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'Destiny' and the 9.5 million 'registered users' number (update)
Activision is the most profitable game publisher in existence. The company's behind the Call of Duty franchise, the Skylanders franchise and many more. You know World of Warcraft? Activision owns the company that makes it, Blizzard Entertainment. The company's latest big release is Destiny -- a $500 million bet that Activision's making on the studio that previously created the Halo franchise (Bungie Studios). The game launched on September 9th across four platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg says the game was "profitable from day one," but the company's yet to release up-to-date sales numbers. Instead, it's offering a "registered user" statistic: 9.5 million. But what does that actually mean? (Update: According to Activision, it means an individual Xbox Live or PSN account, check below for more.) That's a good question. Hirshberg offered the following clarification during a quarterly financial call this evening: "To date we have over 9.5 million registered users -- of course there's a relationship to sell through, it's not exact. Because some people have more than one identity, but obviously that's directional." Okay, what?
Why Activision is spending $500 million on Destiny
Yes, it's true: Activision is spending half a billion dollars on Bungie's Destiny. Yes, that's true despite Bungie's statement that, "the budget for Destiny, including associated marketing costs and pizza Wednesdays, is nowhere near 500 million dollars." And that's because, when Activision head Bobby Kotick revealed that gargantuan number earlier this year, he was speaking to the entire franchise, not just this September's game. "That number has been widely misinterpreted as a production number for the first game," Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg explained in an interview today at Gamescom. "That number is an all-inclusive number that's several years worth of investment, including marketing and several games, and a lot of up front investment in things like engines and tools that will be able to be used for years to come."
Halo creators unveil 'Destiny,' an MMO-like first-person-shooter for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
When Halo creator Bungie managed to steal away from Microsoft back in 2007, Master Chief's forefathers were afforded a few years to go dark and head down on a brand new gaming universe. Today, Bungie and its new benefactor, Activision, revealed that new franchise as "Destiny," an online-required persistent world first-person shooter. Even though the game's not due out this year, Bungie says it's headed to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with no mention of next-gen. The online requirement extends to both single-player and multiplayer campaigns -- your character's achievements remain persistent, and your avatar will seamlessly populate friends' games (rather than futzing with menus and the like), allowing for on-the-fly pairings. Bungie's shying away from outright referring to Destiny as an MMO, a la World of Warcraft. "[The] amount of players you see is design controlled. It's not about stuffing as many people in there as possible," Bungie COO Pete Parsons told our sister site, Joystiq. Of course, with next-gen sounding online connectivity, Bungie's silence on next-gen consoles is little more than a temporary vow -- Destiny seems a lock for (at very least) Sony and Microsoft's next consoles, if not also the PC (Wii U's looking unlikely). Hard details on Destiny are a bit scarce at the moment -- when it launches, if it's part of a series, how exactly the game will work -- but we've dropped concept art below and a debut video just beyond the break. The video goes into a bit more detail on the universe, and briefly touches on the smartphone tie-in that Destiny will have (think Halo Waypoint), but for a more exhaustive approach to Destiny's debut, Joystiq's got you covered. Update: In Activision's official PR, Destiny is listed as heading to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and, "other future console platforms."
Blizzard's Pardo talks Bungie MMO
reddit_url = "http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/25/blizzards-pardo-talks-bungie-mmo/"; reddit_target="gaming"; Tweet A Bungie MMORPG is a rumor that simply won't die. Whether it's Joe Staten hinting at a persistent world during the recently concluded GDC, or Bobby Kotick telling investors that one of the reasons Bungie signed with Activision was to avail itself of Blizzard's vast customer service expertise, scuttlebutt about a Halo-themed MMO is a speculative fire that's hard to douse. In a new interview at Next Gen, Blizzard boss Rob Pardo (co-designer on World of Warcraft) says his company could share resources with Bungie on an MMO project and furthermore, he'd love to play it. "I think that's one of the other reasons we've been so successful at Blizzard -- all of us play and love games. We're as big a fans as anybody. I would love to play a Bungie MMO. I think it would be cool," he said at last week's Blizzcon. Pardo was also quick to point out that Blizzard is very focused on their own development, and talk of a Bungie collaboration is somewhat premature. "There are a lot of ifs there. It would have to be a very specific proposal," he said.
The Daily Grind: What are your three E3 wishes?
