Sony's PlayStation 3 will not be ready for launch next month, as was widely speculated by industry pundits, but at least one analyst thinks major game publishers won't be adversely affected by the
delay. Sony is now planning to launch 2 million PS3 consoles globally in November, shipping one million units each month thereafter. Standard & Poor's Equity Research Analyst Gary McDaniel says the
delay could scale back Japanese sales somewhat, but should not affect U.S. sales, since the projected U.S. launch of November is in line with earlier estimates. McDaniel says Electronic Arts and
Activision, the two biggest game publishers in the U.S.--93 and 98 percent of their sales, respectively, come from the U.S. and Europe--will not be affected by the Japan delay, since they don't do
nearly as much business there. Moreover, Sony is now expecting to ship 3 million PS3 units by the end of the year, 1 million more than was previously forecast. McDaniel rates EA as a "strong buy" and
Activision as a "buy," saying that both companies are in a good position to prosper from the PS3's North America launch. Meanwhile, he maintains a "strong sell" rating on "Grand Theft Auto" publisher
Take2 Interactive, but says the Japan delay also should not have much impact on that company's sales.
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