GameStop Corp., a video game retailer, said Tuesday it continues to expect earnings between 27 cents and 33 cents per share in the third quarter, excluding debt retirement costs.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Activision Blizzard Inc said it sold 4.7 million copies of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2", or $310 million of sales, on its first day, setting a new record for the video game industry.

Activision Blizzard Inc said it sold 4.7 million copies of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" for $310 million on its first day, setting a new record for the video game industry.

Analysts expect the game could sell 4.5 to 5 million copies globally on its first day. That would shatter the 3.6 million record currently held by Take Two Interactive Software's "Grand Theft Auto IV" — and it would mean revenues of $270 million to $300 million for Activision.

GameStop Inc. plans to hire about 15,000 seasonal, part-time workers to help with the holiday rush, the video game retailer said Tuesday, but expects more job applicants.

Unlike its predecessors, the new portable gaming system from Sony does not run on traditional packaged software. Any game or movie the user wants has to be downloaded — and that leaves retailers out of the loop on the most profitable part of any gaming system.

Stocks held onto gains Thursday after an encouraging report on manufacturing. Bank of America and JPMorgan led the Dow.

GameStop executives, who led the call for price reductions on the PlayStation 3 earlier this year, say they were a bit surprised with the timing of Sony’s actions earlier this week. But now that Sony has capitulated, they're expecting Microsoft and Nintendo to react.

Stocks held onto gains Thursday after an encouraging report on manufacturing. Bank of America and JPMorgan led the Dow.

Stocks held onto gains Thursday after an encouraging report on manufacturing. Bank of America and JPMorgan led the Dow.

Wall Street was posed for a higher open Thursday as global markets rallied and the bulls continue to stave off any appetite for a correction.

With video game sales already 12 percent behind last year's pace, video game publishers and retailers have been counting heavily on a strong holiday season to help turn things around. More and more, though, that's looking unlikely.

Best Buy has launched a trial program allowing video gamers to trade in their old titles for store credit.  The big box retailer is the latest in a string of companies that is exploring ways to tap into the growing used game market, which currently is valued at between $2 billion to $3 billion annually.