Despite reports from both the other side of the Atlantic and closer to home that show gaming is continuing to defy the global economic downturn, US analyst firm Goldman Sachs has stated that it believes the market has reached its peak.

Following its downgrading of US retailer GameStop’s shares, MarketWatch quotes the firm’s Robert Higginbotham as saying: "We see GameStop shares as poised for a pullback as industry growth remains on a path toward deceleration from its current peak.”

Higginbotham acknowledges the importance of the releases of both GTA IV and Wii Fit later this month, but adds:

"While the much anticipated release of GTA IV at the end of April is expected to produce record sales, and Wii Fit, slated for May in North America, is also expected to be a blockbuster, the remainder of the year lacks any big releases, and comparisons get tougher throughout the year as we lap titles such as Halo 3 and Guitar Hero 3."

However, a look at the 2008 release schedule does seem to throw up some genuine smash-hit contenders, including Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4, Microsoft’s Gears of War 2, LucasArts’ The Force Unleashed, Capcom’s Resident Evil 5, Sony’s LittleBigPlanet, Ubisoft’s Far Cry 2 and Bethesda’s Fallout 3 to name but a few.