Activision

01.29.12

Kim Dotcom, the founder and mastermind of the beleaguered file-sharing site Megaupload that was recently shut down by authorities, doesn't just face prison time and substantial fines for his alleged crimes, he has also lost his status as the world’s highest ranked player in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. With millions in the bank and a huge mansion from his illegal file sharing empire, Dotcom apparently had a lot of time on his hands and was playing a lot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 under the gamertag MEGARACER. Dotcom had earned the top spot in the first-person shooter video game late last year, according to MSNBC. With around 15 million players worldwide and over $1 billion in sales, Modern Warfare 3 is one of the best selling video games of all time.

01.19.12

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is a downloadable title for consoles that takes the best elements of the classic THPS games and gives them a fresh update to create an all new skateboarding experience. Tapping into fans’ muscle memories, the gameplay in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD returns to controllers and focuses on the satisfaction of linking sick tricks for maximum points. Combining sharp visuals with the best controls ever in a Tony Hawk game, the feel is cutting edge yet timeless. Hawk talks about the new game in this exclusive video below.

01.10.12

Awhile back during Blizzard's Gamescom press conference, Josh Mosqueira said that Blizzard " Is very,very serious" about bringing the Diablo III experience to the console. Well it appears after months of delay, we are actually geting our wish.

01.09.12

After selling 1 billion copies, four map packs and yet another Call of Duty tittle. Activision looks to return to Vietnam. It has been a year since Activision and Treyarch released Call of Duty Black Ops. Activision recently purchased blackops2.com, hinting that a sequel could be in development.

01.09.12

It's no secret that Activision is working along with Treyarch on a new Call of Duty game for release later this year.  It's become a yearly franchise and, hey, it's made this much money for them, so why stop now?  The only question remains is just what game we can really expect.  Another classic shooter?  A Future Warfare title?  Well, according to a registered domain name that was recently taken, the title may have just gotten a little clearer -- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

12.30.11

Amazon experienced records sales with more than just its bestselling Kindle Fire, which sold over 4 million units in December alone. The online retailer has become the go-to Internet site for everything from technology to videogames, thanks to huge sales that expand beyond Black Friday. Activision and Rovio had great years with their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Angry Birds games. Sledgehammer Games talks about MW3 in the exclusive video interview below.

12.28.11

When it comes to the ultimate man cave, nothing can compete with Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Four lucky winners of the Mountain Dew Mega Fan Experience were able to play Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for two hours on PlayStation 3 on the massive stadium screen. And as an unscheduled bonus, the four guys also got to watch the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders practice. Tanner Gervais is one of the four winners who has quite a story to share with his friends. He talks about the experience in this exclusive video interview below.

12.26.11

RedOctane created quite a rock monster when it first debuted Guitar Hero for the PlayStation 2 a few years ago.  It's since become a hugely popular property for Activision, through the release of successful sequels and various downloadable content packs.  But amidst some sagging sales and legal problems, the company has temporarily shelved the series following the somewhat disappointing Warriors of Rock.  However, it looks like the Hero may be taking the stage again very soon.

12.26.11

With gamers logging record numbers online playing Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, four friends from Minnesota were able to play on the ultimate screen. The winners of the Mountain Dew Mega Fan Experience were whisked to Dallas, Texas, where Cowboys Stadium became their personal arcade. After playing Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward’s newest game in the Sony lounge in the plush luxury box level, Andy Brink and his friends went to the 50 yard line and took the action to North America’s largest video screen for some quad-player action on PlayStation 3. Brink talks about the experience, which included the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders practicing below, in this exclusive video interview.

12.25.11

After weeks of voting, Major League Gaming (MLG) Pro Players have chosen the best of 2011.  MLG has revealed the winners of the 2011 MLG Pros’ Choice Awards. Pros voted on each other in various categories across three MLG 2011 Pro Circuit titles - Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Halo: Reach to determine the best of the best. The Stride Longest Lasting Player awards went to Naniwa (Starcraft II), Jkap (Call of Duty: Black Ops) and Pistola (Halo: Reach), while the breakout player awards were given to Leenock (Starcraft II), John (Call of Duty: Black Ops) and Formal (Halo: Reach).

12.22.11

When Mountain Dew partnered with Activision on Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the division of PepsiCo had no idea how popular it would become. Over 1.5 million consumers have participated in the Double XP program. Gamers are averaging somewhere in the ballpark of five to eight codes per participant. Mountain Dew’s Andrea Foote outlines the success in the exclusive video below from the Mountain Dew Mega Fan Experience at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

12.21.11

Despite some problems with the Call of Duty Elite service, Activision is fully dedicated to its billion dollar baby, Modern Warfare 3.  In a recent announcement on the exclusive Elite program Roll Call, Robert Bowling, a long-time member of the Infinity Ward team, announced a release date that would not only kick off the run of downloadable content for the game, but also new features on Elite.

12.21.11

While the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders practiced below, four lucky winners from Minnesota were able to do something that many have only dreamed of – use North America’s largest video screen to play a videogame. In this case, it was Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Mountain Dew brought Brandon Ervn and three of his closest friends to Dallas as part of its Mega Fan Experience. It's a marketing offshoot with Wal-Mart that's aligned with the Call of Duty Double XP program, which is currently running on MW3 bottles of Mountain Dew beverages. The four guys were able to play quad-screen multiplayer for two hours at Cowboys Stadium, the largest stadium in the world. Ervn talks about what the experience was like to have a custom armchair and Jerry Jones’ stadium all to themselves, except for those cheerleaders, in this exclusive video interview.

12.19.11

As part of its 11th annual Zeitgeist (German for “the spirit of the times”) 2011 list, Google revealed the Top 10 Video Games and Top 10 Online Games of the year. Surprisingly, some of the big games of 2011, including Batman: Arkham City and Modern Warfare 3 didn’t make the list. Perhaps because gamers were eager for big games coming in 2012 like Mass Effect 3 and Diablo 3. Google’s annual compilation of the most popular and fastest-rising search terms is the most detailed and data-rich yet. On the interactive 2011 Zeitgeist site, there’s additional information in all types of categories. But for games, check out the two relevant lists below the video from the top-searched game of the year, Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops.