Joystiq

When it comes to the titanic struggle between corporate giants Activision Blizzard and EA, it seems there's just enough room in this town for the both of them. According to a Screen Digest report (via Gamasutra), the two publishers are responsible for a whopping 75% of console game releases in the West for the period between July and September. Collectively, they will publish 40% of console games during 2008's second half.

In the third quarter specifically, EA is the busiest publisher with "around" 21 games, which Screen Digest's Ed Barton suggests is largely comprised of EA's "extensive range of annual sports games." Actiblizzard, on the other money-grubbing hand, manages to push out 19 games in the same span of time. "While most publishers appear to ramp up release volume in the key Christmas quarter," notes Barton, "EA and Activision Blizzard appear to be ramping up release volumes to similar levels in both calendar Q3 and Q4."

We haven't yet decided how to break this news to our wallet. It's still waking up screaming in the middle of the night, haunted by the nightmare of Holiday 2007.