A passage from the book is read out loud and it describes the characters in the upcoming game, giving us a little tease at who gamers are going to control while playing the game. However, we’re still not given a taste of any gameplay, which has gamers frustrated and wanting more, but it seems Activision will be milking this one out for a while.

The trailer was directed by Jon Favreau, who is best known for directing Iron Man and Iron Man 2, and his style certainly shows in this new Destiny trailer. Of course, though, we still don’t know many details about the game, other than that they’re calling it “shared-world shooter” that looks a lot like Halo, which isn’t too surprising, as the same developer is behind both games.

A look at the trailer reveals that some of the action takes place on the Moon, as well as what looks like Mars, but as you can clearly see a close-up planet in the sky, it looks to be a fictional planet that the developers made up for the game. Overall, Destiny definitely won’t be coming to an Earth near you. The game is set to release on both current- and next-generation consoles sometime in 2014, so don’t expect it to launch alongside the Xbox One or PS4 in time for the Holiday season — you’ll want to put it on your birthday wish list instead.

The developer confirmed the news via Twitter yesterday, saying that the game will be heading to Sony’s newest console, joining the PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. However, publisher Activision still says that DLC for the game will be exclusive with Xbox consoles, meaning that if you want all the CoD content you can get, going the Microsoft route seems like the best choice at this point.

As for the Wii U, Activision hasn’t confirmed or denied that Call of Duty: Ghosts will come to Nintendo’s newest console, but it’s not looking good overall. If the publisher wanted the new game on the Wii U, we certainly would’ve heard confirmation by now, but judging by the poor sales of the new console, we’re guessing Activision won’t waste their breath.

Call of Duty: Ghosts went up for pre-order earlier this month, and it became the highest-selling video game on Amazon in less than a day from becoming available for purchase before its launch. While some may think the Call of Duty series is getting stale, the turnout that the pre-order received shows that many gamers are still interested. The new installment is expected to be some sort of spin-off featuring Lt. Simon “Ghost” Riley, who was known for wearing that iconic skull-laden balaclava. However, we’ll have to wait and see in November when the game officially releases to the masses.

VIA: Joystiq

Of course the PlayStation 4 and gaming PCs will also have their shot at this title in 2014. This title is being made by the same company that created Halo and has partnered up with Activision, the company that brings you Call of Duty. With such big-name titles on the line, Destiny has a lot to live up to.

The images above and below are only small versions of the actual detail you’ll be able to see, Bungie delivering full-resolution pictures to the public to allow them a taste of full-screen possibilities. Though these images make the game look like a backdrop from a blockbuster film event, the final product will be an online exclusive first-person shooter.

This means that the Xbox 720 and the PlayStation 4 will continue down the road suggested for them in the latter days of their predecessors – this is a very connected future we’re starting soon.

Images of what Bungie calls its Abandoned Earth segment of the game – or environment, however it’ll be presented – have been unveiled as well. In these images its revealed that the planet is not simply a barren wasteland in this distant realm of possibility – it’s a place where nature has taken back what it owned before humans came along. Much like what’s seen in such apocalyptic films as I Am Legend, cities have been overgrown.

Bungie has also revealed information about the plot of this game. One of the several races available for use by you and your compatriots are the Guardians.

“You are a Guardian of the last safe city on Earth, able to wield some of the Traveler’s incredible power. You are taking this mantle just as a new day dawns. Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks have finally returned to our long-lost worlds, only to find out we are not alone. ” – Bungie, on Destiny

There are also Warlocks, Hunters, and Titans, each of which appear like they came directly out of the next Halo title. That or backup robots for Daft Punk. These and the visions of the Moon, also known as a “Forbidden Zone” by the newest reveal of the contents of the game, will provide for some rather interesting waves of unveils when this multi-platform title comes to fruition.

Above see full-sized versions of each of the images in this post for up-close inspection. Also have a peek at SlashGear’s Xbox 720 tag portal as well as our PlayStation 4 tag portal for the race to the finish line. As far as game developers are concerned, these two consoles are bringing the same beast to the party!

SOURCE: Bungie

The so-called transition Kotick describes is one of an evolving gaming industry, where players aren’t perhaps so wedded to their dedicated, heavy-duty consoles as they were at the launch of the Xbox 360 and PS3. Factor in the remaining questions that surround even Sony’s officially announced PlayStation 4, and Kotick is readying for an uphill struggle.

“There are still many unknown factors,” he explained on the call, “such as pricing, launch dates and quantities, the level of first-party support and, importantly, consumer purchase intent in a world where consoles are no longer just competing with each other, but also with new platforms, such as smartphones and tablets.”

Those mobile platforms have risen in gaming prevalence over the intervening years, with more casual titles at the $0.99 price point in Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play market gaining traction on iPhone and Android. Apple’s iPod touch has also become a compelling gaming system, with improvements in the company’s homegrown processors leading to more impressive, near-console-quality titles.

In short, it’s a very different market from what Microsoft and Sony are used to, and one in which Kotick seemingly suspects they may find the reception to the Wii U to be the rule, not the exception. “All of these factors further heighten our concerns heading into the back half of the year,” he concluded, “particularly during the very competitive fourth quarter.”

Activision has already warned that World of Warcraft online multiplayer subscribers are dropping, though the game publisher says it is confident its other projects will maintain sufficient momentum to keep profits up.

[via ExpertReviews]

Such expectation changes are due to a position of uncertainty about how the rest of the year will play out, including the upcoming holiday season, as specifically noted by the company’s CEO. Uncertainty about the next generation of the Xbox and PlayStation, for example, were factored into Activision’s outlook on the rest of the year, something that caused its shares to drop 6-percent.