Hey, today's the first day of E3 and you know what that means boys and girls! Well, maybe you don't know what it means so let us explain: You get three completely nonsensical E3 MMO wishes! Yes you heard us right, we want to know what your three MMO fantasies are and the crazier the better. Although don't let that stop you from slipping us any hidden riddles if you know something. Then again, you could just throw us a tip through our tip line as well.For our three wishes we'll have to go the obvious route: Bioware MMO is announced, whatever it may be -- we just want it out in the open. Square-Enix announces their next big MMO project that's hopefully set in Ivalice this time around. Finally -- and this is the biggun -- Bungie reveals that their next project is in fact an MMO being created exclusively for the Xbox 360. We know, it's insane! Looking back on our wishes, we just realized that our biggest mistake was making too many must-play MMOs known at once. Now our social lives must suffer the consequences.
Halo DS rises from ashes, videos unearthed
And the mighty wheel just keeps on turning. Matt Cassamassina of IGN, in his age old quest to prove to the world that a DS version of Halo was once in the cards, has posted video of the game in action. Remember now, Bungie has directly denied that a Bungie sanctioned Halo DS ever existed. Cassamassina insists that the version shown in the video was not made by a "garage developer" and that it had a major publisher behind it at one point. He elaborates that the project was canceled for reasons he cannot discuss. Of course, Bungie themselves admitted that prototypes were likely made by outside companies in order to pitch the idea, and it's still possible that we're seeing such a thing here. Our only question is why now? Why are these videos just now surfacing? If the proof has been available for this long, we wonder what caused the delay. We're sure all you're really interested in are the videos though. Check 'em out after the break.
Rumor time: Bungie leaving MS?
You may have heard a certain rumor floating around the intertubes in the last few hours. It started yesterday when a website by the name of 8Bit Joystick reported that Bungie and Microsoft are parting ways. Yes, you read that correctly. We're going to have to side with our Joystiq mothership on this one: it just ain't that likely. Sure, it's possible that certain Bungie employees may be heading off to seek their fortunes elsewhere (as many have already), but the Bungie name -- at the very least -- is sticking with Microsoft. They own it after all, so it's not going anywhere. Bungie deflected Joystiq's request for comment with their PR ninja skills, but we just find it hard to believe that Bungie is going anywhere but up. Besides, there are still several projects in the works that Bungie has a hand in, including Halo Wars, the Peter Jackson project, new Halo 3 downloadable content, and (probably) Halo 3 for PC. And, let's not forget, Bungie is the single best thing that Microsoft's gaming division has going right now. If Microsoft finally makes a profit on games this quarter, it will be because of Bungie and Halo 3.Still, an update to the 8Bbit Joystick blog notes that locks are being changed at Bungie Studios. Is it possible? Sure, anything's possible, but it's just too hard to swallow at this point. One way or another, we'll know the truth soon enough.[Via Joystiq]
Halo 3: find all the golden skulls video
Supposedly, this video contains the locations all nine of the golden Halo skulls. Frankly, we really don't know because we haven't watched it. We're trying to find them the old fashioned way, you see. Still, we know that not everyone cares about that sort of thing, and some of us have more important things to worry about. As such, we're providing this video as a service to our readers. Watch, learn, and enjoy. Remember, if you want to grab those campaign achievements, you more or less have to have at least one skull turned on. Also, if you haven't figured it out yet, there be spoilers in the video. You have been warned. [Via Joystiq]
Halo 3: campaign scoring and you
So, we've all managed to plow through the Halo 3 campaign now, right? After all, the game has been available for more than 24 hours, so everyone should have beaten it by now, all of its secrets laid bare. Good, because now it's time to delve into campaign scoring. A brand new feature in Halo 3, campaign scoring helps players net achievements and find a way to compete with their friends even during cooperative play (as if Team Slayer wasn't enough?). Bungie.net has posted a campaign scoring guide to help players get the most out of the feature. For those that have been wondering how many points each Grunt, Brute, and Jackal are worth, the guide is the place to find out. Not only that, but the guide explains difficulty multipliers (i.e. kills are worth more on Heroic than on Normal), style multipliers, and Halo skulls. By the way, the guide contains spoilers, so those still avoiding them had best look away. The rest of us, however, can get the most out of campaign scoring using the guide. Oh, the guide also gives a few "tips" on how to maximize your individual score at the expense of others. Our favorite: melee your teammate as he charges into the fray. This will drop his shields. By the time he softens up the enemies, he'll probably be dead, leaving them all for you. Hello multikill bonus!
