SPRING 2014 CONSUMER VIDEO GAME SURVEY

We recently conducted a survey of over 500 gamers in an attempt to gauge awareness and purchase intentions for
hardware, software, and peripherals through 2014. If our previous surveys are any indication, the responses from
our participants are a strong directional indicator of upcoming trends within the video game space. Whereas this
report focuses on video game publishers and the positioning of software titles ahead of major 2014 releases, we
also asked our respondents a series of bigger picture questions related to next-gen preferences, digital downloads,
etc., the results of which we will publish at a later date.
Consumer Awareness of Upcoming Software Titles
Now that the gaming industry has made it through the whirlwind that was the next generation console launch and
one of the most anticipated fall title release slates ever, we can focus our attention on what comes next. To that
end, we asked our more than 500 gamers about their awareness of upcoming games, which gives us an early
indication of the buzz surrounding games both soon to be released as well as those still months or potentially years
away.
To gauge consumer awareness of more than 90 upcoming video games expected in 2014/2015. We simply asked
consumers to identify which games they had previously heard of.
Top Twenty Upcoming Games Consumer Awareness

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Top Twenty Upcoming Games - Consumer Awareness
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The top spot in the awareness poll went to upcoming Dark Souls II, which is a favorite of the more serious gamer,
whom our survey overweights to some degree. The game will likely be a hit, but not to the degree of upcoming
blockbusters like Titanfall and Destiny. The #4 spot went to Thief, the latest installment of a long running series of
stealth games due out February 25, 2014 from publisher Square Enix.
Interestingly, three of the top five titles are new IP geared at the next gen consoles: Ubisofts Watch Dogs at #2,
EAs Titanfall at #3, and Activisions Destiny at #5. This is important to note because new IP does not benefit from
years of exposure and existing player base to build awareness of a new title.
The top-ten titles are rounded out by new installments of existing IP, some of which are due out in the very near
future. The #6 spot went to Ubisofts South Park: The Stick of Truth which has been in the works for years and has
suffered from a host of delays, but is now scheduled for release on March 4, 2014. The #7 and #8 titles in the
awareness poll are both extremely popular IP for which the next titles have not officially been announced: EAs
Star Wars: Battlefront and Microsofts Halo 5. Coming in at #9 is soon-be-released InFAMOUS: Second Son from
Sony, which will be launched exclusively on PS4. The tenth most wanted game in our poll is Mirrors Edge 2, a
follow-up to a 2008 cult hit from EA.
Of our covered publishers, EA leads the way with four of the top-twenty titles in terms of consumer awareness
(Titanfall, Star Wars: Battlefront, Mirrors Edge 2, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare). Activision Blizzard comes in
second with two of the top-twenty (Destiny, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls). Notably, Take-Two does not have any titles
in the top-twenty in terms of consumer awareness and investors seem to have taken notice. What is important to
realize with regard to this fact is that TTWO allows its publishers to play it close to the vest with regard to
publicizing upcoming titles so even though games are in the pipeline, consumers are not aware of them.
Upcoming Software Purchase Intentions
Our second question asked consumers which of the same 94 games they planned to own, on a scale of one (would
most like to own) to five (would like to own, but lowest priority), respondents were also given the option of
answering N/A if they were unaware of a game or had no interest in owning it. The chart below illustrates which
games ranked highest based on our weighted scoring system, in which we awarded games five points for each
response of most like to own and one fewer point for each progressively lower response (i.e. four points for a
response of two, three points for a response of three, etc.).
Top 20 Purchase Intentions