Said Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotick in a conference call today: “While we do believe further declines are likely, and we expect to have fewer subscribers at year-end than we do today, World of Warcraft remains one of the most successful franchises in the history of entertainment.” To help mitigate their current woes, Activision plans to roll out more content at a faster rate for the game.

For 2013, Activision estimates making $0.82 per share with $4.25 billion in sales. As of now, World of Warcraft subscribers sit at 8.3 million, a hefty drop from the all-time high of about 12 million. Although there are plans to push out content faster, the Wall Street Journal reports that no big updates are slated to happen until 2014.

[via WSJ]

According to Amazon’s Best Sellers list in the video game category, the game is in third place behind PSN and Xbox Live memberships. Thus, Call of Duty: Ghosts is the best-selling video game on the website. The game leads in the Xbox 360 category and comes in second place in the PS3 category behind BioShock Infinite. Sadly, it’s a no show on Amazon’s Best Seller list for PC games, but that could change.

As for the UK, Call of Duty: Ghosts takes the number one and two spots with the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, respectively. While many people would argue that the Call of Duty series is quickly dying, it seems many gamers are still loyal to the series, and want to continue on with the story that each game extends on.

We’ll get our first look at the new game on May 21, when Activision and Infinity Ward will make an appearance at Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox unveil, which confirms that we’ll see Call of Duty: Ghosts come to next-gen consoles like the rumored Xbox 720 and the recently-announced PlayStation 4 from Sony.

We’ll get to see Call of Duty: ghosts and all of its glory come May 21st when Microsoft holds its event for the unveiling of the Xbox 720. The game will most likely be used as a marketing tool to get more gamers to purchase the next-gen Xbox instead of buying the game for their current Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3′s. Because wouldn’t you rather play the game on a next-gen console that has a better GPU and is less prone to lag?

Having first-showing rights would help Microsoft hype up the Xbox 720 even more, however, if the rumors are true that the Xbox 720 will require an always-on connection, chances are Microsoft is going to need to do a lot more than show off the next Call of Duty in order to sell its systems. If the always-on feature is a reality, this Call of Duty unveiling would still convince many users to purchase a next-gen console, however they would be more likely to purchase a PlayStation 4 instead.

One of the major changes Call of Duty: Ghosts has to offer is a completely revamped single-player campaign. If its most important selling point is its single-player mode, players will wonder why they need an internet connection to play it. For gamers who live in remote areas with spotty internet, or who have roommates who hog all of the bandwidth, having a console that is required to always have access to the internet would be a punishment, which has been pointed out by many game developers.

While Microsoft hasn’t officially confirmed that the Xbox 720 will have an always-on connection requirement, it has been hinted at several times through interviews, in leaked documents, and from controversial tweets involving Microsoft’s former Creative Director. We’re hoping that Microsoft will take note of EA’s situation with SimCity and kill all plans of requiring an always-on connection. Be sure to check in with SlashGear on May 21st, where we will be covering the Xbox Reveal event live and seeing if the rumors are true.

Infinity Ward also officially announced the new game on their Twitter feed, linking to a teaser trailer of the new game. The trailer doesn’t reveal much about the game, but it does point out a few details. At the end of the trailer, it says that the game will see a live demo at Microsoft’s May 21 event where the next Xbox will be revealed, confirming that the game will hit next-gen consoles.

The trailer also gives us a good look at what we assume will be the main protagonist in the game, and we’re assuming it’s Ghost himself, as you can see him put on that iconic skull balaclava toward the end of the trailer. Further details aren’t yet known, but we should be hearing more about the game later this month.

Both Amazon and GameStop are now accepting pre-orders for the game as well, with a release date slated for November 5, 2013. Neither retailer lists the game for the PlayStation 4, but we’re guessing that if the game is coming to the Xbox 720, we’ll also see it on the PlayStation 4 as well.

IGN ended up getting a hold of the leaked promo poster from GameStop, and it lists November 5 at the bottom. Furthermore, Activision recently launched a teaser website for the upcoming game, which displays a skull that is most likely referring to the mask that Lt. Simon “Ghost” Riley wore in past Call of Duty titles.

The title of the game, along with the teaser website hints at the possibility that Call of Duty: Ghosts will follow Lt. Riley as the main protagonist in the game. The man shown on the box art and promo posters could actually be Ghost himself, as it looks like he is pulling off the skull mask that he iconically wears.

According to the game’s box art, it seems it will release on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and the Wii U. IGN says that an official reveal of Call of Duty: Ghosts will be expected tomorrow, so you can be sure that we’ll hear more details about the game real soon. In the meantime, we’ll ponder over the implications of a Ghost-based Call of Duty game.

[via IGN]

The stock rewards, however, will be stretched over a vesting period of 5 years, but due to regulatory reporting rules, Activision has to report the compensation the year that it was granted. So in reality, Kotick was really paid $8.33 million last year, as well as in 2011. Kotick’s base salary was $2,006,127 last year, and he received a bonus of $2.5 million. The other half of his earnings came from other forms of compensation. According to Reuters, Kotick’s compensation is now 3 times as much as Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO of Goldsman Sachs, and twice as much as Robert Iger, CEO of Walt Disney.

While Kotick’s compensation was phenomenal, Activision didn’t experience the same type of success. Activision’s revenue and net income only increased in the single digits last year, making its growth much slower than the year prior. Activision had to lay off a total of 70 of its full-time employees in order to cut costs. 40 employees were laid off after they completed development on Activision’s upcoming Dead Pool game, and 30 employees were laid off after the company announced that it would be pulling away from licensed games.

