Activision's Plans to Milk Every One of Its Cows Dry, Details Inside

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News:Three Guitar Hero games, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Call of Duty 5 and a lot more.

Activision held their quarterly conference call yesterday and spilled the beans on what they have planned for 2008/early 2009.

The big news is that Tony Hawk is getting a huge makeover according to Mike Griffith, President and CEO of Activision Publishing:

Over the past six months, we've been working reengineer the Tony Hawk brand. We started with a deep dive evaluation of our approach to the genre and new trends in the videogame market. Then we conducted a significant amount of consumer research and testing to better understand the types of innovations that consumers want from this brand.

I guess this is what happens when you stop being the only game in town and a newcomer (in this case, EA's Skate) pulls in a crowd too.

Griffith also talked about the next entries in the Guitar Hero series (which should ship sometime between April and June) and made a few remarks about the series appearing on new platforms, "headlining" bands and new hardware innovations.

So, while cryptic, it certainly sounds like Guitar Hero for the DS and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith could become a reality. But the "hardware innovations" quote could mean anything, maybe "Drum Villain" (which Activision owns the trademark to) is closer than we think.
Finally, the company confirmed that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and a new Spider-Man game are coming this fall. They've also confirmed that Call of Duty 5 is coming to the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, DS, PS2 and Wii.

Here's the full list of what Activision has lined up for the rest of the year and into early 2009:

April - June 2008

Kung Fu Panda (six platforms)

2 Guitar Hero Spinoffs

Fall 2008

Call of Duty 5 (PS3, Xbox 360, DS, PC, PS2, Wii)

Guitar Hero 4

Next Tony Hawk

Quantum of Solace (Bond 22)

Madagascar: The Crate Escape

Kung Fu Panda Followup

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Next Spider-Man

Early 2009

Monsters Versus Aliens (Dreamworks Animation)

I had to try so hard to explain to my friends that Call of Duty 4 wasn't going to be like 3. Most of them bought 3 expecting it to be awesome, not realizing it was a Call of Duty in name only. I imagine there are many people out there who bought COD3, thought it sucked, and wrote the series off without realizing that it was made by the same losers who made the console versions.

I'm just worried about how many lame games the Call of Duty name can take and still sell. They can't expect Infinity Ward to put out games that are that awesome every single time to save the franchise, can they?

I had to try so hard to explain to my friends that Call of Duty 4 wasn't going to be like 3. Most of them bought 3 expecting it to be awesome, not realizing it was a Call of Duty in name only. I imagine there are many people out there who bought COD3, thought it sucked, and wrote the series off without realizing that it was made by the same losers who made the console versions.

I'm just worried about how many lame games the Call of Duty name can take and still sell. They can't expect Infinity Ward to put out games that are that awesome every single time to save the franchise, can they?

AtomicTangerine

The sad thing is that they probably will get over on the regular joe schmoe even if they release a craptastic sequel, riding the hype that was created by IW's amazing COD4.

I thought Call of Duty 3 was pretty good. Not as good as COD2, but still good.

I do however think they are making a mistake by milking it and releasing a new one every year. I'll glady wait 2 years to get something fresh, instead of getting the same crap year after year.

This is also one series that I'd rather have in the hands of the original developers, ESPECIALLY after what they did with COD4. Now having Treyarch make COD5 and bring it back to WW2? Big mistake. BIG, big mistake.

I have no interest whatsoever in that.

I thought Call of Duty 3 was pretty good. Not as good as COD2, but still good.

I do however think they are making a mistake by milking it and releasing a new one every year. I'll glady wait 2 years to get something fresh, instead of getting the same crap year after year.

This is also one series that I'd rather have in the hands of the original developers, ESPECIALLY after what they did with COD4. Now having Treyarch make COD5 and bring it back to WW2? Big mistake. BIG, big mistake.

I have no interest whatsoever in that.

EdgecrusherAza

Yeah, Treyarch did a decent job of replicating the kind of game Infinity Ward made in COD2. It was lame, but still got most of the fundamentals down. With COD4, IW just made something totally awesome that Treyarch will never be able to touch. The drop in quality is going to be more noticable, and to trust the brand with them now is just dumb.

The only games that excite me there are MUA 2 and Spiderman (maybe)... it's kind of crappy that they have next to no original games planned this year.

I'm with Rag on this one... pony up some money for Interstate or Vigilante 8 3.

