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Pachter: Call of Duty to decline $250 million in 2010

by Richard Mitchell { Feb 8th 2010 at 9:00PM }

With Activision's holiday fiscal report expected to release this week, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter is predicting that the Call of Duty profit machine may not repeat its fantastic 2009 performance this year. As reported by IndustryGamers, Pachter believes the Call of Duty franchise will generate "sharply lower revenue," in 2010, to the tune of a $250 million decline. Not to worry, though, as he notes that Activision is likely to more than make up for that amount thanks to Blizzard's impending releases (hello, StarCraft II). Aside from that, of course, it's important to remember that we're talking about a $250 million decrease on almost a billion dollars, so it's not like Pachter expects Call of Duty to wind up in the toilet.

It's worth noting that the previous Call of Duty title, World at War, initially outsold Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, though Modern Warfare remained on top after the dust settled. Unsurprisingly to anyone paying attention, Modern Warfare 2 turned around to outsell the original Modern Warfare. Still, all three remain among the best selling games of all time, so maybe it's okay if the next one is only phenomenally successful.

Modern Warfare 2 'care package' patch submitted to Microsoft certification

by Ben Gilbert { Feb 7th 2010 at 4:30PM }

Considering the Xbox 360 received the lion's share of Modern Warfare 2 purchases, it comes as a bit of a shock to us that the already released on PS3 and PC "care package patch" is just now being submitted to Microsoft for certification. That said, developer Infinity Ward's community man Robert Bowling tweeted as much to Game Informer's Andrew Reiner approximately 24 hours ago when Reiner asked about a possible release for the much anticipated fixes.

As Bowling has pointed out before (and details in this forum post on the subject), the patch is set to remedy the following (you might need a pillow for all of this pure, unbridled excitement:

Care Package, Emergency Airdrop, and Sentry Gun marker grenades sprint speed normalized.
Fix for "infinite care package" exploit.
Sentry Guns: Improved placement detection, preventing cases of Sentry Guns inside geometry.
Model 1887: Bling using Akimbo and FMJ combination now has same range and damage as non-Bling Model 1887s.
Fixes to prevent various XP hacks.

And no, there's no date given for when it's coming out. So stop asking. (Seriously.)

Gallery: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (11/10/09)

[Via Game Informer]

GfK-ChartTrack analyzes 2009's global software and hardware sales trends

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 3rd 2010 at 1:40PM }

We've seen some pretty comprehensive breakdowns of how the U.S. gaming industry performed last year -- however, industry analysis firm GfK-ChartTrack recently compiled a sizable amount of data to inform us how the whole planet did. In short, the planet did okay. U.S. sales faltered somewhat, the U.K.'s past-gen console sales sunk like a rock (or, rather, an original Xbox), and Japan stayed afloat upon a makeshift raft of Nintendo DS RPGs.

The worldwide best-selling game of 2009 was (you'll never guess) Modern Warfare 2, with 11.86 million units sold. The runners-up were all proud members of the casual Wii suite: Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit Plus, and plain ol' Wii Fit. For more details on how the gaming industry did across this great big terrestrial mass we call home, check out MCV's analysis of the statistics.

Modern Warfare 2 patch incoming tonight

by Andrew Yoon { Jan 29th 2010 at 4:10PM }

A new Modern Warfare 2 patch will be releasing tonight for the PS3 version. Once again, a number of exploits will be addressed, including:

Care Package, Emergency Airdrop, and Sentry Gun marker grenades sprint speed normalized
Fix for "infinite care package" exploit
Sentry Guns: Improved placement detection, preventing cases of Sentry Guns inside geometry
Model 1887: Bling using Akimbo and FMJ combination now has same range and damage as non-Bling Model 1887s
Improved player collision removing cases of getting into geometry and "elevators"
Fixes to prevent various XP hacks

Unfortunately, the patch went live earlier in Europe, and broke a key feature of the game: being able to play online. Since then, the patch has been pulled, and is awaiting yet another fix. Once SCEA certification clears the patch, it will go live in both territories. An Xbox 360 version of the patch is also in the works, but there is currently "no ETA" on when it will go live.

[Thanks Kurby!]

Reuters: Video games are for adults, too

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 22nd 2010 at 8:00PM }

Probably the best way to read the Reuters article entitled "New arsenal of shooter games target older players" is to imagine it being reported live by your local news station. You know, the same way local news stations tend to report the latest technological innovations -- Twitter, for example -- months or even years after their invention. The article is filled with inaccurate (and downright false) information, no doubt intended to thrill and mystify anyone that just upgraded to a 56k modem (congrats, by the way).