Kotick has been placed as the second most paid public-company CEO of 2012, right behind Oracle’s CEO and founder Larry Ellison. Ellison takes the lead with $96.2 million in compensation. However, according to Bloomberg, Kotick could receive another $16 million this year if he is able to meet the highest performance targets this year for Activision Blizzard. While that’ll still put him behind Ellison, it’s still a hefty bonus.

UPDATE: Updated post to reflect Kotick’s actual compensation for 2012.

[via Reuters]

The box art first showed up on Tesco Direct’s website, but the listing has since been removed. However, a Target circular has also been leaked, which shows the title art of the game, with a release date of November 5, 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The promotion is for $10 off any game $49.99 or higher when you pre-order Call of Duty: Ghosts.

According to Charlie Intel, who obtained the leak, the new Call of Duty title is also expected to be announced “any day now,” according to their sources. While the rumored release date for the game seems more than plausible, retailers almost always use placeholders until they find out the official release date for a game, so November 5 may not be the actual release date.

We’re not sure if the title of the game is a reference to one of the characters in past Call of Duty titles, named Ghost, who is most-known for wearing that iconic skull-faced balaclava. If the game is, in fact, based around Ghost, it should be quite a doozy, as Ghost is one of the more favorited characters in the series. However, we’ll keep this with a grain of salt for now until we hear official word.

[via Charlie Intel]

Tesla cancelled plans for a cheaper,smaller battery version of its Model S vehicle, but later on it announced a revolutionary financing product to help make its Model S vehicles affordable to customers. Apple’s next two iPhones were said to be in production while Steve Jobs was still alive, and in related news, Apple issued an apology to China over its “unfair” warranty policies. The Pirate Bay also took the crown as the world’s largest file-sharing website.

Verizon and AT&T are reportedly placing a joint bid for Vodafone. Apple’s iPhone 5S is said to be currently in production, and AT&T, along with other carriers, states that the HTC One will begin shipping on April 19th. Windows Blue will reportedly be Windows 8.1 and be released within a few months, and Samsung’s new phablet will reportedly be called the Samsung Galaxy Mega and will have a 6.3-inch display. The 2nd-gen Nexus 7 is rumored to be released in July, and Samsung and Mozilla are working together on a new web browser engine. The USPTO invalidated Apple’s Bounce-Back patent once again, and Activision laid off 40 full-time employees after they finished development for its Deadpool game.

Facebook’s Event kicked off on April 4th, where it announced its new Android product, Facebook Home, which will be released on April 12th for multiple devices. It will have many features, like Chat Heads messaging and a Cover Feed lockscreen. It will be embedded on the AT&T’s exclusive HTC First, but you can easily disable the software with this guide. Be sure to check out SlashGear’s hands-on guide with both Facebook Home and the HTC First. Samsung is expected to launch “Experience Shops” in 1400 Best Buys to rival Apple’s mini-shops.

The full SXSW Google Glass demonstration video is now available for viewing. Images for the BlackBerry R10 leaked showing a low-end QWERTY Blackberry 10 device. An ITC Judge stated in a preliminary ruling that Samsung infringed on Apple’s text-selection patent, and a German court invalidated Apple’s slide-to-unlock patent. A Skype trojan has been reported to be going around globally, turning PCs into Bitcoin miners, and HP chairman Raymond Lane has decided to step down from his position. That’s all for today’s Weekend Wrap-up! Be sure to check out the Evening Wrap-Up tag portal for more in-depth news for each day of this week.

While there is a massive amount of lay offs happening at High Moon Studios, development of its future Transformers games, including War of Cybertron, Dark of the Moon, and Fall of Cybertron, will not be affected. It was only back in February when Activision decided to lay off 30 full-time employees from both its offices as well as from Treyarch’s studios. It released a similar statement back then, saying that it “works to align its costs with its revenue”.

Like the employees that were laid off back in February, the employees laid off from High Moon Studios will be offered outplacement counseling services. The counseling services will help the employees through the termination of their job, and will hopefully be able to help them secure new employment elsewhere. The services usually help set up interviews, assist in job searches, offer networking services, and much more in order to help the employee transition to their next job.

Deadpool’s storyline is penned by Daniel Way, who wrote the former Deadpool comics. Deadpool’s character will be voiced by Nolan North, who has voiced Deadpool in the past. The game is a 3rd person action game with a major emphasis on guns and swords. Deadpool will break the 4th wall numerous times to offer players hints, and also to add humor to the game. Deadpool is set to launch over the summer on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC.

[via Kotaku]

If you’re not sure of the difference between the regular edition and the Digital Deluxe edition, the latter includes the Nuketown Zombies and Nuketown 2025 bonus maps, weapon camouflage skin, two player card backgrounds, the official soundtrack, and a free download of Call of Duty: World at War — all for only $14 more!

As for double XP and the free weekend, all platforms that the game is available on are eligible to play. It officially starts at 10 am PT, which is just in a couple of hours as of this writing. The free weekend will end on Sunday at 1 pm PT, while gamers will be eligible for double XP until Monday at 10 am PT.

This marks the first time that Call of Duty: Black Ops II has been free to play for the weekend, but it’s actually the third time that the game has seen a double XP weekend. Treyarch and Activision held the first double XP weekend back in December, and then later on just last month. So far, it looks like the companies are hosting these types of events once a month, so we may see more double XP weekends coming up throughout the rest of the spring and summer.

We only saw a tiny bit of gameplay here at the event, but the developers say that Destiny will be fully compatible with the PS4, meaning that Destiny will let you enjoy the game and its content from multiple devices. Destiny will not only be coming to the PS4, but also the PS3, and there’ll be “exclusive, playable” content for just the PlayStation versions.

