An Activision spokesperson contacted IndustryGamers today to let us know that the time-shifting first-person shooter Singularity, developed by Raven Software, will no longer be released in 2009. The game had been scheduled for later this year, but Activision (perhaps wisely) decided to bump the game into 2010 while Modern Warfare 2 grabs the spotlight.
Shifting into 2010...
"The level of excitement for Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 coming out of E3 well exceeded our expectations and therefore we have decided to move Raven's upcoming sci-fi first person action title, Singularity, from 2009 to Q1 2010. We believe that the March quarter will provide a better opportunity to establish the new cutting-edge action IP as a 'must-have' title and clears the way for Modern Warfare 2 to dominate this holiday season," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Activision is very bullish on Modern Warfare 2. Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith told us at E3 that he expects the game to become the best selling Call of Duty title ever. Analysts and gamers alike are anticipating the game. Mike Hickey of Janco Partners said that he believes it will sell 11 million units during the holiday season alone.
We think this is a smart move by Activision. Launching a new IP is always a risky endeavor, but to do so during a holiday period, which is absolutely flooded with top titles, including Modern Warfare 2, could cause Singularity to get completely lost in the shuffle.
7 Comments
7 months ago
Sounds like spin, to me. I can see the meeting now - "Man... Singularity really needs another 3-6 months. I know! Let's just blame MW2! Then the gaming press will make THAT their lead, instead of wondering whether we're conceding that our lesser-known FPS from our X-Men Origins: Wolverine team needs more work..."
7 months ago
True, it could very well be spin, but it also makes sense. These companies release too many of their games in Q4 and then they wonder why some new IP didn't sell. It happened with Mirrors Edge and Dead Space.
7 months ago
...both games that had sequels greenlit. Assassin's Creed and Gears of War also debuted their IP during Q4.
7 months ago
I'm not saying it's impossible to launch new IP in Q4. It depends on how many games are competing in the same category at that time. It's a riskier bet.
7 months ago
It also depends on the quality of the IP-launching title, which was my original point ;) Activision managed to spin bad news (delays are always bad news) into a story that says "Wow - look at how amazing MW2 is going to be."
7 months ago
So they didn't know how good MW2 was going to be despite the fact that they've been quoted as saying it is going to be the biggest release of the year??
This smacks of a game that is simply not ready for prime time.
Anybody actually seen much recent gameplay from it? I know I haven't.
CG yes, but no actual gameplay.
7 months ago
This is good news because the game would have most likely been overlooked during the holiday season. If you are a new fps game, launching around Halo:ODST, Left 4 Dead 2 and Modern Warfare 2 isn't a very wise move. Well played Activision.
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