George Rose, executive vice president and chief public policy officer for Activition Blizzard, has written an editorial for the San Francisco Chronicle, praising the wisdom of the Supreme Court and explaining why it’s logical and justified that the Court will put the final nail in the coffin for law AB-1179, banning the sale of violent video games.

The law, initially signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005, prohibited the sale of violent video games to minors and required additional warnings printed on the boxes. The law was overturned in 2007 by a U.S. District Court, followed by an unsuccessful appeal by Schwarzenegger to re-enact that law in 2009. Schwarzenegger v. EMA is expected to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this year, and Rose fully expects the First Amendment to stay in favor of the gaming industry.

Rose’s editorial, linked below, outlines how the industry is already working with retailers and Congress to ensure appropriate sales of video games without the needless wasting of even more California money, and how much of the “evidence” used by supporters of AB-1179 have no ground. Feel free to head on over and take a read.

San Francisco Chronicle (pic)
via Joystiq

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In unsurprising but still impressive news, World of Warcraft latest expansion Cataclysm has surpassed previous sales records to become the fastest selling PC game of all times, with 3.3 million units pushed in 24 hours. The previous record holder was–what else?–World of Warcraft‘s Wrath of the Lich King expansion, which sold 2.8 million in 24 hours back in 2008. That’s how you know a game’s popular, I guess-when its only competition is itself!

WORLD OF WARCRAFT^®: CATACLYSM^TM SHATTERS PC-GAME SALES RECORD

Latest expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game reaches a record 3.3 million copies sold through as of its first 24 hours of release *

PARIS, France – December 13, 2010 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft^®: Cataclysm™, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), sold through more than 3.3 million copies as of its first 24 hours of release, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time.^* This milestone eclipses the previous record of more than 2.8 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in November 2008 by Blizzard’s second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King ^® .

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was simultaneously released in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on December 7, and became available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on December 9. More than 10,000 stores throughout the world opened their doors at midnight to welcome players who wanted to be among the first to obtain a copy of the expansion. In addition, approximately 15,000 players attended official launch events hosted by Blizzard and key retail partners in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and the region of Taiwan.

“We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content.”

Prior to the launch of Cataclysm, World of Warcraft’s subscriber population had grown to more than 12 million players globally, further strengthening the game’s position as the world’s most popular subscription-based MMORPG. More information about the new expansion can be found at the official Cataclysm website: http://eu.blizzard.com/games/cataclysm/.

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Activision has reason to smile today, as the publisher’s “internal estimates” praise Call of Duty: Blacks Ops as having the most successful first day game launch of any video game title. Figures state that the game has brought in $360 million between the U.S.A. and the U.K. on day one alone. The game launched on November 9 for all next-gen consoles.

Figures indicate the Treyarch developed game sold 5.6 million copies at launch, which significantly trumps last year’s record holding Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 with 4.7 million units. The game is naturally on par to break last year’s $550 million 5-day record.

Despite what it’s done for the music rhythm genre, it appears releasing annual war shooters is good for business.

Call of Duty®: Black Ops Sets New Opening Day Sales Record With Approximately $360 Million in North America and United Kingdom Alone

Most Anticipated Game of the Year Becomes Biggest Entertainment Launch in History

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Shattering its own day-one sales record, Activision Publishing, Inc.  (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced that Treyarch’s highly-anticipated Call of Duty®: Black Ops has become the biggest entertainment launch ever with an estimated sell-through of approximately $360 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release, as compared to last year’s estimated day-one sell-through of $310 million for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare® 2 in North America and the United Kingdom, according to internal Activision estimates.

Call of Duty: Black Ops, marks the second year in a row that the Call of Duty franchise has set day one launch records across all forms of entertainment.  In its first day on November 9, the blockbuster title sold through approximately 5.6 million copies in North America and the United Kingdom, as compared to 4.7 million copies for last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, according to internal Activision estimates.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is one of the most critically acclaimed games of the year worldwide and was released with unprecedented retailer support and more than 12,000 midnight openings around the globe.

“There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records for two consecutive years and we are on track to outperform last year’s five-day global sales record of $550 million,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, Inc.  ”The game’s success underscores the pop culture appeal of the brand. Call of Duty: Black Ops is the finest game that Treyarch has ever made and raises the bar for online gameplay by delivering the deepest and most intense Call of Duty experience yet. The Call of Duty franchise has over 25 million players around the world that are engaged in billions of hours of online gameplay, and we are committed to supporting them with new content and features on a more frequent and regular basis.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Language.

