Activision: Destiny Will Become The Best-Selling New IP in History

[Steven Bogos]

Activision: Destiny Will Become The Best-Selling New IP in History

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick believes we've never seen a new video game IP as successful as Destiny will be.

Activision Blizzard has very high hopes for Halo studio Bungie's upcoming FPS/RPG Destiny [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/previews/10409-Destiny-Is-Masterful-Game-Making-from-Bungie]. In fact, CEO Bobby Kotick believes it will sell pretty well. How well? Well, he thinks it will become the best selling new IP ever. "We expect Bungie's Destiny, an innovative shared-world, first-person action game to be Activision Publishing's next billion-dollar franchise," he said at an earning's call, adding "We expect that Destiny will become the best-selling new video game IP in history."

That's a very bold claim from the studio that once said it could Video Game Sales [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/activision-wants-to-reclaim-grand-theft-auto-v-s-sales-records/0122738], the best selling new IP of all time was the original Super Mario Bros from the NES, coming in at 40 million units sold. Although, that may be a bit unfair, as it did come bundled with the system, so the next best-selling IP would be the Gameboy's Tetris at 33 million.

For comparison, Bungie's previous new IP, Halo, only sold around 5 million units, but it is still one of the most impressive modern games on the list.

Additionally, Kotick, at the earnings call, stated: "2013 was a transformational year for Activision Blizzard and for our industry. Our transaction with Vivendi returned us to independence and eliminated the challenges and constraints of being a controlled company. The continued success of our games delivered better-than-expected financial results." He praised the success of World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Skylanders in particular.

So what do you think? Can Destiny become the best selling new video game IP ever? I think it has the potential to sell well, and possibly even become a "billion-dollar franchise", but I doubt it will dethrone Tetris.

Source: IGN [http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ACTI/2886416562x7545984x724014/9b1383c9-ac48-4600-800a-536e7f7a9d96/ATVI_Q4_2013_Earnings_Release_with_tables.pdf]

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[SomeLameStuff]

Okay, who took the gag off Kotick again? Dammit people!

Seriously, has Kotick ever said ANYTHING that's semi-logical? At all?

 

[PuckFuppet]

Okay, who took the gag off Kotick again? Dammit people!

Seriously, has Kotick ever said ANYTHING that's semi-logical? At all?

He is a salesman, selling his product. Expect him to make things up as he goes along.

Has there been a beta or any extensive gameplay preview of Destiny yet?

 

[alj]

I have not seen anything of this game so i don't know if it looks good or not. However is this not part of the problem at the moment with the industry, expecting things to sell just because you say they will sell.

And sorry but i had to post this also from wikipdia

Destiny is set seven hundred years into the future in a post-apocalyptic setting following a prosperous period of exploration, peace and technological advancement known as the Golden Age.[14] In a universe where humans have spread out and colonized planets in the Solar System, an event known as "the Collapse" saw the mysterious dissolution of these colonies, the end of the Golden Age, and mankind teetering on the brink of extinction.

this remind anyone else of 40K or it is just me ?

 

[Cecilo]

I have not seen anything of this game so i don't know if it looks good or not. However is this not part of the problem at the moment with the industry, expecting things to sell just because you say they will sell.

And sorry but i had to post this also from wikipdia

Destiny is set seven hundred years into the future in a post-apocalyptic setting following a prosperous period of exploration, peace and technological advancement known as the Golden Age.[14] In a universe where humans have spread out and colonized planets in the Solar System, an event known as "the Collapse" saw the mysterious dissolution of these colonies, the end of the Golden Age, and mankind teetering on the brink of extinction.

this remind anyone else of 40K or it is just me ?

Nope. All you are missing is a single man secretly leading it all from behind the shadows and you pretty much have 40k, well the lead up to 40k anyway. that is the story before the Emperor decided to start getting stuff done.

 

[PuckFuppet]

this remind anyone else of 40K or it is just me ?

Story isn't exactly something that'll directly affect it being the "best IP ever" but, as you say, there are similarities. That said it is equally similar to certain elements of a few dozen other sci-fi's, how they pull that off and the tone they set/don't bother setting is far more relevant to a story than the generalities of the setting that story takes place in.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

I've heard crazier claims in my lifetime. Bungie has a proven track record and with Destiny being a multiplatform title, who knows? Could be.

