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Killzone 3 holds off Bulletstorm for top UK sales spot
Killzone 3 beat out the other high-profile FPS premiere, Bulletstorm, on the UK charts last week, but it didn't out-debut its predecessor, Killzone 2. According to Chart-Track, Killzone 3 is the "14th fastest-selling" Sony title in first-week UK sales -- Killzone 2 is the fifth. More shooting, and some kicking, got it done for third and fourth place in last week's sales ranking, as Call of Duty: Black Ops and FIFA 11 took the spots below the two debut shooters. The previous week's almost top title, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, slipped from second down to seventh. Where's Just Dance 2, you ask? In fifth, of course. Unstoppable beast!
Black Ops outmaneuvers Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on UK charts
Call of Duty: Black Ops received some marketing reinforcements last week in the UK to regain the top spot, its eighth time as king of the hill. The move stole Marvel vs. Capcom 3's premiere Thor thunder, as the fighter debuted in second place. Don't feel too bad for MvC3, though -- Chart-Track notes that the title sold as many copies in its first week as its predecessor did in its lifetime on PS2 and Xbox (the company doesn't have access to the XBLA and PSN figures). Dead Space 2 stomped the space yard at third, with Test Drive Unlimited 2 downshifting its top gear premiere into fourth. The fifth and sixth spots are occupied by chart stalwarts FIFA 11 and Just Dance 2, respectively. Check out the full UK top ten after the break.
Call of Duty: Black Ops extra modes unlocked this weekend
Good news: Just for President's Day, Activision is unlocking Call of Duty: Black Ops' two secret modes: Dead Ops Arcade, the top-down dual-stick shooter hidden in a DOS emulator, and the Presidential zombie fight known as "Five" that's unlocked upon completion of the single-player campaign. They'll remain unlocked throughout the weekend -- free of charge -- so get 'em before they return to Easter Egg status.
January NPD: It's a dance, dance, dance, dance revolution
The NPD Group's analysis of games industry business for January 2011 has hit -- and the real hits are dancing games. The top 10 best-selling titles for the month include four dancing games: Just Dance 2, Zumba Fitness: Join the Party, Dance Central and Michael Jackson: The Experience. In fact, even the month's two biggest new releases, Dead Space 2 and LittleBigPlanet 2, were outsold by Ubisoft's unstoppable Just Dance sequel (though the former only got one week of sales, having launched January 25). On the hardware front, sales were down eight percent overall versus January 2010, with software and accessories also dipping by five percent and six percent, respectively. Microsoft has provided specific hardware sales numbers, reporting 381,000 consoles sold for the month, up 48,000 units from January 2010. Sony, for its part, isn't talking hardware, instead saying that PS3 software sales are up 25 percent year-over-year. Keep reading past the break for the full top 10 in software sales.
Test Drive Unlimited 2 sets franchise record atop UK charts
It may be a case of Top Gear-fever, but Atari's Test Drive Unlimited 2 raced to the top of the UK all formats sales chart. Chart-Track notes that TDU2 is "by far" the biggest launch in the franchise, outselling the previous entry by more than double, with 68 percent of sales on Xbox 360, 28 percent on PS3 and the rest (4 percent) on PC. After two weeks as king of the mountain (standing gallantly atop a pile of Necromorphs), Dead Space 2's Isaac Clarke took the long way through an air duct and ended up in second place. The rest of the top five is some kind of late-2010 flashback, as FIFA 11, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood occupy spots three through five, respectively. Last week's big mover was Ubisoft's Dance Juniors, a "Kidz Bop" version of its unstoppable Just Dance franchise, which jumped 290 percent in its second week, just narrowly missing entry into the top ten at spot 12. We've placed a video of the game after the break to see what all the fuss is about, along with the UK top ten.
Activision reports fiscal 2010 earnings, digital sales up 20%
Publishing giant Activision Blizzard has dropped some hard numbers regarding its business performance for its fiscal 2010 year, which ended December 31. The company reports net revenue for the year reached $4.45 billion, up from $4.28 billion in 2009. (Though revenue recorded in the fourth quarter alone was just $1.43 billion, down from $1.56 billion during the same period the year before.) The standout news is that $1.5 billion of annual revenue came from digital sales, which the company says are up 20 percent over 2009 -- and up 40 percent in Q4 alone. According to the report, digital-based revenue was "driven by increased sales of Activision Publishing's Call of Duty map packs and value-added services for Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft," which CEO Bobby Kotick attributed in part to "significantly enhanced user activity and engagement for our expanding online communities." Selling 1.4 million copies of the first Black Ops map pack on a single platform within 24 hours of its release is certainly what we'd call "user activity."
