Activision slip next Bond game to back half of 2010

On their quarterly earnings call for shareholders on Tuesday, Activision Blizzard confirmed that their next James Bond videogame will be due out in the latter half of 2010.

Michael Griffith, President & CEO, Activision Publishing Inc., said: "Now turning to the back half of the year, which is when we expect to release the majority of our titles... We also expect to release games based on the Spider Man and James Bond franchises. These are some of the most recognized franchises in entertainment and we're very excited about how the games are shaping up."

Few details have been revealed about the follow-up to "Quantum of Solace". It is understood to be under-development at Bizzare Creations and will include a driving element, and will not be based on any of the movies to date.

Their second 007 game was first expected in late 2009, and then moved to early 2010. The latest announcement constitutes a second slip in the release schedule.

In the previous quarter's conference call, Griffith said the second 007 title had move "out of 2009 and into early 2010, due to the impending release of �Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ later this year. The company believes sales of �Quantum of Solace� were impacted by releasing �Call of Duty: World at War� around the same time in 2008 and hopes to avoid the same issue with their next �James Bond� product." Some industry watchers were not convinced by this reasoning as "Quantum of Solace: The Game" did not impress critics and suffered sluggish sales due a lack of buzz around the title.

Back in November, it was revealed that EastEnders actor Adam Croasdell has taken on the role of James Bond for the next game. The soap star, who plays Walford's Dr Al Jenkins, revealed that he was thrilled to be offered the part because he is keen to keep his career varied. In an interview with BBC Asian Network, Crosdell confirmed: "Oddly enough I have just played James Bond in the new James Bond video game - how weird is that? I don't know what the future holds, but I'm always into varying up what comes my way, trying new things."

Discuss this news here...