Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is enjoying big success.
(Credit: Infinity Ward)If you think Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has had a major impact on just the video game industry, you may need to adjust your expectations.
According to Activision Blizzard, the game's publisher, Modern Warfare 2 has set records across the entire entertainment industry.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the "biggest entertainment launch in history," Activision said in a statement. In its first five days of availability, the game set a worldwide record with about $550 million in sales, according to internal Activision figures. It's impressive. But more impressive is the list of launches that it beat out.
In the first five days of availability, Modern Warfare 2 has eclipsed the largest worldwide box-office opening, held by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which tallied $394 million over its first five days. It also beat "The Dark Knight," which holds the U.S. box-office record with $203.8 million in first five-day sales.
The game also narrowly trumped Grand Theft Auto IV, which captured $500 million in sales in its first five days of availability.
In other words, Modern Warfare 2 has had a major release.
The game's success also translated to major numbers on Xbox Live. Activision reported that "more than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day alone." On November 10, 2.2 million unique gamers played on Xbox Live, setting a new one-day record for the online-gaming platform.
Of course, it should be noted that all these figures come from Activision's internal estimates, which might differ from the NPD Group's official totals when it announces November video-game sales.
But until then, Activision can (rightfully so) celebrate Modern Warfare 2's success. And maybe the video-game industry, which has always received second billing to film in the entertainment space, can finally stake its claim to the top spot. Video games are, based on Modern Warfare 2's success, just as viable an entertainment platform as movies.
The Wii is coming to...Sports Authority?
(Credit: Nintendo)You might be used to buying your video game consoles only at an electronics store, but all that will soon change. National sports retailer Sports Authority announced Tuesday that it will start selling the Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit Plus in its stores.
Aside from being able to pick up a Wii and Wii Fit Plus, consumers will also find Sports Authority stores that boast a Wii "interactive fitness experience." The section of the store will have "knowledgeable fitness trainers allowing customers to try Wii and Wii Fit Plus before they buy."
While it's certainly interesting to see a Wii being used by a fitness instructor in a sports store, Sports Authority said it believes that it will help set it apart in the marketplace. According to the company, users will now be able to "satisfy their fitness- and sports-gaming needs under one roof."
But just how much of a benefit Wii Fit actually affords its users is up for debate. Sports Authority might claim that it helps users "achieve better health," but a recent study (PDF) from the American Council on Exercise found that the game offers a "very, very mild workout."
That could throw a wrench in Sports Authority's plans as it attempts to make the case that the Wii and the Wii Fit Plus make sense next to other products designed specifically to improve the health of its users. As appealing as it might be to some, Nintendo's game might not be able to stand up against fitness-focused products.
Regardless, Sports Authority has thrown its support behind Nintendo's console. The Wii and the Wii Fit Plus will be available in 102 stores starting on Thursday. It will be rolled out to remaining company stores by spring 2010.
Here's a topic I never thought I'd write about: Dolly Parton, the famed country singer, has endorsed Internet Explorer 8 and its Web Slices feature on YouTube.
During a minute-long video, Parton says she "wouldn't know a gigabyte from a snake bite. But the folks over at Microsoft sure know their computers." She goes on to say Microsoft checked out her "new" Web site and "turned us on to a little thing they call Web Slices."
According to a Microsoft representative, the software giant showed Parton's Web team "the new features in IE 8 and Silverlight, and they liked it so much, they wanted to implement it on their site."
Parton's site now features a three-tab Web Slice that includes her video diary, news on her career, and the option to buy some of her music. The Microsoft representative said in an e-mail that the software company "wasn't involved in the production or scripting" of Parton's Internet Explorer 8 endorsement.
Web Slices, which is available only in IE 8, enables users to keep up with sites they check often, such as ones for Web mail or weather reports. According to Microsoft, "if a Web Slice is available on a page, a green Web Slices icon will appear in the Command Bar." Users can simply click on that icon to subscribe to that page's Web Slice. Once complete, that Web Slice will be displayed in the user's Favorites Bar to make it easier to keep track of those sites the user often visits.
But the very fact that Parton (a portion of whose site is now available as a Web Slice, by the way), would endorse Internet Explorer 8 is a bit surprising. As she points out in the video, she "didn't even know there [were IE versions] 1 through 7."
Regardless, Parton seems to have found her stride. After all, like the singer says, maybe Internet Explorer 8 really is "just like your own little slice of heaven."
A tour of Bill Gates' mansion in Medina is going for a hefty price tag. The bid to tour his house (and have him guide you around) is up to $35,000. Last year, the tour sold for $8,600, the Seattle PI is reporting.
But before you run out to start bidding, it's only available to those who work at Microsoft as part of its annual charitable giving campaign. According to the Seattle PI, word slipped that the bidding was on the rise this year from Microsoft CIO Tony Scott at the Society for Information Management's SIMposium on Tuesday.