Halo 3 Limited Edition: scratched discs ahoy [update]
[Update: Microsoft is now offering free replacements for scratched discs received in the Halo 3 Limited Edition throughout the rest of 2007. It should be noted that those wishing to use this program will have to pay to ship their original scratched disc to Microsoft. The replacement, however, is free. For more details, follow this link. Thanks to Matthew Mac for pointing this out.] Joystiq reports that many gamers are receiving scratched discs in the Halo 3 Limited Edition (the one in the tin case). Well, we can confirm that report, as our very own Limited Edition came with scratches (as you can see above). Upon opening the package this morning, the "Essentials" DVD, which contains bonus materials, was loose in the case. The game disc was held firmly in place though, so no worries there. The scratches on the disc appear to be minor. So far, we haven't encountered any hitches in our bonus content, so we're not rushing out to make an angry return just yet, but we'll see. For those of you who have yet to pick up your Limited Edition, you may want to check it out before leaving the store.
Halo 3: X3F review
It's not often that we here at X3F get a chance to review a high profile title like Halo 3 before it hits store shelves, and it's an opportunity I'm not taking lightly. I've spent the last 48 hours (give or take a few hours for the requisite food and sleep) embedded deep within Halo 3, doing my best to categorize the experience as I went along. In this endeavor I have more or less failed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy what I played, because I absolutely did. It's just that with as many features as there are in Halo 3, there's so much stuff to test that 48 hours really isn't enough time to glean enough information and condense it into a review. Still, review it we must. Read on for a (hopefully) defining glimpse into Microsoft's great green hope. %Gallery-7722%
2 hour pre-Halo 3 launch Bungie podcast
The last Bungie podcast before the release of Halo 3 is now online. As an extra special treat for fans, the podcast clocks in at nearly two hours long. Most of the podcast is spent discussing the new upgrades to Bungie.net. If you haven't heard of the kinds of stat tracking that will be available, you should definitely check it out. Also, as an even more extra specialer treat, Halo music guru Marty O'Donnell stops by to chat with the guys. In fact, the number of guests skyrockets this week, with guests like Contact Harvest author Joe Staten and Bungie.net expert Chris Gossett. Go download and try to contain your excitement until next Tuesday.
Halo 3 leaked online by the thousands
Before the cries of "OLD" start filling the comment threads, yes, we knew that Halo 3 was leaked several days ago. We chose not to propagate the story, but it seems to be reaching critical mass now, so there's no point in ignoring it. And before you ask, no, we're not telling you how to get it. The game data, which clocks in at about 6 gigabytes, is being shared and downloaded on a number of file sharing sites. According to gamesindustry.biz, the file has already been downloaded in the thousands. Of course, the file is only playable on modded Xboxen, which means that online multiplayer will likely incur a hefty swing of the Microsoft Banhammer. Considering that multiplayer and online co-op are more or less the heart and soul of Halo 3, downloading an illegal copy seems a little on the lonely side, thrilling though it may be to put one over on The Man. At any rate, the leak is sure to be an upsetting, if not unexpected, blow to MS and Bungie.
Rejected: Halo 3 lotto tickets and Cortana lingerie
Much has been said about the positively massive advertising campaign for Halo 3. Commercials, books, toys, product tie-ins, race cars: Halo 3 is everywhere. It seems anyone and everyone is eager to get a little Halo cross-promotion going, Hell, even banks are starting to catch the fever. Sure, we know that Microsoft is keen to help the series transcend the gamer ghetto and jump out into the mainstream, but what's more interesting is the number of products that Microsoft hasn't allowed. According to Reuters, Microsoft has actually been very careful to make sure that Halo merchandise is relevant so that the company doesn't "piss off" millions of fans.To that end, Microsoft has rejected more than a few merchandising ideas. Among them are (no kidding) Halo 3 lottery tickets, toy guns (as opposed to replicas), and (no, seriously) lingerie themed after the game's sassy holographic AI, Cortana. Good call, Microsoft. Good call.[Via Joystiq]
Halo 3 street date broken, players will NOT be banned [update 2]
[Update 2: Pro-G now reports that Microsoft has backpedaled on it's threat to ban Xbox Live users for playing Halo 3 before its September 25th street date. It seems the bans reported earlier only apply to Microsoft employees. So, if you are not a Microsoft employee, enjoy your new pre-release copy of Halo 3. Thanks to ejb for the update.]Reports are flying, literally flying into the X3F Report Catcher® that UK retailer Argos has broken the September 25th street date for Halo 3. The news originates from Eurogamer, where users of its forum noticed a message on the retailer's website claiming that they could pick up their reserved copies of the game today. First of all, if you live in the UK, you're probably out of luck now as the retailer has caught on to the mistake. Second, if you did manage to snag a copy, you still might not want to play it, as Pro-G is reporting that players are having their Live accounts banned by Microsoft. Why Microsoft would punish consumers for a retailer's mistake is beyond us, but we'll wait for an official response before casting judgment. In the meantime, keep that DVD out of your Xbox! Alternately, make sure you tell us if your console has been banned.