And that means Activision will be the second biggest publisher in gaming. All huge sellers, all safe bets, they will make lots of money. I am sure when they mean reinvent Tony Hawk they mean copy Skate.

As for CoD, I am still blown away by how well CoD4 has sold, it could sell more than Halo 3. Since when is CoD in the same league as Halo. CoD2 sold like crazy but that was a launch game craze thing. CoD3 did not sell that great at all, it wasn't as good either. Then this just explodes, seems nobody was phased by the previous sequel. Did the change in time gather that much attention. Wonder how CoD5 will do now that its back in WW2.

dvader654

I'm hopinh Infinity Ward at least comes out with a expansion pack for Call of Duty 4, maybe five more hours on the single player campaign and more multiplayer maps. Then I'd pick it up for sure.

I always had an extremely low opinion of Activision, and seeing this list I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. Compared to these guys, EA is a bastion of innovation, quality and risk-taking.

I had to try so hard to explain to my friends that Call of Duty 4 wasn't going to be like 3. Most of them bought 3 expecting it to be awesome, not realizing it was a Call of Duty in name only. I imagine there are many people out there who bought COD3, thought it sucked, and wrote the series off without realizing that it was made by the same losers who made the console versions.

I'm just worried about how many lame games the Call of Duty name can take and still sell. They can't expect Infinity Ward to put out games that are that awesome every single time to save the franchise, can they?

AtomicTangerine

Actually Infinity Ward can save anybody's ass if they wanted to. The only thing that sucks is that soon Call of Duty names will be in the double digits and that just kind of looks dumb. Other than that I can't really seem to care because I don't buy the non IW Call of Duties.

Seeing news on Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 makes me happy. Very happy.

Unfortuantely, seeing that call of Duty 5 is a reality AND happening on every console is very saddening. Ditto two three Guitar Hero games, do we really need that much rock?

Oh, and that's hilarious that Activision are reimagining the Tony Hawk brand. Because I've got a funny feeling that it's still going to be the same game as before.

This is the game industry in a microcosm. Release a game. Creates sequels for it until gamers can't stomach them anymore. Occasionally release new games so that you can do the same thing to those franchise. Every last game in existence is designed to spawn four or five sequels. You gotta think that at some point, gamers are gonna go, "hey, I've played you already. Like, eighteen times..."

We're also nearing the technological roof. It's impossible to make your game look that much better than it does already. With the new coat of paint gradually losing its shine, are gamers really going to continue buying into the "same old, same old"?

I don't think this industry is heading for a crash, but these companies that are relying so heavily upon rehashing the same ideas repeatedly could find themselves losing money hand over fist when the industry changes faster than they do.

I think it is so odd that I side with EA when it comes to Skate vs Tony Hawk, and Rock Band vs Guitar Hero... but they really have done a great job of beating Activision at their own game. Now if only they could make a Medal of Honor game to compete with COD4.rragnaar

Or they could do something, God forbid, original. :(

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]I think it is so odd that I side with EA when it comes to Skate vs Tony Hawk, and Rock Band vs Guitar Hero... but they really have done a great job of beating Activision at their own game. Now if only they could make a Medal of Honor game to compete with COD4.Oilers99

Or they could do something, God forbid, original. :(

We're also nearing the technological roof.Oilers99

I don't think we're anywhere near the technological roof unless you're referring to graphics alone. Crysis was kind of an eye-opener as to how much more developers can do. After playing Crysis, I found Call of Duty 4 almost unplayable due to how antiquated it felt technologically - and obviously I'm not talking about graphics here.

As for rehashing, I agree with you, but true innovation was always a rare thing - always. Also, don't forget that this is Activision, they've always been like this. Activision execs don't know the meaning of words like 'risk' and 'creativity'.

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]I think it is so odd that I side with EA when it comes to Skate vs Tony Hawk, and Rock Band vs Guitar Hero... but they really have done a great job of beating Activision at their own game. Now if only they could make a Medal of Honor game to compete with COD4.Oilers99

Or they could do something, God forbid, original. :(

It's funny how people still bag on EA, when out of the Major Publishers it's EA that currently has the most interest in supporting and highlighting original IPs, new development studios, and seems to be taking the most risks.

Meanwhile, we have Publishers like Activision and Ubisoft continuing to churn out endless sequels, and pretty much telling us they are gonna continue to milk those series with annual installments for the next few years.

