14 DAY TRIAL // Activision's Call of Duty series is set to take the biggest game franchise crown from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto, at least according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, who chimed in with his thoughts of the two big IPs.
Without a doubt one of the biggest franchises in recent years, Activision's Call of Duty has broken many records with its recent releases, starting with Modern Warfare back in 2007 and continuing with the upcoming Modern Warfare 3, later this year.
In the meantime, Rockstar has taken its time with the Grand Theft Auto series, with 2008's GTA IV still selling millions of copies each year, while the next title, GTA V, isn't even confirmed.
Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter believes Rockstar has now lost the mainstream crown to Activision, as the Call of Duty series is much more important, right now at least, than GTA.
"Call of Duty is bigger, and GTA will not maintain its position as the world's biggest mainstream franchise," Pachter told Industry Gamers.
Still, considering Activision now has Call of Duty titles coming each year, albeit from different developers, while Rockstar is investing lots of money in the new GTA, the tides may turn as some gamers will no doubt grow tired of the first person shooter.
"Eventually, Call of Duty may suffer from fatigue, and GTA could keep chugging along, but it will be 8 years before we can make that call," Pachter added.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is out on November 8, alongside the Call of Duty Elite online service, while Grand Theft Auto V is expected around the end of 2012, at the earliest, according to predictions from other analysts.
Rockstar is currently busy with the release of Max Payne 3, set to happen in March, 2012, not to mention the upcoming PC launch of L.A. Noire, which arrived earlier this year on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.