An analyst predicted that "Call of Duty: Black Ops" pre-orders might out-perform "Modern Warfare 2," even if the game's long-term sales fell short of setting another industry record. That was several months ago, however, and GameStop has now expressed similar expectations. In publicizing a sweepstakes tied to their orders, the big retailer didn't cite specific numbers but did discuss where the game is tracking.
"GameStop is tracking to all-time, record reservations on 'Call of Duty: Black Ops,'" GameStop merchandising SVP Bob McKenzie said in a press release. "We are ahead of where we were with 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' last year, which previously set the industry standard".
It would be nice to see some hard data with that claim, and McKenzie's statement came within the context of drumming new pre-orders for his company's promotion. Even if the statement was made with the intention of getting it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, it does express a vote of confidence that Activision won't let "Black Ops" become the first Call of Duty franchise sequel to come up short of its predecessor's performance standards.
There's a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and a bunch of other prizes up for grabs, though, which may entice additional pre-orders between now and the sequel's launch date on November 6 as much as anything GameStop says. Treyarch has history on their side, but the "MW2" numbers set an intimidating bar.
Do you think "Call of Duty: Black Ops" will outsell "Modern Warfare 2"? Do you think Treyarch will make a better gaming experience? Share your own predictions with us in the comment section below.