2009 Gaming Prediction (Part 3, Novemeber 2009)

Part 3 takes us into Novemeber, so let's keep rolling right along.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (11/10) is predicted to be the BIG seller for the year. Activision is boasting about potential sales. In my opinion, it is going to sell well, but not as well as CoD4. That whole naming confusion will hurt them, they missed early hype with their fight over spinning Modern Warfare off as a separate franchise away from Call of Duty. They're also out of their minds with 2 special editions in addition to the regular edition. Don't go for the night vision goggles right off the bat folks! Much like the infamous Halo 3 cat helmet, you'll be able to find it for at least half off after a few months as retailers get tired of the huge box taking up shelf space. They don't have any room left, what with all the Guitar Hero and Rock Band instruments, DJ Hero turntables, and Tony Hawk skateboards that will be sitting around.

Left 4 Dead 2 (11/17) is the follow up to the much loved Left 4 Dead. With so many people playing Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer mode, is there really room for another multi-player centric title in the same month? Console side you can expect lower overall sales than L4D. It's too much of the same too soon for big sales.

Assassin's Creed 2 (11/17) Poor UbiSoft. Red Steel 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction were delayed. Here is what they think is their holiday savior. Will it deliver? I'm not sure. The first Assassin's Creed had an amazing ad campaign, a huge amount of hype, and pretty good reviews from professional outlets. But a lot of people felt burned by the repetitive nature and there was some backlash. They've talked up improvements to AC2, but wether or not they can deliver (and have people believe in them) remains to be seen.


There are more games coming out in November, but those are the big ones. Modern Warfare 2 is going to own the month pretty handily, but I imagine that Activision is going to have a lower than expected quarter and blame it on the game not selling up to estimates.