NEWS - Wednesday, June 16, 2004
(RUMOR) - Retailers Say Doom 3 in October
While Activision has yet to provide an official release date for Doom 3, two separate sources, one being a retail chain (which asked to remain anonymous), said they expect Activision to release the PC version of Doom 3 in late July/early August, with the Xbox version following in October. The main reason the game’s date hasn’t been officially announced, we believe, is because the development team, Id Software, is known to take its own sweet time with its games, while obviously working with new technology, a complex and sophisticated engine, and what is apparently a massive game. The other, more interesting reason for a late summer release very well might be based on strategic timing. Activision is clearly aware of its competitors in the first-person shooter category. Microsoft’s arrival of Halo 2 on November 9, 2004 could cut heavily into Doom 3’s sales if the two shipped close to one another. Then there’s Valve’s Half-Life 2, another popular FPS, which is also believed to ship this summer. By shipping the PC version in summer, Activision gives its PC title a healthy amount of time for PC buyers to purchase that version, while an October Xbox version would give Xbox gamers enough time to buy and enjoy Doom 3 before they inevitably buy the sequel to the best selling game on Xbox. Doom 3 on Xbox supports an exclusive two-player coop mode. Retail chains have pleaded game companies for several years now to ship games in the summer, one of the lightest publishing periods in the industry. Apparently, Activision is listening. Game shipment dates aren’t as flexible as the movie industry’s schedules, as the major buying period for consumers traditionally has been based around the Christmas/Hannukah period, i.e. fall and winter. No Activision representative was able to return our call prior to deadline.Source: http://www.ign.com
