Shares of videogame publishers Electronic Arts Inc. , Activision Blizzard Inc. , Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. , and Ubisoft Entertainment all gained in Friday morning trade after analysts commented on recent third-party sales data from market-research firm NPD Group. Electronic Arts’s stock rose 1.3% after NPD reported weak performance for new launches “Need for Speed: Payback” and “Star Wars Battlefront II,” as well as strong sales for “FIFA” and “Madden,” according to BMO analyst Gerrick Johnson. Activision’s “Call of Duty: WWII” outsold its predecessor by 73% in November, and its stock rose 2%. Take-Two has “the lightest holiday slate,” wrote Johnson, but its “NBA 2K18” title performed well in November. Take-Two shares rose 2%. Ubisoft gained 0.6% after its “Assassins Creed” posted a strong showing, according to Piper Jaffray’s Michael Olson. The S&P 500 Index is up 0.4%.
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