Joystiq

Braving deadly exposure to fan-infested forums and chat rooms, market researcher BrandIntel recently embarked on journey throughout the many tubes of the internet in order to determine the most popular new and upcoming video games. Using a "proprietary formula", their intimate research has resulted in a list of games that includes The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Gears of War, Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed. You may take a moment to let out an earth-shattering gasp.

The more interesting part of the Advertising Age article looks at the marketing efforts behind each of the games, as well as any in-game advertising used. Only three out of the ten chosen games feature in-game marketing, and the ones that do are sports titles. Amusingly, it's predicted that Assassin's Creed will contain nothing of the sort, what with it being "set in 1191 during the Third Crusade, so it's unlikely present-day marketers could find a logical connection." If there's anything to be said, it's that present-day marketers should never be underestimated. Assuming that they would even need a logical connection is likely a mistake -- we see no reason why Burger King couldn't accidentally be flung back in time, thus providing Altair with a new type of mission. Hunger assassination!