The Seattle PI is saying that employees can also bid to go on a run with CEO Steve Ballmer and the opportunity to buy the "World's Best Bologna Sandwich." But it's the tour of Gates' house that receives top billing every year. And for good reason--that thing is huge.
But all this talk of going on a tour of Bill Gates' house begs an important question: how much would you pay to talk a walk around Bill's house? Let us know in the comments below.
And just to start things off: $500. That's my limit.
The Wii isn't living up to its expectations.
(Credit: Nintendo)Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello didn't pull any punches when he spoke at a quarterly earnings call earlier this week. As he discussed some of the issues his company faces in today's gaming market, he singled out Nintendo and its Wii as contributing factors.
According to Riccitiello, third-party games on the Wii just aren't performing nearly as well as EA had expected. And as the Wii's sales start to slip, it doesn't seem likely that that will be changing anytime soon.
"To be honest with you, I think the Wii platform has been a little weaker than we had certainly anticipated," Riccitiello said, according to a transcript of the call published by Seeking Alpha on Monday. "And there is no lack of frustration (about this coming out) at precisely the time where we have the strongest third-party share."
But Riccitiello didn't stop there. He said EA is "reaching out to Nintendo to find ways to partner to push third-party software harder." He contended that in order for the Wii to perform up to Nintendo's own expectations, the platform needs help from third parties.
Riccitiello continued on that theme. He said his company is providing high-quality titles for the Wii, but it's Nintendo that needs to do more.
"Wii is where we are missing it," Riccitiello said on the call. "And so I really do think that the opportunity exists to find different ways to partner with (Nintendo) in this case, to sort of help establish in the minds of the consumer legitimacy of some of these other brands, when they are going out multiplatform."
But it was Riccitiello's next statement that might send the most shockwaves through the Nintendo world. The EA chief said "very, very few multiplatform titles are succeeding on the Wii so far, and collectively, Electronic Arts and Nintendo need to tackle that."
Perhaps now the question is, then, how will those two major forces in the gaming industry achieve what Riccitiello wants? Nintendo's platform has enjoyed strong sales since its debut, but the Wii is slipping. Worst of all, during the most successful periods for Nintendo, it was first-party titles, not third-party games that performed best at retail. Whether Nintendo can help change that, making it more profitable for third parties to develop games for the Wii, is very much in doubt.
What do you think? Is Nintendo really in bad shape? Is Riccitiello overstating the Wii's shortcomings? Let us know in the comments below.
In the public preview of the upcoming Xbox Live update that features access to Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm, users under the age of 18 aren't allowed to access the aforementioned social networks. Unfortunately for those users, that will still be the case when the software launches on all Xbox 360s later this year.
According to Microsoft spokesperson Major Nelson in a blog post, Microsoft made the decision to limit access to Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm to those 18 and older because parents won't have the ability "to use Family Settings to customize which of these applications their children can access." Microsoft is also concerned with keeping the Xbox Live environment "age-appropriate."
Realizing it will be a hot-button issue for many Xbox Live users, Major Nelson was quick to point out that it wouldn't be a lasting solution. Microsoft, he said, is working on "an update that gives parents the choice of which social applications their children can access." According to Nelson, after the update is released, children between the ages of 13 and 17 will be able to access the social networks after obtaining parental approval.
So far, Microsoft has not said when the Xbox Live update will finally launch (Nelson said "soon"). The update that gives parents control over access to those social networks will be released "several weeks" after the launch of the Xbox Live update.
Let's hear from you. Do you think Microsoft should limit child access to social networks? Let us know in the comments below.
The hype surrounding Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 keeps heating up.
After Gamestop announced last week a $40 trade credit for those who preorder the game and bring it back to a Gamestop store by December 13, Amazon.com has launched a competition, dubbed "The Call of Duty-est Town in America." The contest is seeking the town or city with the most preorders of Modern Warfare 2.
According to Amazon, any town or city with a population of 5,000 or more can compete. It determined population size using the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.
Whenever a person preorders Modern Warfare 2 from Amazon, the location is tallied. The goal for each location is to have the highest percentage of preorders. Realizing that population plays a role in those figures, the number of orders doesn't factor into the competition.
Amazon said on its contest page that it will give a $5,000 gift certificate to a charity that serves the winning town. If the competition had ended at the time of this writing, the winner would be Grand Forks, N.D.
The page also features some interesting information about those preorders. As of this writing, the Xbox 360 version of the game accounted for 61 percent of Amazon preorders. The PlayStation 3 and the PC versions captured 31 percent and 8 percent of the preorders, respectively.
"The Call of Duty-est Town in America" competition ends on the game's release day, November 10. The winning town will be announced that day.
