Second analyst predicts big November

Yesterday, game industry analyst Michael Pachter estimated that US software sales jumped 12 percent for the month of November. Today, Pacific Crest Securities' Evan Wilson weighed in, suggesting the month's tally would actually be 16 percent higher than it was in 2005. The industry tracking NPD Group is expected to release its sales figures for the month later this week.

"November had a very strong release schedule compared with last year and last month," Wilson said in a note to investors. He specifically pointed out Gears of War, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas as some of the bigger releases last month.

November of 2005 was marked by the launch of the Xbox 360 but had few blockbuster titles. That month's biggest sellers included the 360 launch title Call of Duty 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted, and WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2006.

"The launches of the Nintendo Wii and PS3 were limited, but clearly drove incremental interest in video games, which has been furthered by heightened retailer promotion," Wilson said. "However, if November does not grow meaningfully, we believe it could signal a difficult holiday season for the publishers."