Games Thirst – Amazing Life
Activision revealed in an investors call last night that Call of Duty: Ghosts will boast one of the biggest marketing campaign ever waged, and will set a new standard for the first-person shooter genre.
That’s according to chief executive officer of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg, adding that Ghosts is a new direction for the franchise.
We plan to continue building Call of Duty momentum with the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts on November 5 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Ghosts will also be available on next-gen platforms and will be supported by one of the largest sales and marketing plans in the brand’s history.
This is a new direction for the franchise, as Ghosts is expected to deliver an all-new story, all-new characters and an all-new Call of Duty world all powered by a new next-gen Call of Duty engine. Infinity Ward set the gold standard for the first-person genre in the current generation and we expect to do it again with Ghosts. We look forward to sharing more about the game at the Xbox reveal on May 21.
But will the game be as successful as past efforts? It’s an uncertainty says Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, warning that the market has never been more competitive than it is today.
This year, we expect a number of well-established video game franchises and well-capitalised new entrants to compete directly for our consumers’ time and attention, particularly as certain of our competitors have moved their launches into the back half of the year. Our Skylanders franchise will face much more direct and substantial competition than it has in the past. And our next Call of Duty game will face a more competitive environment than last year.
The competitive landscape will likely require us to further increase our sales and marketing investments for our 3 largest franchises, especially in the important holiday season.
Thanks, Seeking Alpha.
