‘Call of Duty’ video game blitzes on debut

SAN FRANCISCO, California — The latest “Call of Duty” video game boasted an opening weekend that blew away any other game, film, book or music debut this year, the company behind it said Wednesday.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops III” racked up more than $550 million in sales in the three days after its release on November 6, according to California-based Activision Publishing, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard.

“Call of Duty’s millions of passionate fans have shown us, yet again, the strength of their commitment to this enduring franchise,” said Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick.

It was “the biggest entertainment launch this year in any medium, and bigger than any theatrical opening weekend ever,” he added.

Fans played the game online for more than 75 million hours, setting a new record for the blockbuster franchise.

Black Ops III is the 12th game in the series, testimony to its longevity and ability to reinvent itself, all the while earning it a loyal following of tens of millions of fans.

“Our fans are engaging more deeply with the franchise than ever before,” said Activision Publishing chief executive Eric Hirshberg.

“Call of Duty is more than a game, it’s a year round passion for a growing base of millions of fans and it’s only gaining momentum.”

The latest mission in the first-person shooter franchise sends players into a “dark and twisted future.”

For Activision Blizzard, the latest revamp of its gaming megahit aimed to revive stagnating sales and came hot on the heels of an announcement that it is buying the maker of the addictive “Candy Crush Saga,” King Digital Entertainment, for $5.9 billion — tapping into a market of half a billion gamers worldwide.

Zombie mode

This time the action is set in the year 2065. Climate change has spawned fierce competition over scarce resources. Highly effective anti-aircraft systems mean fighting is on the ground, and often in covert or “black” operations.

The game launched across an array of consoles and PCs.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops III is off to a great start,” said Bob Puzon, senior vice president of merchandising for US retail chain GameStop.

“The game’s story line, new features and intense zombie mode have helped make it our most successful title launch so far this year.”

“Black Ops III” was created by Treyarch studio and published by Activision.

And while the latest incarnation harks back to recent episodes, notably with shades of 2014′s Advanced Warfare, it is a far cry from its debut based on World War II action.

Advances in consoles mean that for the first time the “Campaign” — the main narrative of the game — can be played with friends. It also features women soldiers.

As usual the game offers over-the-Internet multiplayer battles as well, not to mention “Zombies” mode as gamers look to survive attacks from hordes of the living dead.

Activision uses three developer studios so a new “Call of Duty” title is available each year.

source: interaksyon.com

Grand Theft Auto V starts strong with $800 million in first-day sales

SAN FRANCISCO — “Grand Theft Auto V,” the fifth installment of the video game that became a focal point of debate about gratuitous violence and explicit content in the media, came out guns blasting with $800 million in global first-day sales.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc’s most lucrative franchise went on sale at midnight on Tuesday.

The sales figure marked a first-day record for the Grand Theft Auto series in which players freely roam, mainly via automobiles, in a game world based on real-life locations such as Los Angeles.

Take-Two shares closed up 1.2 percent at $17.20. The stock has climbed 12 percent since July when the company raised its fiscal 2014 forecast and the buzz grew louder around the game’s September release.

Retail revenues of $800 million would translate to sales of about 13 million to 14 million units of the game, analysts estimated.

“The last major Grand Theft Auto title sold just under 13 million in the course of the year. This did that in a day,” said Daniel Ernst, an analyst at Hudson Square Research. The sales beat his expectations.

The 16-year-old Grand Theft Auto franchise has won numerous awards and become embedded in popular culture over the years. The criminal drama and action-adventure series has also stirred its share of controversy over the violent and adult nature of its content.

The game, which costs $60, has been given a “Mature” rating by the industry group that rates video game content in the U.S, meaning it can only be purchased by gamers older than 17.

“Grand Theft Auto IV” was released in 2008, and gamers had eagerly awaited the fifth installment. It took more than five years to be developed by Take-Two’s Rockstar Games studio, at a cost of between $200 million and $250 million, according to some analysts’ estimates.

The debut now ranks as among the industry’s strongest. Last year, Activision Blizzard Inc’s “Call Of Duty: Black Ops II” raked in $500 million on its first day.

Other blockbuster titles from top-selling franchises such as “Call of Duty” and Nintendo’s “Mario” games sell more than 20 million copies in a year, Ernst said.

“We’re looking for 23 million units of games sold by March 2014 and we won’t change that, but $800 million in the first day is phenomenal,” said Mike Hickey, an analyst at the Benchmark Company.

Does it have legs?

Game fans flocked to retail stores around the world at midnight before the game’s release on Tuesday. Analysts had estimated that more than 7 million units had been pre-ordered before the release.

“Grand Theft Auto V” is available on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 consoles, owned by over 160 million gamers.

The video game industry, which has been struggling with flagging sales, is awaiting the November release of Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One and Sony Corp’s PlayStation 4, in the hope that new hardware will boost sales.

Take-Two has yet to announce a version of “Grand Theft Auto V” for those next-generation consoles. The arrival of the new technology could create a “friction point” for continued sales, Benchmark’s Hickey said.

“The focus should now be about the sustainability and whether the title has legs,” Arvind Bhatia, a Sterne Agee analyst, said. “Indications are it probably does, as critics and consumers love it, retailers are supporting it in a big way and the installed base of current-generation consoles is very large. But we’ll have to see in coming weeks.”

source: interaksyon.com