Bungie is calling the new game the world’s first shared-world shooter because gamers will be able to access the game and the content through the cloud via the PS4, something that will be both intriguing, as well as interesting to see in action. Overall, though, the developers didn’t reveal much about the new game, but we’ve already heard plenty within the past couple of weeks anyway.

It’s said that Destiny will arrive on the PS4 and the next-generation Xbox sometime in 2014, and since it will also be arriving on the PS3, it may also show up for the Xbox 360 as well, but that has yet to be confirmed. Since Bungie’s Halo series was so successful, Destiny may certainly have the same fate.

Along with its move to back away from licensed games, Activision will also be laying off 30 people from its company. That’s about 0.5% of the company, and those that are being let go will be offered “outplacement counseling services” to help them find a new job. Activision made it clear though that the cuts will barely affect Treyarch. The company says that there will be “minimal reduction in staff to better align our development talent against the needs of DLC development.”

Like EA Games, Activision feels that the licensed-games industry isn’t bringing in enough revenue to make the projects worth it. Due to the high-costs of making the movie-based games, and the decreasing demand for them, the games started becoming more trouble than they were worth. Activision will still be releasing a few licensed-based games this year, including games based on The Walking Dead, Deadpool, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I can see why companies are beginning to stray way from licensed games. The licensed games as of late aren’t as amazing as games from the older generation (does anyone remember Goldeneye 007?). Even 007 Legends, which was highly anticipated, turned out to be a let down, which is why the James Bond series might be the first of the licensed games to get the axe.

The full document comes from The LA Times but the important section is right here. You’ll find “Destiny Game #2″ to be the subject of production on the PlayStation 4 and Personal Computer, while the Xbox 720, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 are being set for the Destiny Game #1 release. This means – it would seem – that the PlayStation 4 won’t be ready for action in time for the release of the first Destiny Game.

The folks at Bungie have been longtime Xbox developers having made one of the most successful gaming franchises in the history of the world with Halo, so it’s not out of the question that they’re simply going to hit the Xbox 720 first even if the PlayStation 4 will be out “in time” for one of the first Destiny installments. The fact that the first release is set for pre-order right this minute for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 has us wondering, on the other hand, how this contract figures in with the PlayStation event occurring this week – could it be that no PlayStation 4 will be shown?

Have a peek at the Destiny trailer above and see how the PC and mobile platforms – like the iPhone, in this case – will very obviously be taking part in the overall structure of Destiny and its many tendrils. This game will not be limited to one platform, nor will it be dependent on one piece of hardware for you to be able to play it. This is the next generation in gaming made real – anywhere, anytime. We wouldn’t be surprised if this game were playable on NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD before all is said and done.

Destiny has a 10-year publishing deal with Activision. Bungie has revealed that Destiny will be released as 10 “books” over the course of 10 years. Each book will have its own beginning, middle, and end. There are currently 350 developers in Bungie working on the game. There are also teams outside of Bungie that are able to co-locate with each other, which provides Bungie with the ability to rapidly create and improve every aspect of the game. Bungie also stated that the Destiny franchise will be brought to multiple devices later on, also emphasizing that there will be a mobile app that lets players track stats, quest info, and notifications from the in-game world.

While Destiny is going to be a online multi-player game, it will be different than an MMO. Destiny’s story takes place in the Earth’s solar system after a mysterious cataclysm wipes out almost all of humanity. The survivors are relocated to the ‘safe zone’, which also acts as the beginning zone for new players. There will be 3 classes; Hunter, Titan, and Warlock. The only class with a notable difference is the Warlock, who can cast spells. Bungie says that despite there only being 3 classes, each character will be unique to the player, and will grow with the player throughout the game. In the ‘safe zone’, there will be an alien sphere called ‘The Traveler’ that supplies players with weapons, magical powers, and defensive equipment. While in the ‘safe zone’, players can meet up with their friends, and/or they can use spaceships to travel and raid new territories.

The game very much emphasizes cooperative play, but you can still play the game solo. Bungie, however, says that in order for players to realize “the vision of the game”, they have to play with other players. While in public areas, such as towns, players will be paired up with other players similar to them. This is based on the levels of the players, as well as other similar aspects. Bungie emphasizes that public areas will not be overcrowded like in MMOs. There will not be thousands of people crammed into one place, but rather a controlled amount. Also, unlike other multi-player games, Destiny will not have a lobby interface or menu for tracking quests. Everything happens in real-time, where players just wander the world, meet new people, and participate in activities that appear at whim.

Activision and Bungie both kept quiet about some important details, like when the game will be released, but they do have a very impressive goal in mind. It will be very interesting to see the two companies try to execute its 10-year plan, and whether or not they will succeed. Maybe if they do consider implementing eSports with the game, Destiny will have a good shot of lasting a long time.

Eric Hirshberg says that eSports is becoming increasingly important to the gaming industry. It helps developing gaming franchises gain traction in the industry, and it opens new doors and possibilities for gaming in general. He believes that people love competition, and the ability to compete in games, whether casual or hardcore, makes gaming a whole lot more interesting. He also believes that eSports will be an integral part of gaming in the future.

From the first Call of Duty eSports tournament, Call of Duty XP, Hirshberg realized how much demand there was for competitive eSports. There was a huge audience of people, both present at the event and watching the event through a live stream. There was so much buzz from the event that it had expanded through various social media portals, like Facebook and Twitter. From that experience, Hirshberg feels that they will continue on with the success of their first eSports event and hold similar events in the future.

When asked about eSports and it being featured on broadcast TV, Hirshberg surprisingly said that he doesn’t believe eSports is compatible with TV. He says that eSports happens more on the player’s schedule rather than the network’s schedule, and that live streaming is more convenient. Hirshberg is much more interested in expanding upon the live streaming features rather than getting eSports onto live TV.

Hirshberg sees a bright future for eSports and he will continue to embrace it by offering players tools that make games more competitive. Hirshberg kept hush hush about the future of Activision Blizzard’s latest original game franchise, Destiny, and its role in the eSports industry, but chances are it will be integrated into eSports, and how far it goes will depend on the amount of support it gets from Activision Blizzard. Hirshberg did say, “You have to be very committed to get that done and get it right in the game,” when he was commenting on embracing the world of eSports.

[via Forbes]

However, Activision big wig Eric Hirshberg says that development continues on the publisher’s “new ground-breaking project with Bungie,” not mentioning the title of the game. He says that the game doesn’t yet have a release date, but says that they look forward to sharing more details later on in the future.

With that said, it looks like Destiny may release in time for next-generation gaming consoles, which are rumored to release sometime this year in time for the holiday season. Destiny is said to be an MMO-style title, and the series will be a trilogy with each game releasing one after the other with a year or two in between.

While hopes are dashed for a holiday release of the game, we could very well see it close to release by this time next year. Bungie is best known for developing the Halo series of first-person shooter titles, and with the release of this highly-anticipated MMO, would be the developers first time dabbling around in the genre.

[via Digital Trends]

The tournament is being “presented by Xbox” and Major League Gaming, along with the Electronic Sports League are joining in on the fun to make this tournament happen. As expected, players will be using Xbox 360 console throughout the entire tournament, and for those interested in watching, you’ll be able to watch the live stream in your browser.

Anybody with a Call of Duty Elite account has a chance to compete in the tournament, but only eight four-person teams will make it through. The other 24 teams will equally come from the winners of the 2013 Winter Championship of the Major League Gaming 2013 Pro Circuit, winning teams from the Electronic Sports League’s European Finals, and winners from Asia, Australia and Brazil.

The first place team will get $400,000 in prize money, while second place will get $200,000, and third place $120,000. The Call of Duty Championship will begin with round-robin pool play among eight groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group will advance to a double-elimination bracket consisting of 16 teams.

Kotaku reports that this is merely an alpha release and that the game’s microtransaction system isn’t in place yet, but the game certainly is much closer to a final launch with today’s alpha roll out. Call of Duty Online is the product of a team up between Activision and Tencent, a company which among other things publishes games in China. Tencent is actually responsible for CrossFire, one of China’s more popular shooters, so it could end up cutting into its own CrossFire audience with the release of Call of Duty Online.

For the moment, Call of Duty Online will remain exclusive to China. It will almost certainly stay that way until long after the game officially launches (and leaves the testing phase behind), but if it turns out to be a success, that could mean big things for Activision and for the series in general. If Call of Duty Online takes off, then Activision will have found another way to monetize the immensely popular series beyond just releasing a new game every year and selling it at $60 per copy.

If that happens, then perhaps Activision will want to test out its Call of Duty Online strategy in other countries. So long as Call of Duty remains the best-selling franchise in the west, it’s doubtful that we’ll see a freemium online version launch in North America. However, if the model ultimately works, then it’s possible we’ll see Activision try the same thing with other, less popular franchises in North America and Europe. We’ll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out, but for now, just know that Call of Duty Online has entered alpha and will soon be showing us what one of the biggest franchises in the world can do when it adopts a freemium model.

The four maps destined for competitive multiplayer are called Hydro, Grind, Downhill, and Mirage. Since this leak centers entirely around promotional posters that were put up at a GameStop early, we don’t have any additional details on the maps, but it should be relatively easy to derive a few guesses from the names alone. On the other side of the coin, the map being added to zombies mode has been titled Die Rise.

While the fact that Call of Duty players will be getting new maps in Revolution is no surprise, there is a bit of a twist with this DLC pack. Apparently Activision and Treyarch have decided to add a new weapon in Revolution too: the Peacekeeper SMG. This is the first time weapons have been added in Call of Duty DLC, so perhaps the future is bright for those who have been asking Activision for weapon DLC for years? It certainly looks that way.

According to these early promotional materials, Revolution will be coming to Xbox 360 first on January 29. There aren’t any details on when Revolution will release on PC or PS3, so stay tuned for those dates. While information on pricing is also non-existent, expect to pay $15 for the map pack unless you picked up the Black Ops II season pass, in which case you’ll get Revolution at no additional cost.

[via Charlie Intel]

Double XP will be awarded across all platforms starting at 1 PM ET on Friday, December 14, and ending at 1 PM ET on Monday, December 17. That’s a full 72 hours when you can run and gun while earning double the rewards. Xbox 360 gamers will also be able to partake in a “Game with Developers” event on December 14, where gamers can go head-to-head with the developers of the game itself.

As far as the clan competitions, there will be three different categories: Core Domination Captures, Core Kill Confirmed, and Core Team Deathmatch. Each category will be played on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. Sign-ups are now live, so if you and your friends have any interest in the competition, now would be a good time to pen down your names.

According to a tweet from the official Call of Duty Twitter account, there’s also going to be a live stream on YouTube. We’re not exactly sure what the live stream will feature, but it’ll mostly stream the “Game with Developers” event and possibly a few clan matches throughout the weekend.