One statement likely to jump out at anyone even remotely familiar with games: "The popularity of shooter games has been proven by Activision Blizzard's 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' which has raked in over $1 billion (617 million pounds) worldwide and counting." Sure, Modern Warfare 2 is a blockbuster success, but it's hardly the first multi-million selling shooter in the last decade. Another tidbit claims that MAG's 256-player multiplayer is "the largest multiplayer experience for a video game." We're assuming this statement excludes, oh, every MMO ever made.

The best assertion in the piece, however, is that today's games are "not all for children," which is offered as though it's some kind of revelation. Honestly, there are no words for that one, so we'll just leave it to Captain Picard.

[Via Aeropause]

NPD: Wii Play is best selling 'game' of all time in the US

by David Hinkle { Jan 20th 2010 at 2:00PM }

If there's a statistic measuring how well a game sold, you're likely to find Wii Play lingering in it somewhere. It's not only been the best-selling game of 2009, but also just recently made itself known as the top seller for the last decade. Now, according to NPD data (via GameSpot), the software-hardware hybrid has claimed another throne: top-selling non-PC US game ever.

It's a pretty prestigious list and while no exact figures are listed (save for the bundle's October performance, selling a whopping 11.1 million units in that month alone), the other games listed should give you an indication of just how many homes Wii Play has invaded. Taking second place is Guitar Hero III, the first game to earn $1 billion in revenue, followed by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The others in the top ten are generally expected, including Activision's other $1 billion earner, Modern Warfare 2 (notable because, damn, that was fast!), along with a pair of other Call of Duty games. Head over to GameSpot for the full list.

Peter Jackson ponders original game projects

by David Hinkle { Jan 19th 2010 at 9:40PM }

Apparently, Peter Jackson happily contributed to Modern Warfare 2's gigantic pile of cash, as a recent interview with Ain't It Cool News shows. He goes on at great length discussing his time with the game, most notably his campaign and Spec-Ops progress. More interesting, however, are his thoughts on gaming in general and his eagerness to undertake an original gaming project of his own at Wingnut Interactive.

Sure, he's no stranger to gaming (he had a hand in the game adaptation of King Kong, after all), has a TinTin thing in the works and also something based on the upcoming The Hobbit movie, but he's got a few, more original ideas banging around the old noggin. Not only is he considering doing a video game -- a medium he describes is "getting more and more interesting" -- but he's also considering a movie and spin-off game approach. Really, he's at the concept stage right now.

With his film The Lovely Bones finally out in theaters, he's now free to initiate his next move. That is when he's not playing Spec-Ops, of course.

[Via Gamasutra]

Modern Warfare 2 gets PC update; Xbox 360 & PS3 patch 'in test'

by David Hinkle { Jan 19th 2010 at 5:58PM }

A patch for the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 is now available for download from Steam, which nips the negative XP and "running man" issues in the bud. PC gamers should find the game more or less back to normal, but there are still plenty of problems for console gamers, so we we contacted Infinity Ward's Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling to find out about an update.

Bowling told us a console patch is "currently in test for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions." Unfortunately, he didn't have any word as to when the patch would go live for Xbox 360 and PS3 users. Hang in there soldiers!

Rumor: Modern Warfare 2 hack attacks your XP

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 19th 2010 at 1:00PM }

Many Modern Warfare 2 players still debate the game's best piece of weaponry. Fortunately, hackers have settled this timeless dispute once and for all: It is, of course, the gun that hurtles your opponent back in time, back to the days when he or she was a lowly, classless Private. Okay, there's apparently a new homebrewed glitch which accomplishes this feat, not a gun -- but it would be awesome if there was. We're envisioning the Infanto Ray which Borf used in Space Ace to turn awesome-Dexter into pantywaist-Dexter.

Yes, according to a few incensed forum posters, hackers have allegedly found a way to augment the amount of experience rewarded for killing them. Instead of the usual 50- or 100-point increments we usually see, these dubious players can punish their murderers with negative five million points, dropping their hard-earned rank back to level 1. Check out a NSFW video after the break to see this horrific new exercise (which appears to only be happening on Xbox Live) in motion. We've contacted the folks at Infinity Ward to find out what they're doing to crack down on these total Borfs.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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UK charts: Just Dance on Modern Warfare 2's grave

by David Hinkle { Jan 18th 2010 at 12:45PM }

For nine straight weeks, the UK's gamer populace has been mesmerized by the siren's song of Modern Warfare 2. Today, that's all changed, with the latest Chart-Track data showing a new entry usurping Modern Warfare 2's top spot: Just Dance. Ubisoft's quirky dance title for the Wii has enjoyed a level of success there we would never have thought possible. Can its performance be attributed to good advertising or simply the United Kingdom's unrestrained love of Kevin Bacon?