Beachhead studio to work on Call of Duty 'digital platform' [update]
Did you know "about as many people have played Black Ops as there are members of Netflix?" That should, hopefully, put into perspective how massive the Call of Duty audience is -- and why Activision's Bobby Kotick is so focused on "the sustained online engagement and enjoyment of Call of Duty audiences." Map packs have been generating big bucks for the company, so it's no surprise that Activision has created a new "wholly owned" studio, Beachhead, to work exclusively on "the development of an innovative new digital platform and special services for our Call of Duty community," Without going into specifics, Kotick said that Beachhead's role would be to "[focus] on the delivery, digitally, of new, innovative Call of Duty content and services [that] will enable tens of millions of players around the world to continue to enjoy the experience that Call of Duty offers." This sounds like a potential subscription service, something Activision has expressed interest in the past. Since then, the company has promised "never" to charge for multiplayer. So, what could this possibly mean? More map packs? Or is Activision proving Pachter, who has long predicted subscription fees for the franchise, right? Update: Kotick described "Project Beachhead" in further detail. The full quote is offered after the break.
Black Ops 'First Strike' coming to PS3 on March 3, to PC by April
Activision's latest financial report boasted some pretty huge figures for Call of Duty: Black Ops' first piece of multiplayer DLC, "First Strike" -- the most staggering of which being that the pack was purchased 1.4 million times within 24 hours of its February 1 launch on Xbox Live. The publisher is looking to bolster that number in the coming months: In the same report, Activision revealed that the map pack will come to PSN on March 3, and then to PC "later in the quarter" -- corpo-speak for "sometime before March 31." This staggered release falls in line with Microsoft's timed-exclusivity deal with Activision for Call of Duty DLC through the rest of the year. We guess "a month and two days" isn't the most ridiculous amount of time for PS3 owners to be forced to wait. Then again, in Internet-Gaming Time, that's about 15-and-a-half years, so ... yeah. Never mind.
NPD: 2010's bestselling game releases by platform
Gamasutra has obtained NPD data that puts a new filter on last year's US box-copy software sales, ranking the top ten bestselling 2010 releases for each console and handheld platform (PC excluded). Like the monthly NPD breakdowns, these rankings don't include actual sales numbers, but they do reveal some interesting trends. By omitting Nintendo's so-called "evergreen" titles (i.e., games released before 2010), Gamasutra found that -- perhaps unsurprisingly -- Just Dance 2 was last year's top-selling 2010 release for Wii, and among six additional third-party games that made the top ten in sales for the platform. On DS, however, Nintendo games filled out half of the top ten, and Pokemon SoulSilver and HeartGold were the only titles to surpass sales of one million units each. At first glance, PSP software sales look even bleaker, with Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep on top and, according to Gamastura, the only PSP title to break 300K units sold; with the other top ten games each falling below 200K. Of course, these rankings don't include digital sales or box-copy games bundled with hardware, so it's unlikely that Birth by Sleep (which isn't available on the PlayStation Store) was the true #1 bestseller among 2010's PSP releases -- let alone the most pirated. What is certain is that Call of Duty: Black Ops dominated torrents, as well as the games legitimately sold for PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010. Still, both Sony and Microsoft saw two first-party releases make their console's respective top ten sales charts for the year; though each publisher's most critically-acclaimed release of 2010 -- at least, from Joystiq's perspective -- was not present. Perhaps telling of the two console's core player bases, Madden 11 beat out God of War 3 for the #2 spot on the PS3 chart, but fell to #3 beneath Halo: Reach in the Xbox 360 ranking. Finally, we have to wonder just what were they thinking? They, of course, being all those Xbox 360 owners that purchased Fable 3 and Fallout: New Vegas instead of Mass Effect 2. Three and a half stars plus four still doesn't add up to the Game of the Year, people. Check out Gamastutra for the complete breakdown of 2010's bestselling releases by platform.