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At long last, the wait is nearly over. Blizzard has officially announced the debut date for the newest World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm. “Not just an expansion”, Cataclysm completely restructures the land of Azeroth as we know it, providing new high level adventures for seasoned players as well as a redesigned leveling experience for the uninitiated. It will also bring the level cap up to 85.

Players can get their meaty paws on Cataclysm starting December 7, 2010 for $39.99, with the Collector’s Edition going for $79.99.

World of Warcraft(R): Cataclysm(TM) in Stores Starting December 7

IRVINE, Calif., Oct 04, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft^(R): Cataclysm^(TM), the highly anticipated third expansion for the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game*, will be released starting on December 7, 2010. The expansion will be available on DVD-ROM for Windows^(R) XP/Windows Vista^(R)/Windows^(R) 7 and Macintosh^(R) at a suggested retail price of $39.99 and will also be offered as a digital download from the Blizzard Store. A special Collector’s Edition packed with bonus items will be available exclusively in retail stores for a suggested retail price of $79.99.“Cataclysm includes the best content we’ve ever created for World of Warcraft. It’s not just an expansion, but a re-creation of much of the original Azeroth, complete with epic new high-level adventures for current players and a redesigned leveling experience for those just starting out,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “With the help of our beta testers, we’re putting on the final polish, and we look forward to welcoming gamers around the world to enjoy it in just a couple of months.”

The first two World of Warcraft expansions, The Burning Crusade^(R) and Wrath of the Lich King^(R), each shattered PC game sales records upon their release.^* In Cataclysm, the face of Azeroth will be forever altered by the return of the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing. Players will explore once-familiar areas of the world that have now been reshaped by the devastation and filled with new adventures. In an effort to survive the planet-shattering cataclysm, two new playable races — worgen and goblins — will join the struggle between the Alliance and the Horde. As players journey to the new level cap of 85, they’ll discover newly revealed locations, acquire new levels of power, and come face to face with Deathwing in a battle to determine the fate of the world.

The beta test for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is currently underway. Visit the official Battle.net^(R) website at http://www.battle.net to set up a Battle.net account and sign up for a chance to participate. To learn more about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, visit http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm.

*Based on internal company records, public data, and reports from key distribution partners.

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As if the announcement of Call of Duty: Black Ops wasn’t enough for FPS fans, Activision Blizzard may be planning another Call of Duty title, or titles. The company has found to have registered titles Call of Duty: Future Warfare, Call of Duty: Secret Warfare and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Either Activision is giving themselves a few title options, or you can expect a few more games may be in the works. Of course, it will likely be some time before we get more details. But patience people, we haven’t even got Black Ops yet!

Superannuation
via Games.VentureBeat

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Today Bungie announced they have signed a ten year deal with Activision, giving the industry giant the publishing and distribution rights on on a future, unspecified multiplatform IP. This is the first long term deal Bungie has struck since parting ways with Microsoft in 2007, and one of many acquisitions on the part of Activision. Details are scarce, but what is known is that Bungie will remain an independent company and retain control of their existing intellectual properties. Said Thomas Tippl, Chief Operating Officer of Activision Blizzard:

“Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry’s best creative talent. Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities.”

Translation: ka-ching. The deal is even better for Bungie, who will now be going cross-platform, instead of being tied to just the XBOX 360, as with Halo and Microsoft. I wonder what the new IP will be?

KIRKLAND, Wash. and SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 29, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Bungie, the developer of blockbuster game franchises including Halo, Myth and Marathon, and Activision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the #1 online games publisher (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today that they have entered into an exclusive 10-year partnership to bring Bungie’s next big action game universe to market. Under the terms of the agreement, Activision will have exclusive, worldwide rights to publish and distribute all future Bungie games based on the new intellectual property on multiple platforms and devices. Bungie remains an independent company and will continue to own their intellectual property. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The groundbreaking alliance will provide Bungie its first such partnership since splitting off from Microsoft in 2007, significantly broadening its global reach by providing the resources and support to develop, distribute and release games worldwide on multiple platforms and devices.

Activision will broaden its portfolio with a new franchise from one of the industry’s most creative, successful and proven studios, whose games have sold more than 25 million units worldwide. To date, Bungie’s Halo games have generated approximately $1.5 billion in revenues, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK. Activision expects this agreement to be accretive to its operating margins as of the release of the first game.

“We chose to partner with Activision on our next IP because of their global reach, multi-platform experience and marketing expertise,” said Harold Ryan, President of Bungie. “From working together over the past nine months on this agreement, it is clear that Activision supports our commitment to giving our fans the best possible gaming experiences.”