Previously, Activision announced shortly after Black Ops II‘s launch that the game made $500 million within 24 hours of release, eclipsing Modern Warfare 3‘s record of $400 million the year before. Of course, the lack of a five-day total from Activision gave some analysts cause for concern that Black Ops II wasn’t selling as well as expected, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The sales number is based on the Chart-Track retail customer sell-through information, as well as internal company estimates, and it represents a milestone for the first-person shooter series. Black Ops II is now the fastest-selling Call of Duty game of all-time, and perhaps the fastest-selling entertainment product, having reached the $1 billion mark quicker than the film Avatar, which set the box office record in 2009 by reaching $1 billion in 17 days.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II launched on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 13 in North America, and a Wii U version was released on November 18. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick says that “life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded worldwide theatrical box office receipts for Harry Potter and Star Wars, the two most successful movie franchises of all time.”

The video features interviews with the cast and crew, including FPS Russia, iJustine, Activision’s Tim Ellis and Eric Hirshberg, and director Guy Richie. The video covers the idea behind the name “Suprise” – that even though you think you’ve got someone right where you want them in Call of Duty‘s multiplayer, you’re never more than few seconds from getting gunned down yourself. Have a look at the original ad below as a refresher before you watch the behind the scenes video.

Of course, the behind the scenes video also gives us a look at how commercials like this are made. In the case of Surprise, Activision and Richie had to bring in a ton of beat up cars and objects that look like they were carried in from the streets of a war-torn city, and had to put up one massive blue screen so editors could go in afterward to add the buildings, sky, and explosions. Just a word of warning before you start up the behind the scenes video: things get a little loud, so it might not be a bad idea to turn down your speakers.

Sadly, we don’t get to see any sort of interview with Robert Downey Jr., but considering this is a behind the scenes video for a commercial pushing a video game, we’ll take what we can get. Activision’s massive marketing campaign seems to have worked well, as Call of Duty: Black Ops II managed to pull in $500 million in sales on launch day alone. It probably won’t be too much longer before Activision is ready to talk Black Ops II sales numbers once again, so keep it tuned here to SlashGear for more information.

The news was announced on 4Cabling’s Facebook account, where they state that Kaya finished the marathon “with a mad career ranking of 29 of 5 million players.” Kaya, a 28-year-old Sydney native, was allowed one 10-minute break every hour by Guinness, and any unused breaks could be accumulated and used at a later time.

This allowed Kaya to fit in some sleep time over the course of the seven days. However, according to Kaya, his record isn’t official just yet. He’s in the process of gathering the evidence for submission to Guinness, but he says that he’s confident that his new world record will be approved without any problems.

Luckily, Kaya is still alive, considering how gaming marathons haven’t gone so well in the past. Back in July, a Taiwanese man died following a 40-hour Diablo III marathon at an internet cafe, and last year, a gamer in the US suffered a pulmonary embolism during a 20-hour gaming session. However, Kaya’s marathon was closely monitored and supervised by a group of volunteers who acted as witnesses and supporters.

[via Yahoo]

Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Version tested: Xbox 360

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is technically set in the not-so-distant future. I say “technically” because a good portion of the game’s campaign takes place in the mid-1980s, and the game switches between the past and the future (2025 to be exact) pretty frequently. Before we delve into too many specifics, however, I’ll say this: the story in Black Ops II is pretty ridiculous. You’ll have to suspend your disbelief often, as the story never seems too concerned with sticking within the bounds of realism. The technology the characters use in 2025 is quite a bit more advanced than the tech I think we’ll have in another 12 years, with things like cloaking devices that make humans as close to invisible as possible widely used. There are plenty of twists and turns, too, though those twists never felt as surprising as they should have.

That being said, it isn’t as if the campaign in Black Ops II is lacking charm. Players will chase the beyond evil Raul Menendez – who I must say makes a excellent villain – throughout the decades as he hatches a plan that would quite literally leave the world in shambles. The situations the characters get themselves into may not always seem plausible, but that does allow for some intense sequences and edge-of-your seat moments. Treyarch deserves a pat on the back for never being afraid to shake things up a bit as well – Black Ops II isn’t always about shooting. There will be times when you’re riding on horseback (while holding and shooting a rocket launcher, no less), jumping out of a plane to “parachute” into enemy territory, and flying a jet. Some of these sequences work better than others, but at least they all serve a purpose in giving you something different right when you need a break from the typical run and gun routine.

Alongside the regular campaign missions, you’ll have the opportunity to complete Strike Force missions. These add a little RTS flavor to the first person shooter genre, giving you areas to defend as enemies attack from all sides. You can zoom out to view an overhead map, which allows you to issue orders to multiple units at once. You can also control individual units and jump between them freely, giving you the chance to fight off enemies quickly in the places that need help the most. It’s a cool little mode, but things can get hectic at times, so I think it could prove to be a bit much for some players. If you want to get the best ending though, you’ll have to successfully complete these missions.

In fact, in order to get the best ending, you’ll have to do a lot of things. There are many moments in the game when the path forward is determined by player choice, which means that you’ll have a story with plenty of branching paths. That’s a pretty ambitious for a single-player FPS campaign, and there might even be a few forks in the road that have you hesitant to make a decision. Black Ops II features a total of three different endings, and I was actually surprised by how many variables there were when it came to which ending you see when you beat the game. At least one of those endings seems to leave the door open for a direct sequel, so don’t be surprised if we see a Black Ops III by this time in 2014.

The campaign is decent, but it isn’t going to win any awards. The character models are all pretty solid, though they do have a tendency to look a little wooden and the lip syncing isn’t the best. The environments can range from drab to beautiful, but more often than not the environments impress. There are some issues with textures, though, especially when you get up-close, so the engine that has been in use for years now is showing its age. There seem to be a few lingering bugs that need to be squashed too – for instance, I encountered a few NPCs that appeared to be glitching out and broken, and one instance where the game didn’t allow me to progress. It was at the very end of the game, leaving me with no way to advance or go back until I opened the menu, selected “restart mission,” decided I didn’t want to do that, and went back to the game. When I closed the menu, the way forward magically opened, letting me continue onto the end of the game. It isn’t the biggest problem in the world, but it sure was annoying at the time.