PSA: Black Ops serving up double XP all weekend
That's right, your time spent perusing the internet is all for naught -- you could be greedily lapping from a Call of Duty: Black Ops chalice filled to the brim with crisp, cool experience points. The gist of the intel is this: Treyarch's hosting a double experience multiplayer event until February 7 at 8am PST, across all platforms. The event was set in motion to celebrate the launch of "First Strike" on the Xbox 360 -- oh, you left? You're not even reading this anymore? Gotcha.
Raptr report analyzes DC Universe Online players
Raptr, a social networking app for gamers, has turned its eyes to DC Universe Online players in a recent report. By breaking down player demographics, the site was able to piece together common trends and paint an overall picture of the DCUO playerbase. So who is playing DCUO (while using Raptr)? The first bit of surprising news is that these gamers aren't necessarily superhero fanatics, at least not according to the other types of games they play. These players didn't tend to have City of Heroes and Champions Online as their other go-to games in the top 10, for example. Actually, Raptr found that DCUO players are most likely to be into the MMORPG genre as a whole, as well as multiplayer games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and League of Legends. The report speculates that there may be a connection between DCUO's fast action gameplay and these other titles: "While there are a number of MMORPGs listed, it's interesting to see some FPS, and RTS in the mix. This could be because DCUO prides itself in being a deep MMO mixed with action-oriented gameplay more akin to RTS or FPS games." World of Warcraft and EVE Online were the two biggest MMOs that DCUO players also enjoyed, while these players found themselves stealing time away from WoW and Aion to head over to DCUO for their gaming sessions. You can read the full analysis over at Raptr Tracks.
PSA: Black Ops First Strike DLC must match language on disc
Microsoft is warning players who are picking up the Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike map pack from the Marketplace to make sure they choose the same language for the game they own. If you purchase an alternate language pack, the company is quite explicit that the DLC "will not work" and you'll receive an error message. This shouldn't be of concern to those in the States, but Canadians may run into the issue of having the English and French versions offered. It also gets messy if you have a French-language copy of Black Ops in the States, as the French DLC isn't offered in that Marketplace. So, in conclusion: make sure your Black Ops disc language matches that of the DLC you're buying. %Gallery-115315%
Dead Space 2 engineers top entry on UK sales chart
Isaac Clarke's Necromorph nightmare is a dream for EA, as Dead Space 2 reached the top spot on the all formats UK sales chart last week. According to Chart-Track, launch sales of the intense sequel were up 70 percent from when Dead Space debuted at sixth in 2008. Sackboy took a 48 percent sales tumble, dropping LittleBigPlanet 2 into second, while FIFA 11 enjoyed the top-seated action in third. The peanut-butter-and-jelly goodness of stabbing and shooting round out the top five with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Call of Duty: Black Ops in fourth and fifth, respectively. The week also saw the return of the original Just Dance into the top ten, meaning Ubisoft had the original and its sequel in the top ten just cha-cha-chinging away. Check out the top ten in UK sales after the break.
Another pitch for Black Ops 'First Strike' DLC
Next Tuesday, Activision will launch the "First Strike" of what CFO Thomas Tippl has called the company's "largest digital offering ever" of Call of Duty DLC in a single year. This first Black Ops map pack will be exclusive to Xbox Live, beginning February 1, for a limited time and will include four competitive multiplayer maps -- "Berlin Wall," "Discovery," "Kowloon" (pictured) and "Stadium" -- along with the Zombies mode map "Ascension." For Xbox Live players, that means one last weeked with the same old maps, a prime opportunity for Activision to toss another pitch for next week's DLC (priced at $15). In the gallery below, you'll find the first screenshots of the map pack (with bonus zombie poster), and after the break you can catch an in-depth video preview of the new competitive maps, produced by Inside Xbox. Did you know that Kowloon is known as a "rule-breaker map?" Ohhh ... so that's where all those pirates got shipped off to, eh? %Gallery-115315%
Latest PS3 firmware update brings the bans for Black Ops hacks
Dirty, dirty Black Ops cheaters that downloaded the new PS3 firmware, update 3.56, are finding out exactly what Sony meant when it said the patch would help bolster "security." A grip of consoles have been permanently banned from Black Ops multiplayer servers for hacking or cheating after their users installed the new firmware -- though some of the outspoken among the banned are contesting the presumption that they are cheaters on the game's official forums. (Which is like, the first thing you'd do if you were a dirty, dirty cheater.) In a seemingly cooperative attack executed by two mortal enemies, firmware 3.56 joins last week's mandatory Xbox Live update, which also stopped pirated and modded copies of Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 in their tracks. Is Activision's cash cow so powerful that the publisher can request its own console updates at will? If that's the case, Activision: Would you please, please ask Sony to add cross-game chat? Oh, and see if Microsoft will bring black the blades. We miss the blades.
