14 DAY TRIAL // Activision has officially confirmed that its Blur racing video game is now slated for a 2010 release. The title was initially set to arrive before Christmas, but the publisher decided that the team that developed it needed some more time in order to make sure that the quality was on par with the expectations that gamers had of Blur.
Mike Griffith, who is both the chief executive officer and the president of Activision Publishing, has said that, “We are committed to making Blur a great new racing franchise, and we are very encouraged by the game's design. The additional time will allow the studio to fully optimize the vision they set out to create for Blur including a distinctive and groundbreaking multiplayer mode that will appeal to a broad audience.”
The official position could be partly true, but Blur was also probably pushed back because of the strong competition that it was facing in the marketplace. Need for Speed: Shift has just been released by Electronic Arts and the tougher, more simulation-minded title is initially receiving a strong, positive response from gamers, while Microsoft is set to soon release Forza 3 Motorsport and Sony prepares Gran Turismo 5 for this year. These are very strong brand names and Blur, a new, intellectual property that aims to introduce some pretty interesting concepts, might have a tough time establishing a strong sale presence.
Activision has not made it clear when the game will be released in 2010, but the publisher will probably orient itself towards a slot in spring, when the market is less cluttered. Despite the delay, Activision is reassuring its shareholders and the analysts of the video-gaming market by saying that a stronger than expected outlook for Modern Warfare 2, which arrives on November 10, combined with strong sales of the new map packs for Call of Duty: World at War will mean that the financial performance of the company will not be affected.