Halo 3 diorama videos now on XBLM
The remaining Halo 3 "Believe" videos are now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Previously, the "Museum" ad was released on XBLM, and now it is joined by "Believe" and the "Monument" video, which is a look at the fictional creation of the massive diorama featured in the commercials. Granted, all the Halo fans out there have probably already watched these videos a thousand times on the internet, but now they can do it in HD on their television. If, by chance, you haven't watched them, you should probably give them a look, as they are intriguing at the very least. Still, if you're not at home to watch them on your Xbox, you might as well watch them again on the internet, right?
Rumor: Halo 3 ending leaked (no spoilers here)
Joystiq (along with a few tipsters) is reporting that the ending to Halo 3 has been leaked onto the internet. The source, apparently, is the same person who attempted to sell a pre-release copy on eBay. Now, we're not out to soil (or spoil) our Halo 3 experience, and we're certainly not going to ruin it for anyone else, so we haven't checked it out ourselves. If you really want to see it, you'll have to take Joystiq's advice and Google "Halo 3 ending." The rest of us will stay here in spoiler free country.
Video: why Halo 3 will make the world better
We all know that the launch of Halo 3 will be a big event, perhaps one of the biggest in entertainment history, but did you know that Halo 3 will actually solve most of the world's problems? Melting ice caps? Gone. Socio-political tension? Eradicated. Disease? Forget about it. Yes, it's hard to believe, but Bungie's upcoming blockbuster will make the world a better place to live. If you don't believe us, watch the informative documentary we've embedded above. Finely crafted by the folks at Sarcastic Gamer, the video takes a hard-hitting look at the tremendous impact that Halo 3 will have on human society. Go ahead and take it in, you might learn something*. *Before you satisfy your urge to fill a comment with exclamation points and capital letters, please read the following. It's a joke. Let that settle in. Take a deep breath. There you go. Now you can comment.
Bungie on what's next, rocket baseball
Shacknews recently caught up with Bungie's Frank O'Connor at a media review event. Of course, the big story is that Shacknews played Halo 3 to their heart's content, but they're not allowed to talk about that (and no one is until September 23rd apparently). So, you're stuck with just an interview and you're going to like it! The interview focuses on the development of Halo 3 and what the next step is for Bungie. One of the more interesting moments in the interview is O'Connor's response to a question about Forge, Halo 3's map editing utility. When asked about how long it would take for people to create something that Bungie had never thought of, O'Connor responded that it had already happened 23 hours prior. It seems that a group of players had created a game of baseball using rocket launchers and gravity hammers (and people say baseball is boring). O'Connor also mentions that downloadable content should be a more streamlined proposition for Halo 3 thanks to Xbox Live Marketplace. Peter Jackson's Halo related project is briefly mentioned, but only long enough to note that it is "still on pace." Oh, and apparently some of the Bungie designers were recently driving one of the real life Warthogs in New Zealand, at one point crashing into a wall. We're keeping our fingers crossed that somebody got that on video.Hit the "read" link for the full interview.[Via Joystiq]
Watch the second Halo 3 "Believe" ad [update 2]
[Update 2: Looks like the video made it onto GameVideos. We've embedded it above (until it gets taken down, too).]The second of the Halo 3 "Believe" ads has made its way onto the web, and it extends the story told in yesterday's ad "Museum" (now available on Marketplace, by the way). Again featuring the diorama of a gigantic battle, the ad more or less presents a freeze frame at what appears to be the defining moment in the fight. Whether or not this battle is indicative of a similar battle in the actual game, we don't know. If it is though, Halo 3 is looking to up its presentation by an epic measure. We only hope that the game can live up to the kind of drama that's alluded to in these ads. The ad appears to have been leaked early (note the bump at the beginning with the ad agency's name), so we're expecting a high resolution version soon. For now, watch the ad and share your thoughts.[Via Joystiq]