The only games that excite me there are MUA 2 and Spiderman (maybe)... it's kind of crappy that they have next to no original games planned this year.

I'm with Rag on this one... pony up some money for Interstate or Vigilante 8 3.

smerlus

Yeah definitely I still play Vigilante 8 2nd Offense on my Dreamcast, Boogie is cooler than any of the characters in Twisted Metal...Who else has a spinning disco ball of death?

[QUOTE="Oilers99"]

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]I think it is so odd that I side with EA when it comes to Skate vs Tony Hawk, and Rock Band vs Guitar Hero... but they really have done a great job of beating Activision at their own game. Now if only they could make a Medal of Honor game to compete with COD4.UpInFlames

Or they could do something, God forbid, original. :(

This too:

[QUOTE="Oilers99"]We're also nearing the technological roof.UpInFlames

I don't think we're anywhere near the technological roof unless you're referring to graphics alone. Crysis was kind of an eye-opener as to how much more developers can do. After playing Crysis, I found Call of Duty 4 almost unplayable due to how antiquated it felt technologically - and obviously I'm not talking about graphics here.

As for rehashing, I agree with you, but true innovation was always a rare thing - always. Also, don't forget that this is Activision, they've always been like this. Activision execs don't know the meaning of words like 'risk' and 'creativity'.

Yeah, flames is right, just think about the advancements that could be made in physics alone. There is still plenty of room left for improvements, animation also has a way to go, but hopefully GTAIV will take it to the next step.

[QUOTE="Oilers99"]We're also nearing the technological roof.UpInFlames

I don't think we're anywhere near the technological roof unless you're referring to graphics alone. Crysis was kind of an eye-opener as to how much more developers can do. After playing Crysis, I found Call of Duty 4 almost unplayable due to how antiquated it felt technologically - and obviously I'm not talking about graphics here.

You're right; I keep forgetting about the advancements that can be made with things like physics and AI. But in the context of the rest of the post, my point still stands; technology can't disguise the fact that it's the same old game with a new coat of paint for much longer.

And I should grab Crysis one of these days... now that I actually have a pretty good PC.

[QUOTE="UpInFlames"][QUOTE="Oilers99"]

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]I think it is so odd that I side with EA when it comes to Skate vs Tony Hawk, and Rock Band vs Guitar Hero... but they really have done a great job of beating Activision at their own game. Now if only they could make a Medal of Honor game to compete with COD4.Robnyc22

Or they could do something, God forbid, original. :(

This too:

When is Spore coming out again? The year twenty five twenty five, if mankind is still alive? :P

In all seriousness, I obviously wasn't suggesting that EA has never done an original game, ever. But are they going to tell people like Will Wright and Steven Spielberg no? They do some other original projects too, but it's sickening how badly outnumbered they are by sequels and spin-offs. Oh, and if a new game is successful, it's immediately turned into a "trilogy", followed by a "new generation reimagining".

Every major publisher is doing this, so I don't want to single out EA. But I truly wish there was one company you could villify as doing this way more than others. As the industry is now, it's hard to find a single company that does the exact opposite... and lasts more than one or two games.

[QUOTE="smerlus"]

The only games that excite me there are MUA 2 and Spiderman (maybe)... it's kind of crappy that they have next to no original games planned this year.

I'm with Rag on this one... pony up some money for Interstate or Vigilante 8 3.

HiResDes

Yeah definitely I still play Vigilante 8 2nd Offense on my Dreamcast, Boogie is cooler than any of the characters in Twisted Metal...Who else has a spinning disco ball of death?

There were rumors that Vigilante 8 was supposed to pop on XBLA on the summer of last year... It seems the founders of Luxoflux broke off and started a company called Isopod Labs... their website has a shaded our version of the Vigilante 8 Icon as their upcoming game (with a word next to it that i can't make out) but there's been no word on it yet.

I want an Interstate '76 remake damnit! rragnaar

Eww, that line-up made me throw up a little, not a fan of Treyarch at all, not that COD4 by IW was that forward thinking in terms of single player, ass-backward game design total.

And I should grab Crysis one of these days... now that I actually have a pretty good PC.Oilers99

Definitely check out the demo, it contains the first level in its entirety. I played through that demo four times and each time had a completely different experience...the amazing thing is, the later levels are much, much bigger and open with all sorts of crazy interactivity. Crysis is the very definition of 'emergent gameplay' - and it's all made possible due to the technology behind it.