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Call of Duty: Ghosts is “on track to be the most pre-ordered title of the year,” GameStop has claimed, despite publisher Activision stating that pre-orders for the upcoming shooter “are well below the record-setting pace” set by last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
In a press release highlighting a new pre-order promotion, GameStop’s senior VP of merchandising Bob Puzon commented: “Call of Duty is an entertainment juggernaut and cultural phenomenon. We are excited for the upcoming release of the new instalment of this blockbuster franchise. We look forward to celebrating the worldwide November launch of this great game that is on track to be the most pre-ordered title of the year.”
Puzon’s choice of words doesn’t make it clear how GameStop is defining its metrics, and whether they’re basing the claim on pre-orders placed within 2013 or for games due to be released in 2013.
If it’s the former, expect the majority of pre-orders for GTA 5 to have been placed in 2012.
Nevertheless, Puzon’s claims are surprising given Activision’s comments last month and next week’s release of GTA 5 – a title expected to break the opening week sales record currently held by the original Call of Duty: Black Ops.
In an investor relations call last month, Activision Publishing boss Eric Hirshberg said, “As one might expect in this console transition year, pre-orders for Call of Duty: Ghosts are well below the record-setting pace set by Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 last year.
“However, our quantitative consumer research indicates that hesitation amongst past club pre-orders is primarily due to not knowing which platform they will be playing on, which is natural at this time in the console transition.”
Call of Duty: Ghosts launches on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and PC on November 5, with PS4 and Xbox One versions to follow at each console’s launch.
Source: Activision Press Release