Black Ops PS3 patch fixes freezing errors, adds new Contracts
If you're a PS3 player troubled by Call of Duty: Black Ops bugs, take heart in the fact that Treyarch is listening to you. Particularly those of you troubled enough to submit a complaint to the government, we're guessing. Last night, the developer issued a new patch for Black Ops, fixing various freezing, "infinite loading screen," and other issues. The patch also includes balance tweaks for weapons including the PSG1, silenced sniper rifle, RCXD, and AK47U, a new pre-match timer for system link and LAN multiplayer games, and some new Contracts, all of which you'll hopefully get to experience if the glitches are taken care of. Find the full list of changes at the official forum.
Latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 'First Strike' trailer has a smattering of zombies
We're now just one week away from the release of "First Strike," the first downloadable map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops. While last week's trailer went into some detail on some of the maps – notably excluding the zombie map "Ascension" – this week's trailer goes into no detail on all of the maps. Allow us to explain: You'll catch a well-edited glimpse of each of the five new multiplayer maps, but without any details it's tough to get excited; you're better off watching last week's trailer over again. However, if you're looking for a peek at "Ascension," this is the only game in town, so click that play button and scrub ahead to the 43-second mark.
Gamers' Voice to submit formal complaint over Black Ops PC/PS3 bugs
Gamers' Voice, the UK-headquartered video game enthusiast advocacy group founded by British Labor MP Tom Watson, will file a formal complaint to "relevant government agencies" this week regarding unresolved bugs in the PC and PS3 versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops. The group explained its position on the Gamers' Voice blog, stating "it doesn't matter how big a game is, it should not be released 'unfinished' or with bugs that make the game unplayable, which are words we have seen in a lot of emails to us recently." The group further explained why these bugs drew their attention, saying, "in the case with CODBLOPS, entire sections of the PS3 and PC gaming community are apparently being used as game testers for an extended period after a game's release, yet being asked to pay for the privilege." Hey, it could be much, much worse. They could be asked to participate in a reality television show for the privilege.
LittleBigPlanet 2 debuts atop UK sales chart, Mass Effect 2 PS3 in top ten
The very pretty, Britty build-a-palooza LittleBigPlanet 2 grabbed itself the top spot on Chart-Track's UK sales chart last week. According to the chart masters, the sequel's premiere numbers were "almost identical" to that of the original, being "only 95 sales short" of it. Call of Duty: Black Ops and the magical Just Dance 2 took silver and bronze, respectively. While we're on the subject of the resilient dance game genre, Harmonix's Dance Central slipped one spot from 12 to 13, while Ubisoft's original Just Dance moved up two spots from 13 to 11. LittleBigPlanet 2 wasn't the only game to have a big debut on PS3 last week, our top game of 2010, Mass Effect 2, premiered in the seventh spot overall and in second on the PS3-specific chart.
Mandatory Xbox 360 update sneakily halts Call of Duty pirates
Apparently, Microsoft sneaked a super secret feature into its recent, Boot-to-Disc-restoring mandatory Xbox 360 firmware update: the ability to stop Call of Duty: Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 pirates and hackers dead in their tracks. Posters on the Xbox-Scene forums are claiming that consoles with backed-up versions of the two games took an awfully long time to download the relatively small update -- and once it arrived, it stopped backup versions of the two games from working altogether. Was this a coincidence, or was Microsoft targeting illicit players of two of Xbox Live's most active multiplayer titles? We've contacted Microsoft to try and find out.
