There have been numerous delays of somewhat big titles already this year, and now we can add another one to the list, as Activision Publishing today announced it's pushing Blur into 2010. An exact timeframe or release window for the new racer from Bizarre Creations (the folks behind Project Gotham Racing) was not given.
Activision said that the delay was needed "to give the development team more time to enhance the game's innovative and distinctive online multiplayer gameplay."
"We are committed to making Blur a great new racing franchise, and we are very encouraged by the game's design," stated Mike Griffith, President and CEO, Activision Publishing. "The additional time will allow the studio to fully optimize the vision they set out to create for Blur including a distinctive and groundbreaking multiplayer mode that will appeal to a broad audience."
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said in a note that he expected Blur to sell around 1.2 million units during Q4 2009, yielding about $52 million in revenue.
Separately from the Blur news, Activision Blizzard also noted that global demand for Modern Warfare 2 "continues to exceed expectations" and the company continues to see strong attach rates for the recently launched Call of Duty: World at War map packs. As such, the company reaffirmed its calendar year 2009 outlook for revenues of $4.05 billion and earnings per share of $0.26.
Even with all the delays we've seen, moving games from late 2009 to early 2010, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently commented that we're likely to see further delays next year too because early 2010 is "looking pretty crazy."