“Bungie is one of the premier studios in our industry and we are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with their talented team over the next decade,” stated Thomas Tippl, Chief Operating Officer of Activision Blizzard. “Bungie has developed some of the most compelling and successful games, multiplayer experiences and thriving fan communities, and this alliance underscores our long-standing commitment to foster the industry’s best creative talent. Our unprecedented partnership with Bungie will enable us to broaden our pipeline of exciting new games as we continue to strengthen our industry position and pursue long-term growth opportunities.”

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Last year, Activision CEO  Bobby Kotick hinted at a possible Call of Duty massive multiplayer online game, commenting that Blizzard’s solid experience with MMO and heavy weight in the gaming community were assets to the company that were considered heavily before purchasing parent company Vivendi. Now, a recent LA Times article about the Call of Duty phenomenon had an interesting tidbit about that very thing, mentioning that Activision has taken on a third developer (currently, Infinity Ward and Treyarch alternate development of COD titles) and are looking into making Call of Duty an MMO:

One person close to the company said it also was considering adapting Call of Duty as a massively multi-player online world. The genre, in which Activision’s Blizzard Entertainment subsidiary is a leader, requires huge upfront investments but can be very profitable as players pay a monthly subscription fee.

In other words, Activision and Blizzard are currently working on a way to milk you on a monthly basis like the MTN DEW addicted WoW fiends! How nice of them! On the bright side of things, though, it might be nice to see an FPS MMO on the market. Would you play a COD MMO?

LA Times
via IGN

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Ever the self promoter, Activision has pumped out a press release citing some very self congratulatory figures. So far Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has made $550 million in five days, which is $50 million more than previous record holder GTA IV‘s five day record. Some other noteworthy 5-day milestones:

The largest reported five-day opening worldwide box office gross figures, held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($394 million)
The largest reported five-day opening domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($203.8 million)
The largest reported five-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (6 million units, $500 million)
The largest reported opening first-day domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($66.4 million)
The largest reported first-day book sales in dollars, held by Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows ($220 million)
The largest reported first-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (3.6 million units, $310 million)

And if that’s not enough “Yay, go us!” for you, CEO of Activision Blizzard Inc. Robert Kotick says:

“In just five days of sell through Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become the largest entertainment launch in history and a pop culture phenomenon. The title’s success redefines entertainment as millions of consumers have chosen to play Modern Warfare 2 at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media.”

Don’t pull a muscle giving yourself the ole reach around there, Kotick. I’m just as excited to play this game as the next dude but seriously, the hype machine needs to just caaaaalm down.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov 18, 2009 – Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 continues to shatter theatrical box office and video game sales records for five-day worldwide sell through in dollars. The biggest entertainment launch in history set a new worldwide estimated five-day sell-through record of approximately $550 million, according to internal Activision estimates.

Modern Warfare 2′s launch beat all previous first-and five-day entertainment industry box office, book and video game sell-through records*:

- The largest reported five-day opening worldwide box office gross figures, held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($394 million)
- The largest reported five-day opening domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($203.8 million)
- The largest reported five-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (6 million units, $500 million)
- The largest reported opening first-day domestic box office gross figures, held by The Dark Knight ($66.4 million)
- The largest reported first-day book sales in dollars, held by Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows ($220 million)
- The largest reported first-day worldwide video game sales record, previously held by Grand Theft Auto IV (3.6 million units, $310 million)

Modern Warfare 2′s blast radius also extends to Xbox LIVE, in which the blockbuster title’s epic release established the following new standards, according to Microsoft:

- More than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day alone.
- More than 2.2 million unique gamers played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in one day on November 10th. A new one-day record for Xbox LIVE.

- More than 11 million achievements were unlocked on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day.

“In just five days of sell through Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become the largest entertainment launch in history and a pop culture phenomenon,” said Robert Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, Inc. “The title’s success redefines entertainment as millions of consumers have chosen to play Modern Warfare 2 at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media.”

Despite the success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision Blizzard remains cautious about the U.S. and global economy as well as other variables that can affect industry fundamentals and our own performance, including consumer spending which remains a significant concern.

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Activision Blizzard, publisher of all things Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and creator of World of Warcraft, predicts that the Wii will continue to sell in 2009. In fact, it will nearly double the sales of the Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 — 8 million and 8 million, respectively — in North America and in the UK, with around 16 million units sold. With that said, this could go one of two ways: First, more Imagine games or second, the development of some new IP’s. I prefer the latter.

In terms of profit the Wii brought in the most money for Activision, raking in 15% of its earnings for 2008, while the DS took in 7%, taking first in their respective hardware categories. Oh boy, the sight of all these numbers and money gives me butterflies.

MCV
via Joystiq

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