Get ready to pay $20 for this game.
(Credit: Inifinity Ward)Gamers looking to get their hands on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will have the opportunity to preorder the title and pay a net price of $20 if they follow basic guidelines announced recently by retailer Gamestop.
According to the company, anyone who preorders the game from Gamestop.com will have it when it hits store shelves on November 10. If those customers trade in the game by December 13, Gamestop will give them a $40 in-store credit.
Considering Modern Warfare 2 costs $60, that means that those who trade in the title will pay just $20 to play it. It's not a bad deal for frequent gamers who play through a game once and never play it again.
The $40 credit is also available to those who purchase the $80 Modern Warfare 2 Hardened Edition.
Of course, there are some rules that govern the deal. The $40 credit will only be offered for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. And after December 13, Gamestop's $40 offer will expire.
Gamestop's decision to offer customers the opportunity to pay an effective price of $20 for the game is an interesting one. Modern Warfare 2 is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, and having an ample supply of pre-played titles is important to Gamestop's bottom line.
But it's putting a lot of hope in gamer willingness to return Modern Warfare 2.
Call of Duty 4 is still one of the most-played multiplayer games. Modern Warfare 2 will likely follow suit. Realizing that, will gamers want to part with what could be the best multiplayer first-person shooter release this year? Let us know in the comments below.
This is nothing more than a huge rumor at this point, but gaming-industry site Superannuation is reporting that it has found a resume posted by a video game animator claiming to have worked on an unannounced GoldenEye 007 game for the Nintendo Wii.
Remember this level in GoldenEye 007?
(Credit: Screenshot by GameSpot)According to the report, the animator worked for Eurocom Entertainment Software, a company that has worked on several versions of James Bond titles, including Quantum of Solace and James Bond 007: Nightfire, between July and September.
The job listing said the person worked on "GoldenEye 2010 (Wii)." According to Destructoid, which also viewed the resume, the job description read, "Animator on Activision's James Bond series for the Nintendo Wii assisting in: Key frame animation, the preparation and clean-up of motion capture data, prop animation, in-game cut-scene animation, scene layout, and camera animation."
The resume was eventually pulled down from the site from which Superannuation accessed it.
Since its release in 1997, the iconic GoldenEye 007 has been the subject of several rumors claiming that a follow-up was on the way. But after Microsoft acquired Rare, the game's developer, in 2002, and Activision acquired the James Bond game rights in 2006, several licensing roadblocks were erected, limiting the chances of such a release.
Neither Activision nor Nintendo immediately responded to request for comment.
Considering that Nintendo and Activision are mum on a possible GoldenEye release for the Wii, it might be safer to assume that those roadblocks are still in place. But that doesn't mean that there aren't discussions going on behind the scenes to pave the way for the GoldenEye release. At this point, we just don't know.
So, let's hear from you. Do you think that this is the smoking gun for which GoldenEye fans have been waiting? Will GoldenEye 007 come to the Wii next year? Let us know in the comments below.
Blu-ray add-on, anyone?
(Credit: Microsoft)Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told Gizmodo in a recent interview that a Blu-ray accessory could be on its way. But speculation over the possibility of that accessory being offered for the Xbox 360 has been put to rest by the software giant.
"Well I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there," Ballmer told Gizmodo, responding to a question about Blu-ray in the Xbox 360. "You'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories."
Ballmer then quickly hedged his bets a little, saying that he believes that "the future of movies is on-demand, actually, as opposed to via distribution on physical media." He then said that his company is focused on trying to create the "best overall entertainment experience" that it can.
Ballmer's comments about on-demand video echoes what we've heard from the Microsoft camp all year. The company has consistently said that it's tying its future to Netflix and streaming HD content.
But it was the Blu-ray comment that caused some raised eyebrows. It was originally believed that Ballmer was talking about accessories for the Xbox 360. But a Microsoft spokesperson wrote to me on Thursday, saying he was really talking about accessories for the PC.
"Steve was referring to Blu-ray accessories for the PC," a Microsoft spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. "As we have said in the past, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360. In fact, the future of home entertainment starts this fall when Xbox 360 becomes the first and only console to offer instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies. With a library of thousands of TV shows and movies to choose from, Xbox 360 owners can instantly watch the movies they want, when they want, in the highest form of high definition."
Rumors have been swirling for over a year that a Blu-ray add-on is coming to the Xbox 360. In fact, last October, it was reported that Microsoft had Blu-ray add-ons from Samsung and Toshiba ready for store shelves. Those products (if they existed) were never released. And by the looks of things, they won't be.
But we leave it up to you. Should the Xbox 360 feature a Blu-ray add-on? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Updated at 5:52 p.m. PDT to include Microsoft's comments.
