Analyst Predicts Top Christmas Games

Sega announced today that the independent marketing firm PlayDate, a company that publishes the online newsletter World Toy News, has predicted that Sega's new football game NFL 2K1 and Yu Suzuki's Shenmue will be among the most popular games this Christmas season.

"We've polled top executives at leading toy and game retailers to compile objective lists of their predictions for what will be the top-selling products this year," said Sean McGowan, co-founder of PlayDate Inc. "Retailers are a great source for these predictions, as their buy orders are based on extensive experience in following consumer trends. NFL 2K1 and Shenmue both made this year's best-sellers list because retailers realize that when it comes to video games, quality content combined with superior hardware create a winning sales combination."

Charles Bellfield, vice president of corporate and marketing communications of Sega of America, added, "With Dreamcast being a must-have product for the holidays last year, it seems only fitting to have NFL 2K1 and Shenmue follow the same track of success. We are thrilled at seeing the birth of online console gaming in NFL 2K1 and the success of such intricate, quality games like Shenmue taking off at such a fast pace."

NFL 2K1 is already available at retail stores, while Shenmue is set for release on November 7.