 466,716 |
| 7 | Game Boy Advance SP | Nintendo | 275,779 |
| 8 | Xbox 360 | Microsoft | 208,697 |
| 9 | Game Boy Micro | Nintendo | 157,557 |
| 10 | GameCube | Nintendo | 89,775 |
Europe
| Rank | Console | Manufacturer | Units sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 6,400,000 |
| 2 | PlayStation 2 | Sony | 6,000,000 |
| 3 | PlayStation Portable | Sony | 4,000,000 |
| 4 | Xbox 360 | Microsoft | 2,000,000 |
| 5 | Wii | Nintendo | 700,000 |
North America
| Rank | Console | Manufacturer | Units sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 5,300,000 |
| 2 | PlayStation 2 | Sony | 4,700,000 |
| 3 | Xbox 360 | Microsoft | 3,900,000 |
| 4 | PlayStation Portable | Sony | 3,000,000 |
| 5 | Wii | Nintendo | 1,100,000 |
| 6 | PlayStation 3 | Sony | 700,000 |
Best-selling video games
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | United States | Europe | Worldwide | |||
| 1 | New Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo DS | 3,840,296[38] | 2,000,000[39] | 1,000,000+[40] | 8,640,000[41] |
| 2 | Madden NFL 07 | Multi-platform | 2,063+[42] | 3,900,000+[39] | 5,000,000+[43] | |
| 3 | Pokémon Diamond / Pearl | Nintendo DS | 4,355,495[38] | — | — | 4,355,495 |
| 4 | Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Winning Eleven 10) | Multi-platform | 1,292,472+[44] | 3,000,000+[45] | 4,292,472+ | |
| 5 | Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! (Brain Training) | Nintendo DS | 1,991,116[44] | 1,100,000[39] | 1,000,000+[40] | 4,091,116+ |
| 6 | Final Fantasy XII | PlayStation 2 | 2,400,000+[46] | 1,500,000+[46] | — | 4,000,000[47] |
| 7 | More Brain Training (Brain Age 2) | Nintendo DS | 3,748,638[44] | — | — | 3,748,638 |
| 8 | Animal Crossing: Wild World (Oideyo Dōbutsu no Mori) | Nintendo DS | 2,485,264[44] | Unknown | 1,000,000+[40] | 3,485,264+ |
| 9 | FIFA 07 | Multi-platform | 3,000,000+[48] | |||
| Need for Speed: Carbon | Multi-platform | 24,904+[42] | 871,600+[39] | 3,000,000+[48] | ||
| The Sims 2: Pets | Multi-platform | 2,229+[42] | 3,000,000+[48] | |||
Japan
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Sales | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pokémon Diamond / Pearl | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 4,355,495 | [38] |
| 2 | New Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 3,840,296 | |
| 3 | More Brain Training (Brain Age 2) | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 3,748,638 | [44] |
| 4 | Oideyo Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Crossing: Wild World) | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 2,485,264 | |
| 5 | Final Fantasy XII | PlayStation 2 | Square Enix | 2,400,000+ | [46] |
| 6 | Brain Training (Brain Age) | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 1,991,116 | [44] |
| 7 | English Training | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 1,662,573 | [38] |
| 8 | Winning Eleven 10 (Pro Evolution Soccer 6) | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | Konami | 1,292,472 | [44] |
| 9 | Mario Kart DS | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 1,115,082 | |
| 10 | Tetris DS | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 985,246 |
United States
| Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Sales | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madden NFL 07 | PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 | EA Sports | 3,900,000 | [39] |
| 2 | New Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 2,000,000 | |
| 3 | Gears of War | Xbox 360 | Microsoft Game Studios | 1,800,000 | |
| 4 | Kingdom Hearts II | PlayStation 2 | Square Enix | 1,700,000 | |
| 5 | Final Fantasy XII | PlayStation 2 | Square Enix | 1,500,000+ | [46] |
| 6 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Wii, GameCube | Nintendo | 1,500,000 | [39] |
| 7 | Guitar Hero II | PlayStation 2 | RedOctane | 1,300,000 | |
| 8 | Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! | Nintendo DS | Nintendo | 1,100,000 | |
| Call of Duty 3 | Multi-platform | Activision | 1,100,000 | ||
| 10 | Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter | Xbox 360 | Ubisoft | 1,000,000 | |
| NCAA Football 07 | PlayStation 2 | EA Sports | 1,000,000 |
| Platform | Title | Publisher | Sales | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GameCube | Sonic Riders | Sega | Unknown | [49][39] |
| Nintendo DS | New Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo | 2,000,000 | [50][51] |
| PC | World of Warcraft | Blizzard Entertainment | Unknown | [52] |
| PlayStation 2 | Madden NFL 07 | Electronic Arts | 2,800,000 | [53][51] |
| PlayStation 3 | Resistance: Fall of Man | Sony Computer Entertainment | Unknown | [54] |
| Xbox | Madden NFL 07 | Electronic Arts | Unknown | [55] |
| Xbox 360 | Gears of War | Microsoft Game Studios | 1,800,000 | [51] |
| Wii | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Nintendo | Unknown | [56] |
United Kingdom
| Rank | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIFA 07 | EA Sports |
| 2 | Pro Evolution Soccer 6 | Konami |
| 3 | Need for Speed: Carbon | EA Games |
| 4 | Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories | Rockstar Games |
| 5 | Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy | LucasArts |
| 6 | The Sims 2: Pets | EA Games |
| 7 | Cars | THQ |
| 8 | Tomb Raider: Legend | Eidos Interactive |
| 9 | The Sims 2 | EA Games |
| 10 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 | THQ |
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| Month | Day | Console |
|---|---|---|
| March | 2 | Nintendo DS LiteJP |
| November | 11 | PlayStation 3JP |
| November | 19 | WiiNA |
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| Title | Date | Director | Distributor(s) | Franchise | Original game publisher | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grandma's Boy | January 6, 2006 | Nicholaus Goossen | 20th Century Fox | — | — | [63] |
| Silent Hill | April 21, 2006 | Christophe Gans | Alliance Atlantis (Canada)
Metropolitan Filmexport (France) |
Silent Hill | Konami | [64] |
| Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea | July 15, 2006 | Kunihiko Yuyama | Toho | Pokémon | Game Freak | [65] |
| Viva Piñata | August 26, 2006 | Paul Griffin | 4Kids Entertainment | Viva Piñata | Rare | [66] |
| DOA: Dead or Alive | September 7, 2006 | Corey Yuen | Dimension Films | Dead or Alive | Team Ninja | [citation needed] |
| Dance Revolution | September 16, 2006 | Keegan Martin | CBS | Dance Dance Revolution | Konami | [67] |
| Mega Man Star Force | October 7, 2006 | Takao Kato | Xebec | Mega Man | Capcom | [68] |
| Gekijōban Dōbutsu no Mori | December 16, 2006 | Jōji Shimura | Toho | Animal Crossing | Nintendo | [69] |
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