Video Games Fight For Christmas Top Spot

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Video Game Cover

The crop of computer and video games vying for 2005’s most important number one spot has been announced by ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) in collaboration with the UK’s favourite bookmaker Ladbrokes.

As usual, the list of candidates includes a wide range of diverse genres catering for all age groups. However, leading the line-up with releases across six hardware formats is an upcoming interpretation of a much-loved children’s classic: Buena Vista’s film tie-in epic, The Chronicles Of Narnia.

The Christmas Number One has traditionally been a fervently contested position, with many surprises over its 10-year history. Last year’s results were no exception. EA’s Need For Speed Underground 2 stole the top spot from Rockstar’s record-breaking GTA: San Andreas, securing another Christmas Number 1 for EA, who had enjoyed a similar surprise win with Medal Of Honour: Pacific Assault in 2003.

The full list of this year’s contenders with probability of top-sales and age rating includes:

The Chronicles of Narnia (Buena Vista Games) 3/1, Rating: 7+
King Kong (Ubisoft) 6/1, Rating: 12+
Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire (Electronic Arts) 6/1, Rating: 7+
Prince of Persia 3 (Ubisoft) 6/1, Rating: 16+

Roger Bennett, director general, ELSPA commented: “Christmas 2005 looks like it’s set for another roaring trade in video games, with so many great titles in the running for the Christmas top spot. As ever, it’s impossible to tell if the favourite will keep its lead and with such a large number of close competitors, we could have yet another surprise result this year.”

David McMorrow, retail marketing manager for Ladbrokes observed that: “Games with big movie tie-ins are once again going to prove extremely popular this Christmas. We’re anticipating a roaring trade on The Chronicles of Narnia (3/1), monster sales of King Kong (6/1) and magical sales of Harry Potter (6/1) – so it’s bound to be tight!”