For me it's certainly a game I'm eager to play. I was a big Halo fan and Destiny looks like it carries Bungie's trademark quality. If anyone can make the lightning strike twice, it's Bungie. Here's hoping Kottick isn't talking out of his ass (for once).

 

[St. Aidan]

Sooooo.... Even the people who publish Destiny are treating it like its the second coming?? Great plan Activison, because believing your own hype as always work in the past.

 

[spartandude]

The thing is, i still dont know what Destiny really is. Ok its a shooter with a heavy focus on online multiplayer and has some coop elements.... but thats still really vague, is it open world or hub based? Is it mostly coop with some versus, or the other way around? Is it a linear campaign etc etc...

Also despite what i listed abover i am interested but because it seems like there is no PC release and have no desire for a next gen console any time soon im sadly going to be skipping this for the foreseeable future.

 

[Stavros Dimou]

so this thing will beat Mario who has over 100 sequels and is the only reason one company keeps selling consoles ?
If Activision won't make its own console,then I call this man a lier.

 

[Teoes]

My money's on the statement coming out a month or two after release that Destiny only managed a "disappointing" 5-or-so million sales.

Well due to the whole low content post thing I must preface my response to their statement with this statement about my statement on their statement.

LOL.

Clearly padding out your post with an admission that you're padding out your post in order to avoid a low content warning, does not dodge the low content warning. Rather it tends to paint a bigger target on your back.

 

[ron1n]

Never understand these vague blanket statements.

I mean, does 'best selling' refer to number of units or money earned? And does it take into account profitability?

If you take into account all those factors, surely Minecraft would have to be on track to become the biggest new IP in history considering it's sold over 35 million copies (and counting) across multiple platforms and probably cost nothing to make compared to Destiny's budget.

He's also making this claim for a game that isn't even bothering to have a PC release =/

 

[Scrythe]

It's just occurred to me that I've never seen Bobby Kotick and Peter Molyneux in the same room together.

Just though I'd point that out.

 

[Flutterguy]

How many of you are all of a sudden willing to look into Destiny to see if it is worth buying?

Well played Kotick.

 

[Drops a Sweet Katana]

How many of you are all of a sudden willing to look into Destiny to see if it is worth buying?

Well played Kotick.

I already had it on my radar.

While I have no doubts that the game will sell well with the amount of spotlight its been getting and the fact that Bungie's at the helm, but best selling IP in history is one hell of a stretch.

 

[NickBrahz]

How many of you are all of a sudden willing to look into Destiny to see if it is worth buying?

Well played Kotick.

All i had to see was its on everything but PC to know i am not interested in the slightest to buy this.

 

[josemlopes]

so this thing will beat Mario who has over 100 sequels and is the only reason one company keeps selling consoles ?
If Activision won't make its own console,then I call this man a lier.

He did say new IP meaning that it would only have to beat the first Mario game, I dont know what new IP has the best selling numbers, maybe Minecraft is up there.

 

[Karadalis]

this remind anyone else of 40K or it is just me ?

Story isn't exactly something that'll directly affect it being the "best IP ever" but, as you say, there are similarities. That said it is equally similar to certain elements of a few dozen other sci-fi's, how they pull that off and the tone they set/don't bother setting is far more relevant to a story than the generalities of the setting that story takes place in.

Blizzard got never tired of stealing from Games Workshop... on the other hand one jerk stealing from another jerk makes the third person a winnter i guess.

Also i have heard and seen that song and dance before from the meister of spin paul barnett about WH online... it must be something about mmos... year after year we see "the next big thing" on the mmo market pop up just to see them go f2p year after year. Why do these developers never learn? Heck blizzard should know best that they cant copy WoWs success while they still have it running...

 

[Toadfish1]

Minecraft is at 42 million.

http://www.gamersnexus.net/news/1308-minecraft-most-selling-game-all-time

Of course, the PC and 360 versions only account for 22 million of those, so if the mobile version is considered a separate game, Minecraft would be ineligible.