The campaign certainly makes some missteps, but that’s not the main feature of Black Ops II. Multiplayer is where it’s at for most, and that’s the mode that Treyarch really honed in on. Regular old multiplayer is getting a new feature in the way of the Pick 10 system, granting the player 10 points with which to build a load out. This, along with the Wildcard system, allows for a lot of customization between load outs, so you shouldn’t have a problem building one that is tailored to your play style.

Everyone else will have that same edge too, so mulitplayer battles are always pretty intense. There’s something to be said for Call of Duty’s fast-paced gameplay where you can be dead in a second and kill even quicker, and in that respect, the multiplayer mode soars. The matches keep you on your toes, and that’s helped along by the quality of the maps. The maps give players plenty of little nooks and rooms to explore, making for an exciting experience where you never really know what’s waiting for you beyond the bend. I didn’t encounter a map that I didn’t like, though there are some that are clear favorites among the Call of Duty community. These ones are where the most intense battles go down, since each player is familiar with the map and won’t hesitate to use that knowledge to get a leg up on the competition.

Of course, you’re also gaining XP and increasing your rank along the way, unlocking a ton of new items as you do. There’s certainly enough unlockable content to keep you interested in playing and leveling up, which is where I think a game like Black Ops II has an advantage over something like Halo 4. In Halo 4, the number of new items you can unlock as you progress through the game feels a little limited, whereas there are plenty of new weapons and gear to unlock in Black Ops II. Not only do you get new stuff for leveling up yourself, but you’ll also unlock new attachments for individual weapons as you level those up too. It’s a great system, and it’s there for no other reason than to keep players addicted.

At the end of all, it seems pretty safe to say that if you like the multiplayer modes in other Call of Duty games, you’ll probably like this one just as much. You might even like it more, given that the Pick 10 and Wildcard systems add a very fun aspect to building a load out. Given that I was playing this during launch week, I ran into a few server problems, but those were surprisingly few and far between – I was only booted from a game once (though that may have been my fault) and for the most part, finding a match was pretty quick, even when I had my search settings set to “Best Connection.” Make no mistake, we’ll probably see Black Ops II dominating player number charts for months to come thanks to its addictive multiplayer mode that gamers will feel compelled to play.

Black Ops II‘s regular multiplayer mode might just end up taking a backseat to Zombies, however. After years and years of nothing but zombies, I feel pretty comfortable saying that I’m sick of fighting them. At least that’s what I thought before I checked out Zombies in Black Ops II. Zombies, as many of you already know, is a pretty straight forward mode: kill zombies, rack up points, unlock better guns to use, and see how many increasingly difficult waves you and your team mates can survive. In the beginning, you’ll be tricked into thinking that you’ve got everything under control, but once the zombies start coming in a seemingly endless stream, your cool and collected demeanor will rapidly devolve into a state of blubbering panic.

That’s what makes it so damn fun, and the urge to see if you can both make it further and beat your personal best scores will keep you playing Zombies over and over again. I think that Zombies might just be my favorite mode in Black Ops II, which is saying a lot when you consider how good regular multiplayer is.

Zombies mode is not flawless, however. Two new game modes are joining Survival in Black Ops II: Grief and Tranzit. In Grief, your team goes up against another team of four in a battle for survival, but you’re not allowed to actually harm the players on the other team. There are, however, plenty of ways to annoy players on the other team and make the task of killing zombies and staying alive a lot more difficult, hence the name. I like the idea behind Grief, but I’m not sure I like it more than regular Survival. It’s a mode that will need to be expanded upon in future releases (or with content patches) – I look forward to seeing what Treyarch does with Grief in the future, but for now, I think the majority of my Zombies playing will be in Survival mode.

Next we have Tranzit, which is an interesting new mode that’s best described as Survival mode in motion. Players will use a bus to go from hub to hub, fighting off zombie attacks while both stationary and in transit. There are items to collect and a crafting system to use, but if you didn’t know this going in, you’d assume that it’s just Survival mode on a larger scale. Tranzit is a lot like Grief in that I like the underlying idea, but Tranzit just kind of throws you in without indicating what it is you should be doing. Some of the waves you’ll encounter are already pretty vicious, which can make item collecting nigh-on impossible when things start to get really hairy and team mates start going down. It’s definitely an interesting take on Zombies mode, but sometimes Tranzit is guilty of piling on without making objectives clear. That’s bound to be a barrier for some players, which is unfortunate since Tranzit shows a lot of promise despite the fact that it’s a little rough around the edges at the moment.

Wrap-Up

Black Ops II is another solid entry in the Call of Duty series, but if you’ve not been tempted by the franchise before, this probably isn’t going to change anything. On the other hand, if you feel that the series has gotten a little stale in recent years, picking this up may not be a bad idea. Black Ops II is careful not to step too far outside familiar bounds, but there are some new features that make this entry worth checking out.

Of course, if you’re already a Call of Duty fan, you’ll almost certainly love Black Ops II. The campaign is a little weird in that it’s absolutely ridiculous, but there are some sequences that make the story worth playing through. Additionally, it’s one of the only FPS campaigns in recent memory that encourages multiple playthroughs, even if some of the choices feel a little shallow. Strike Force missionsares an excellent way to break things up, and hopefully the folks at both Treyarch and Infinity Ward will try to expand on this further in future games.

