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Awful Shred sales don't tell full story

Expect "bigger ramp-up" for holiday season.

Tony Hawk: Shred may have flopped at retail, shifting just 3000 copies in its first week on sale in the US, but Activision believes sales will pick up as people shop for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"For the first time we're targeting that game to kids," Activision Publishing label CEO Eric Hirshberg told Gamasutra. "It's a gift-oriented game, but, that said, we need to build awareness for the game still."

Tony Hawk: Shred launched in late October on both sides of the Atlantic, and while NPD figures suggest it did poorly in the US it's impossible to say how it fared in the UK, although it has been noticeably absent from weekly Chart-Track listings, failing even to creep into the format-specific charts where sales thresholds are much lower.

Hirshberg is hopeful of a turnaround, however. "I think you'll hopefully see a bigger ramp-up as we get further into the gift giving season," he added.

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