Ben-DutkaSure, it's nice to step out from under the warm blanket of familiarity and try something new, but hey…there's a reason why it's warm under that blanket. And Activision isn't about to sacrifice that warm, fuzzy feeling for a test in the murky, risky IP waters. There may be a few new titles, but for the most part, 2009 will see the return of several old friends.
According to ShackNews, Activision has confirmed that they plan to release more titles under the Guitar Hero , Call of Duty , and Tony Hawk franchises in 2009. The publisher's CEO, Mike Griffith, said we can expect "multiple Guitar Hero SKUs, an all new Call of Duty ," and the next entry in the long-running Tony Hawk series next year. Presumably, this announcement doesn't include the likes of Guitar Hero: World Tour and Call of Duty: World at War , both of which are scheduled to arrive later in 2008. Griffith further cited the company's new "leapfrog studio strategy," which is all about rotating development responsibilities under the Activision umbrella. For example, while Infinity Ward handled the first, second, and fourth CoD iterations, Treyarch did the third and now, the fifth, in World at War . Guess we'll be seeing more switching around in 2009.
Well, Activision didn't get to the size they are by producing titles nobody wants to buy, right? It's hardly any surprise at all to hear about more games for their biggest franchises, but just in case the fans were worried, we wanted to reassure you. Have no fear, the biggest names will still be here next year. …rhyming all over the place.
