Call of Duty Franchise Earns $11 Billion Worldwide
During Activision's most recent earnings report, CEO Bobby Kotick announced that the Call of Duty franchise has earned $11 Billion worldwide in sales since its launch in 2003.
According to Kotick, this is the sixth year in a row that Call of Duty has been the best-selling franchise in North America, following the releases of blockbusters such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare also met a milestone last year, as it was the top-selling console game in 2014.
New DLC for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare recently added an all new Exo Zombies mode and several new multiplayer maps, among other things. To learn more, read IGN's review of Advanced Warfare, or watch us try out the new Havoc DLC.
Is a Marvel/Star Wars Crossover Coming?
Today Marvel Comics sent out a mysterious teaser promising a "forceful" announcement concerning Secret Wars on The View tomorrow at 11 am EST.
With Marvel now publishing Star Wars comics, the term "forceful" certainly conjures up the idea of the Star Wars universe somehow playing a part in the upcoming Secret Wars event, which sees alternate universe Marvel characters colliding on Battleworld.
Marvel is no stranger to The View. Last year they utilized the talk show to announce that the new Thor would be a female character.
Of course, there are other Marvel properties that the "forceful" clue could be pointing to. There's X-Force, and Clay Wilson aka Force... but who are we kidding? It's probably going to be Star Wars.
Activision Blizzard Reports Strong Financial Numbers
Activision Blizzard announced strong earnings for the financial quarter ending December 31, 2014. With Non-GAAP revenues coming in at $2.2 billion USD, the quarter met the company's expectations announced in November of last year.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was the company's, and the world's, best selling game for 2014, with lifetime sales of the franchise topping $11 billion. Destiny was also pointed to as driving revenue, with Activision saying it was the top-selling new IP for the year.
CEO Bobby Kotick cited user numbers for Destiny and World of Warcraft, saying the two franchises "attracted over 40 million registered players worldwide," and generated more than $850 million for Activison Blizzard.
The Hulk vs. Iron Man Statues of Your Dreams Are Coming
Kotobukiya is the latest collectible company to hop on the Avengers: Age of Ultron bandwagon, and their first two statues are something to behold. Today the company revealed (via Marvel.com) two new entries in their ARTFX+ line - Hulk and Hulkbuster Iron Man. The two statues will be sold separately, but they can be combined to form a very cool diorama scene.
Oddworld’s Move to Xbox ‘A Matter of Survival’
Lorne Lanning, creator of the Oddworld series, says the decision to move Oddworld from PlayStation to Xbox was a matter of survival.
In a panel discussion at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas called “A Conversation with Shu Yoshida”, Lanning discussed a few reasons behind the move -- a potentially touchy subject considering the presence of the president of Sony Worldwide Studios.
Lanning said it became unpredictable to plan and develop a game on the PlayStation 2 from a budgetary standpoint. And he said the cost of acquiring dev kits became prohibitive. When the original Xbox was announced as a machine built for developers, it made development costs more predictable. "We were trying to survive,” he said. “It was a way to actually land and survive."
Daily Deals: $110 Off an iPad Air 2, $350 PS4, Xbox Live for $40
$110 less than if you bought it right from Apple. It's the 16GB Wifi version.
NBC Renews The Blacklist, Grimm, More
NBC has announced it’s renewing dramas The Blacklist (for Season 3), Chicago Fire (for Season 4), Chicago PD (for Season 3), Grimm (for Season 5) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (for Season 17!!!).
For the 2014-15 season to date, NBC ranks #1 among the Big 4 networks in adults 18-49 and all other key demographics.
“The creative vision of the executive producers who’ve guided these outstanding dramas has been nothing short of incredible,” said Jennifer Salke, President, NBC Entertainment. “We’re highly appreciative of the passion they bring to their shows at every step of the creative process and we’re thrilled to reward that dedication with these renewals.”
App Store Update: February 5
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Ammo Pigs – ($1.99)
Taking things back to the days of DOS is Ammo Pigs, a new platformer/shooter that pits futuristic swine against oppressive slaughterhouse robots:
MLB 15: The Show 10th Anniversary Edition Announced
A special 10th Anniversary Edition of MLB 15: The Show will be released alongside the standard version on March 31.
For $70 USD, the Anniversary Edition includes an exclusive cover on a woodgrain steelbook, 12k in Stubs, fifteen Bonus Item packs, dynamic PlayStation 4 themes for all thirty MLB teams, and the official MLB 15 dynamic theme, according to the PlayStation Blog.
The post also revealed Canadian copies of the game will feature Toronto Blue Jays' catcher Russell Martin on the cover, rather than Yasiel Puig.
Pre-orders for physical copies of the Anniversary Edition begin today, while digital pre-orders will begin on February 10. Pre-ordering will get you a voucher for a DualShock 4 Skin for the MLB team of your choice from Skinit. Pre-ordering from GameStop will also net you six additional Bonus Item packs.
Pokemon Bank Subscribers Getting Triple Gift This Month
From February 27 to November 30, Pokemon Bank subscribers will receive special versions of Meganium, Typhlosion, and Feraligatr, The Pokemon Company International and Nintendo announced today.
Each final evolution of the Johto starters is level 50 and comes with a Hidden Ability previously unaccessible through normal gameplay. To receive the Pokemon, simply access your Pokemon Bank account and use Pokemon Link in either Pokemon X, Y, Omega Ruby, or Alpha Sapphire between the dates listed above.
Meganium's Hidden Ability, Leaf Guard, protects it from status conditions when the sunlight is harsh or extremely harsh. It also knows Sunny Day, allowing you to create the necessary conditions for Leaf Guard.