Shares ride high on PS4 and Xbox 720 euphoria

As the major console makers Sony and Microsoft gear up to unleash the next generation of gaming devices, the financial markets have responded positively, with game markers gaining a boost.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Sony's planned announcement for tonight has game publishers riding high in the markets, as the PlayStation 4 is viewed as a much needed shot in the arm for the business.

Shares in game companies have surged as a result, with investors apparently keen to get in on the ground floor of the new cycle of games consoles.

Major publishers Electronic Arts, Activision-Blizzard,Take-Two Interactive Software and Ubisoft have averaged gains of 35 per cent, according to the article.

Sony's planned announcement for tonight is anticipated to unveil the PS4 to the world, with rumours suggesting two models set for release by Christmas 2013.

However, suggestions have been made that the console may not see a European release until early-2014.

James Lee

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James Lee is a freelance writer and analyst with extensive experience in the technology, media and games sectors. For the past few years he has provided content for internationally published industry reports, SEO companies and a variety of news-focused websites. Prior to this, James was responsible for covering news and producing in-depth features for GamesIndustry.biz while occasionally contributing to its sister-site. Eurogamer.net. In addition to this he has contributed to other notable sites such as CVG.co.uk, Edge-Online and DigitalSpy.