Destiny could be the best selling game of the year, this much is obvious. Now there is science backing it up, too.
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In a detailed post from VentureBeat, the upcoming sci fi adventure game from the creators of Halo could sell "10 million to 15 million copies, or roughly $600 million to $900 million at retail, which would give it a chance to be the top-selling game of the year." The game's budget is rumored to be $500 million, though a recent community update suggests that number is highly exaggerated.
Either way, six to nine hundred million is no small amount of change or profit and Activision is definitely impressed with these initial estimates. The numbers come by way of Cowen Research analyst Doug Creutz, who is the leading expert on sales. He utilizes an algorithm called Cowen's Ordometer, which tracks "data every week from the Electronic Entertainment Expo to the end of the year for both Xbox and PlayStation consoles."
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Destiny is shaping up to be one of the biggest selling games in the past four years, Cowen reports. Considering the sheer size of games that have been released this presidential administration, that's saying something. The game is even on track to outsell Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare this autumn, a bold claim considering Destiny is a brand new IP and Call of Duty is, well, Call of Duty. Of course, whichever ends up selling more, Activision wins. The company is publishing both titles.
The top 5 games on the Ordometer list are:
1. Destiny
2. Halo: The Master Chief Collection
3. Assassin's Creed Unity
4. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
5. Far Cry 4
Only one non-sequel. Games, you truly have become the next Hollywood. You have to get to #11, Sunset Overdrive before you come across another new IP.
The alpha build was received with mix praise. Matt at GameNGuide enjoyed the multiplayer, limited as it was and thinks it has a lot of room for pacing fixes and improvement, but found the single player parts a bit of a slog to get through.
Regardless of whether or not Destiny ends up the best selling game of the year is moot. This game is going to sell, and it's going to sell a lot. You can pick it up on September 9.
It sure won't ever touch Tetris, though.