For Immediate Release
 
Chicago, IL – February 23, 2015 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include the Zynga, Inc. (ZNGA-Free Report), King Digital Entertainment plc (KING-Free Report), Activision (ATVI-Free Report), Time Warner (TWX-Free Report)  and Microsoft (MSFT-Free Report).
 
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

Video Game Stock Outlook

With the earnings season nearing an end for video gaming companies, not much activity was seen in the gaming industry over the past 5 trading sessions. One of the main highlights during this period was market research firm, Strategy Analytics’ data on the growth of video game consoles.

In addition, John Ryan, writer of the hit video game Guild Wars 2, made headlines as he joined game developer Bungie. Further, Zynga, Inc. (ZNGA-Free Report) remained in the news as its share price slipped 16%, owing to a tepid sales forecast.

Also, the newly launched horror video game Dying Light came in the news forsecuring the top spot in the top five hit games for January, according to gamespot.com.

Top Stories Over the Last Week

1. Zynga’s share price has been trending downward ever since its fourth-quarter earnings release on Feb 12. The stock slumped 16% at close of trade last Friday owing to the muted first-quarter 2015 revenue outlook.  The company projected first-quarter revenues in the range of $155 to $165 million, down from $193 million reported in the fourth quarter.

2. On the other hand, Zynga’s rival, King Digital Entertainment plc (KING-Free Report) recorded a 13% increase in its share price the same day, following stellar quarterly results. Notably, game franchises apart from the company’s flagship Candy Crush Saga, witnessed strong sales. This reflects the company’s focus on product diversification, accretive to long-term financial growth.  

3. Changes at the corporate level always made headlines. However, this time it was a writer, albeit of a hit fantasy game, whose job change made news. Last weekend, John Ryan of the Guild Wars 2 fame, announced that he was joining Bungie, which developed Activision’s (ATVI-Free Report) popular game Destiny. So Destiny fans can now hope for some better narratives and new additions as Ryan takes over the role of a loremaster.

4. Securing the top chart position is crucial for any new video game as it is a strong sales driver. So it came as no surprise when horror video game Dying Light made the headlines for becoming the best-selling console video game in January, according to NPD's video games market research. This game has been developed by Techland and distributed by Time Warner's (TWX-Free Report) Warner Bros.    

5. This Wednesday, research firm Strategy Analytics released its data on the video console segment. According to the firm, console shipments rose 11% year over year to 34 million units in 2014. Microsoft (MSFT-Free Report) shipped 12.4 million Xbox One units post the Oct 2014 launch, which surpassed 10.4 million Xbox 360 units shipped post its launch in 2005.

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

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