What was predicted came true.
According to Activision, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 generated a reported $550million during its first 5 days of being on sale.
If there were records to break, it broke them. It smashed all previous box office entertainment-related records, making it the most successful entertainment launch of all time.
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The fourth and final quarter of the year signals the start of the Holiday rush.
With a host of titles, including the likes of Splinter Cell: Conviction and Bioshock 2, being pushed back to the first quarter of 2010, the odds on what will be top during December have now centred on a select group.
Check out the full list and judge for yourself if it’s worth a gamble on an outsider, or staking your hard-earned money on the front-runner Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
As the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 draws closer, the hype is starting to build and become frenzied.
Every trailer or video that gets released drives the hype and whets the appetite of potential players.
It is debated whether the Infinity Ward developed title will break records for week one sales and beat Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV from 2008, only time will tell.
A plethora of content, a strong franchise, pre-orders advertised for over 6 months, midnight store openings and a massive publishing push. These terms could be applied to either of the two previously mentioned games. Activision though is aiming to make Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 the entertainment source of the year, ahead of other big game releases and ahead of top music, TV and movie releases.
Who would bet against them succeeding?
As has been widely reported, Disney has purchased Marvel Entertainment.
The acquisition means Marvel’s vast collection of comic book characters will now be in the hands of Disney.
The likes of Iron Man, Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk have had game spin-offs from the blockbusting movies.
What will this mean now for the way these characters will be re-created on the computer screen?
In a revolutionary move, Eidos Interactive has announced it will offer a downloadable edition of Championship Manager 2010 on a Pay What You Want price model.
This means that until the 10th of September 2009, all players will need to pay is a £2.50 transaction fee, plus any additional amount of their choice, starting from just a single penny.
Accompanying this announcement is a special Championship Manager 2010 Press Conference Video.
Ascaron, the development studio behind a number of titles including Sacred and Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has announced it has gone into administration.
The future of the company is now being finalised and a detailed announcement will be made at a later date.
Ascaron has stated that it is currently working on a Sacred 2 expansion pack for the PC, as well as a third edition in the series, Sacred 3.
Fans waiting on the release of the online title Stargate Worlds may be left disappointed.
Brad Wright, an executive producer on the Stargate TV series has cast doubt on whether the game will be released at all, saying he doesn’t know if it will happen.
Stargate Worlds was being developed by Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and published by Firesky, with both companies created specifically to undertake the project.
Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment has had financial problems though and has been seeking additional funding to continue operations.
It’s been confirmed that American publisher Midway has filed for bankruptcy.
The publisher’s troubles had been widely reported and this announcement is meant to enable a complete restructure.
The studios and offices outside the US will not be affected though.
Reports have now surfaced that The Wheelman, one of Midway’s upcoming titles, has been picked up by Ubisoft.
The majority of people are back in their work mode after the end of year festivities; eating, drinking, being merry and hunting down bargains in the retail sales, despite there currently being an economic slump.
Notably, computer games stores were doing a roaring trade with sales in full flow.
Figures released by ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) showed UK consumers spent a chunky £4.034 billion on computer software and hardware in 2008.
In particular, the increasing popularity of computer games took total sales to £1.905 billion, compared to £1.552 billion in 2007.
Reports have surfaced indicating that independent UK development studio Free Radical Design has gone into administration and its future looks very uncertain.
Current working titles have been postponed or moved elsewhere.
The studio had been responsible for the first person shooter Haze earlier in the year, and previous titles included 2005’s Second Sight.
The American publisher Midway has announced it is cutting 25 percent of its staff, closing its studio in Austin, Texas and cancelling unannounced projects due for 2010/2011.
Midway is struggling badly with large debts and these cost cutting measures are part of the consequences.
Earlier this year, one of the biggest titles Midway released was Mortal Combat vs DC Universe and 2009 should still see the release of The Wheelman and This is Vegas.
As the Holiday Season builds, huge online retail promotions are currently in full swing with ‘Mega Mondays’.
Monday the 1st and Monday the 8th of December are predicted to be the biggest online shopping days.
GameShadow has teamed up with Play.com, highlighting some of the great deals available – check them out here.
The conclusion of 2008 is no different from previous years. Credit crunch or no credit crunch, all entertainment companies want to make a splash in the retail market.
Now the final quarter of the year is in full flow and with releases such as Far Cry 2, FIFA 09, and Fallout 3 making their respective marks, the Holiday Season is reaching a new level of excitement for gamers.
Big titles will continue their promotional push, aiming to sell well from now into next year and the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Need for Speed: Undercover, LOTRO: Mines of Moria and Tomb Raider Underworld, will be key players for their respective publishers and developers, and good sales will help justify whether to produce another edition, or a sequel, or a spin-off next year.
It isn’t make or break entirely, but it helps to have a happy Holiday Season.
