June Winners and Losers

THQ rode the success of Disney's Pixar "Cars" movie to the videogame winner's circle. Thanks in large part to that game, which sold over 600,000 units out of the starting gate, the game publisher 29 percent increase in sales over last June and a 233 percent jump over May sales. THQ also benefited from solid sales of "The Outfit" on Xbox 360 and "WWE vs. Smackdown 2006" on PS2, as well as its "Bratz" games.

Activision saw its game sales increase 15 percent over June 2005 and jump 34 percent over May sales. The publisher also rode Hollywood licenses like "X-Men" and "Over the Hedge" to strong sales. Continued strong sales of franchises like Tony Hawk and Call of Duty helped the sales increase, as well.

Midway Games also had a 15 percent increase in game sales over last June and a 13 percent bump over May. Despite the release of new games like "MLB Slugfest 2006" and "Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War," it was catalog sales of franchises like "Mortal Kombat," "Rampage," "NBA Ballers," and "Blitz The League" that lead the company.

"Jaws Unleashed" is selling well despite bad reviews. That game helped Majesco see a 14 percent increase in game sales over last June and a 122 percent increase over May. Catalog games like "Age of Empires," "Infected" and "Teen Titles" also were solid sellers.

Electronic Arts saw "FIFA World Cup" captivate a global audience, propelling the company to a 12 percent increase over last June and a 54 percent increase over May. "NFL Head Coach" had a solid start out of the gate, and catalog games like "Battlefield 2 Modern Combat," "The Godfather," "Fight Night," "Need for Speed" and "Madden" were solid sellers.

Atari's "Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure" helped the struggling company see an increase of 3 percent over last June and a 47 percent jump over May. The "Dragon Ball" games have been selling solidly for the company, as have value-priced "Matrix" and "Driver" games.

Despite the fact that "GTA Liberty City Stories" sold 300,000 units at its $20 price point, Take Two Interactive saw June sales decline 3 percent compared to last year. Game sales were up 57 percent over May. "Major League Baseball 2K6," "Table Tennis" and "Elder Scrolls Oblivion" were solid sellers, as well.