And MW2 wasn't even in the second spot, either. Wii Fit Plus managed to grab the silver, while Infinity Ward's shooter was bumped down to a respectable bronze. Newcomers Bayonetta and Darksiders also managed to stay on the list, along with Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2, which stealthily secured the tenth spot.

Writers Guild of America announces 2010 game writing nominations

by Ben Gilbert { Jan 15th 2010 at 11:15PM }

Well folks, we've been here twice before -- it's that very special time of year when the Writers Guild of America announces nominations in the category of "Videogame Writing." As has been the standard for the past two years, the list of games is a dubious mix. We'd certainly point to Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 (our 2009 Game of the Year, lest you forget) and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 as worthy of the title, but ... well, nearly everything else on the list strikes us as either unworthy or straight up misplaced. It reads as follows:

Assassin's Creed 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Wet
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

We're just as flummoxed as you are that titles like Wolverine and Modern Warfare 2 showed up -- especially while a litany of other great writing falls by the wayside (we're looking at you, Dragon Age and Professor Layton 2) -- but that might have something to do with the WGA membership requirement for consideration in the nominations. Regardless, we'll find out who's going to take the golden manuscript home when the show takes place simultaneously in both Los Angeles and New York City on February 20.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]

Modern Warfare 2 makes a billion dollars

by JC Fletcher { Jan 13th 2010 at 10:25AM }

Was one of your goals for 2009 to give Activision a billion dollars? It may be a little late, but that's what you all, in aggregate, have done -- and that's only for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The publisher announced that Infinity Ward's mega-hit FPS just crossed the $1 billion threshold in sell-throughs. Which means, yes, that some of that billion went to retailers and not just Activision. The company reminded us that $550 million of those sales happened in the first five days, meaning that more than half of the game's total worldwide sales occurred right at launch.

"There are only a handful of entertainment properties that have ever reached the $1 billion mark," Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, beneficiary of some of that one billion dollars you put into this game, said, "which illustrates the power of the Call of Duty franchise and mass appeal of this game."

Microsoft reveals the top Xbox Live games of 2009

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 11th 2010 at 11:35AM }

Now that the new year is in full swing, Microsoft has decided to take a look back at the top games of 2009. Specifically, Major Nelson has released a breakdown of the most popular games on Xbox Live during 2009. The overall top twenty list seems pretty standard with Halo 3 at the top, followed by Call of Duty 4. What's amazing, though, is that after releasing in November, Modern Warfare 2 managed to snag third place for the entire year. So, pretty popular game, then.

On the downloadable front, Battlefield 1943 takes top XBLA honors, followed by Castle Crashers and Trials HD. Indie Games are topped by I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1N IT!!!1 (it is just a dollar), followed by Avatar Drop and RC-AirSim. Unsurprisingly, the top original Xbox game is still Halo 2, while Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and the original Fable take second and third place, respectively. Head over to Major Nelson for the full list.

UK charts: MW2 show continues, Bayonetta and Darksiders debut

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 11th 2010 at 10:45AM }

Reporting the UK sales chart is starting to feel like being a weatherman in Los Angeles. For the ninth week in a row, Modern Warfare 2 sits atop the all formats chart. If Modern Warfare 2 makes it to ten weeks in a row, we're expecting a communique from Hitchhiker's Marvin.

The next three spots are occupied by a casual alliance, consisting of Wii Fit Plus, Just Dance for Wii and Wii Sports Resort, respectively. Proving that the UK still has interest in games beyond war, sports and losing weight, Bayonetta's hair grabbed the fifth spot on the chart for its debut. THQ's Zelda meets God of War hybrid, Darksiders, also had a strong debut in eighth place. Had it bested the current chart champ, we'd be checking for signs of the apocalypse.

Source – 9 successive weeks at No1 for Call of Duty [GFK Chart-Track]
Source – Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]

New Modern Warfare 2 server hack turns players into The Flash

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 10th 2010 at 1:00PM }

Fun fact: We like to describe the pacing of a game's action on a scale composed of Brass-centric Americana music standards. For example, the speed of Modern Warfare 2 is moderate, yet fairly steady. In other words, it's normally set to "Spanish Flea," by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Unfortunately, wily hackers have gotten their hands on the game once again, cranking that speed up a few dozen notches to Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax." Check out the video after the jump to see the hyperspeed gunfighting in action.

We managed to get into one of these hacked games during a Headquarters match last night on Xbox Live, and while it may look like fun, it feels a lot like you're speed skating the entire time. As you might imagine, that makes shooting near-impossible -- but it makes the ever-whimsical "Sax" all the more appropriate.

[Via Xbox 360 Digest]

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