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Ubisofts Watch Dogs remained in the top spot on our list, which is an impressive feat for an all new IP, particularly
in the wake of release date delays which have yet to scare off gamers. With many parallels being drawn to Grand
Theft Auto, Watch Dogs is an open world action adventure game being developed by Ubisoft. First announced at
E3 in 2012, Watch Dogs was set for a fall 2013 release, but was then delayed indefinitely. The latest news is that
the game is set for a 2Q14 release while gamers seem to remain excited for launch as seen in our most-wanted
survey.
Activisions Destiny jumped from #4 in our prior survey to #2 this time around, which is encouraging for a new IP,
particularly considering it is not due to be released until September. The other highly-touted new IP, EAs Titanfall,
continued climbing up the ranks from #11 in our previous survey all the way up to #5 this time around. Titanfalls
fifth place showing is impressive considering it will be a Microsoft exclusive as it launches only on Xbox One, Xbox
360, and PC.
It is important to note that being a Microsoft exclusive has reduced its potential audience dramatically. When
filtered for gamers who own either an Xbox One or Xbox 360, Titanfall is actually the #3 most desired out of all
titles. This is an increase from its #5 position when surveying a sample of the entire console gaming population.
One of EAs biggest missteps during the previous console transition was that it made the wrong bets with regard to
the various consoles, aligning its efforts with the PS3, the Xbox 360, and the Wii, in that order, which proved to be
the reverse order of hardware sales at least early on in the current generation. Titanfall appears to be a high-
potential new IP, and we hope that this opportunity does get squandered by the lack of relative interest in the
Xbox One compared to the PS4.
Standing tough at #3 on our list was EAs Star Wars: Battlefront, the first game expected from the agreement with
Disney for EA to develop a series of Star Wars games concurrent with (although not directly based on) the
theatrical release of the next Star Wars trilogy. This remains a surprise given the fact that the only details available
on the game are its name, one very brief trailer, and a general release timeframe of 2Q/3Q 2015.
When we look at these results through the lens of our covered publishers, we believe there are (sometimes
isolated) reasons for optimism for each of the publishers, although we believe the data is most positive for EA. EA
boasts ownership of three of the top-ten most wanted titles including very high-potential Titanfall and Star Wars:
Battlefront. ATVI has the second most-wanted title on the list in the form of Destiny, which is likely to be a big
success particularly for a new IP. TTWO is notably absent from the top-twenty most wanted games, but the reality
is that TTWO simply has not officially announced many upcoming blockbuster games. At the same time, TTWO
boasts massive revenue opportunities with ongoing sales of Grand Theft Auto V, follow-on DLC and GTA Online
microtransactions.
Publisher Title
Release
Date % Aware
Plans to Buy Rank
(out of 94 titles)
Activision Destiny 9/9/2014 77% 2
Activision DiabloIII:ReaperofSouls 3/25/2014 65% 31
Activision CallofDuty:2014 Fall 2014 54% 42
Activision TheAmazingSpiderman2 4/29/2014 40% 69
Activision StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void TBA 32% 68
Activision Skylanders2014 Fall 2014 26% 91
Activision HeroesoftheStorm TBA 14% 81
Electronic Arts Titanfall 3/11/2014 84% 5
Electronic Arts Star Wars: Battlefront TBA 76% 3
Electronic Arts Mirror's Edge 2 TBA 72% 7
Electronic Arts Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2/25/2014 65% 36
Electronic Arts Dragon Age: Inquisition Fall 2014 60% 19
Electronic Arts FIFA 15 Fall 2014 46% 59
Electronic Arts The Sims 4 Fall 2014 46% 46
Electronic Arts Madden 2015 Fall 2014 44% 51
Electronic Arts NHL 15 Fall 2014 35% 67
Electronic Arts Need for Speed 2014 Fall 2014 32% 58
Electronic Arts NBA Live 15 Fall 2014 31% 92
Electronic Arts UFC 14 Spring 2014 27% 79
Electronic Arts Dawngate TBA 7% 94
Take-Two Borderlands2(PSVita) TBA 51% 61
Take-Two TalesfromtheBorderlands TBA 42% 26
Take-Two NBA2K15 Fall 2014 41% 62
Take-Two Evolve Fall 2014 27% 45
Take-Two WWE2K15 Fall 2014 24% 77
Take-Two Agent TBA 24% 70
Consumer Survey Results: Most Desired Upcoming Games by Publisher













Most Anticipated Releases by Franchise
To get an early read on just how successful an additional installment might be in the case of existing IP, we asked
gamers to rank the top three active video game franchises from which you would most like to see a new release
in the near future. The advantage of this question is that it gives us an idea of the likely popularity of games that
are near certain to be released, but that have yet to be announced or given timeframes.

Top 20 Most-Anticipated Games by Franchise



The results of this poll are encouraging for both EA and Take-Two as the pair earns seven of the top-sixteen spots
with existing IP. Activision, however, did not show up in this top-twenty, which serves to reiterate the weakening
of the Call of Duty franchise and the need for some new blood (coming in the form of Destiny).
Electronic Arts sci-fi hit Mass Effect took the #2 spot in this franchise list as gamers await the follow up to 2012 hit
Mass Effect 3. Mass Effect 4 is currently under development at the well-respected Bioware studio, but does not
have a release date as it has not even been officially announced with a game trailer or any other details. The
timetable is hard to estimate, but we are sure to see hints leak out over the next few months. EAs next franchise
on the list is the recently acquired Star Wars IP for which EA worked out a deal with Disney to develop a series of
games.
Rounding our EAs entries on the most-anticipated franchise list is Battlefield, which just had a release in October
of the long-awaited and well-documented Battlefield 4. The reason this is so interesting is that there have been
rumors circulating that EA may be turning Battlefield into an annualized title, which would require an additional
studio to be brought into the mix. These poll results bode well for the potential popularity of an annualized
Battlefield if gamers are already excited for another installment while the ink dries on the current version.

Take-Two had an exceptionally strong showing in this top franchise poll, which is a testament to the fact that it
regularly produces compelling and popular IP. The third most anticipated franchise overall is Borderlands, the off-
the-wall action game that has seen great success in its first two installments. There are no details beyond
speculation over the release of a Borderlands 3, but odds are that sooner or later the game will be developed and
will ultimately sell very well.
Another of TTWOs critically acclaimed franchises, Red Dead, came in as the #4 most anticipated game based on
existing IP. The latest installment, Red Dead Redemption (released 2010), received exceptional reviews and built a
substantial following. This franchise represents a massive opportunity in the wake of the record-breaking GTA V as
Red Dead is a similar (open world) game from the same massively popular studio (Rockstar).
Take-Twos last two entries on this franchise list, Grand Theft Auto (#8) and BioShock (#9) both had releases in
2013 and both saw critical and commercial success. The fact that they remain so high on gamers most anticipated
release list is strong evidence that these franchises delivered on their 2013 releases and remain sustainable going
forward. We are not likely to see a new installment of either of these franchises for a few years, but both are likely
to once again top charts when they finally do get released.