Finally, multiplayer is another winner with great maps, a great mechanic in the Pick 10 system, and fast-paced gameplay that will get your blood pumping. As far as I’m concerned, Survival matches in Zombies are excellent, though Grief and Tranzit mode could have both used some more time to simmer. At the end of everything, though, you have to give Treyarch some points for taking risks in a series that’s known for sticking to what works. Some of these risks don’t play out as well as Treyarch probably envisioned, but each one lays down a springboard that could ultimately make future installments better.

So no, Black Ops II is not a masterpiece. It isn’t the best FPS ever, and I doubt it will even be considered the best Call of Duty game. It’s too early to tell, but Black Ops II may just lead to some actual innovation within the series, and that alone is worth celebrating. If nothing else, it’s a very fun ride, so if you’re a fan of first person shooters, I have no problem recommending that you make space on your shelf for Black Ops II.

As expected, Activision claims that the game’s success is due to its unique gameplay and new takes on a popular gaming genre. And as expected, the millions around the globe that have flocked to game stores have helped the game publisher celebrate.

But those who have actually played the game, as I have, know that something needs to change. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is more of the same. It’s as if Activision has found a way to repackage the same old game, and make customers think each year that the latest offering is so much greater. In reality, it’s a stale franchise operating in an increasingly stale genre.

After breaking Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 out of the box, you quickly realize just how stale the franchise is. We’re presented with familiar characters and tossed into a major battle to get things going. After playing through that level, you’re then thrown into a jungle. The first setpiece battle looks huge and daunting and includes nonstop firing. The jungle level leaves you breathless as you run through the jungle to get away from an advancing force.

Although the setting is different and the name on the game disc is changed, doesn’t that sound like much of what you’ve already done in a Call of Duty game? It’s as if Activision has a big board at headquarters and on that, says that each title must have a few huge battles, a couple sniper levels, and nonstop action. After all, it’s a model that, judging by sales, continues to work exceedingly well.

But I’ve had enough. The Call of Duty franchise has become one big, repurposed offering that gets customers to pay too much for what is essentially a bunch of new maps launched annually in November. Sure, there’s a bit of a storyline and the updates to online gaming are nice enough, but are they enough to justify calling the game an entirely new entry into the franchise? As far as I’m concerned, it’s just more of the same.

Where is the innovation? There was a time when the Call of Duty franchise represented all that was great about first-person shooters. Now, it has become what’s wrong with the genre. Each year, we see barely updated games packaged as new titles. And each year, customers flock to stores thinking the new games will deliver as much fun as those before it. In some cases, they might. In others, they might not. But if anything is certain, it’s that customers hoping to get something new and fresh won’t find it.

So, forget about the sales. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is the same old take on the same old formula in a $60 package.

It’s just too bad that we’ll continue to get such games as long as so many people buy each new title. After all, why should Activision try to fix something that, judging by sales, isn’t broken?

Not content with whispers of just one 1080p smartphone, the rumor mill churned out another concerning a 1080p device from LG, while today’s the day that the iPad mini LTE and 4th gen iPad went up for sale at AT&T and Verizon stores. We heard the good news that AT&T is hitting 4G LTE roll out milestones ahead of schedule, and Apple has been granted a rather controversial patent for page-tuning animation. The crew for the next Star Wars movie is beginning to assemble, while LucasFilm said that it will begin putting out 2-3 movies a year after the release of Episode VII.

We had a lot of video game news today, with Activision announcing that Black Ops II pulled in $500 million in sales on launch day, and Sony announcing that the PS3 has hit 70 million sales worldwide. Nintendo said it won’t have Nintendo TVii ready to go by the time the Wii U launches this weekend, and Hulu launched a brand new Games Hub which users can visit to check out new video game trailers. Nintendo launched a new Pokedex app on the Japanese iOS App Store today, while Microsoft and Sony both revealed the deals they have in store for Black Friday.

We found out that a poll which claimed lagging consumer interest in Windows 8 may not be entirely trustworthy, and a new Apple HDTV product was tipped for an incoming reveal. The Google Maps app for iOS is nearing the finishing touches stage of development according to a source close to the project, while Justin Timberlake showed off the new MySpace today. Apple is killing off the Messages beta for Lion users next month, and finally tonight, scientists have discovered that human ancestors were using spears as far back as 500,000 years ago. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the weekend folks!

The franchise’s previous record was when Modern Warfare 3 made $400 million in sales last year, which equates to 6.5 million copies sold in the US and UK. We weren’t given an exact figure as far as how many copies of Black Ops II were sold on the first day, but it’s obviously a lot more than 6.5 million.

Black Ops II moved 1 million copies at GameStop on the first day alone, while Amazon noted that the game became the site’s most pre-ordered game ever. Activision will no doubt announce the game’s five-day sales numbers, since it did the same with Modern Warfare 3 last year, which scrounged up $775 million in sales in the first five days.

Based on last year’s figures, we can only assume that Black Ops II will see an even bigger five-day sales number, which could possibly reach the $1 billion mark (yes, with a “B”). This launch marks the fourth consecutive year in which a Call of Duty game has eclipsed all previous entertainment launches of that particular year.

The new Call of Duty title went on sale at midnight on Tuesday morning, and it was reported that GameStop locations all over the country were seeing long lines hours before the launch. According to a statement made by Activision, Black Ops II “shattered pre-order records” that were set last year by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

According to Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson, retailers may sell between 6.5 million and 7.2 million copies in the US and UK in the first 24 hours, and the first 24 hours of sales for a new video game typically equate to 25% to 35% of the total sales through December, according to Olson. Amazon tweeted a couple days ago that Black Ops II has become the online retailer’s most pre-ordered game ever.

Last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sales hit 6.5 million units in the US and UK in the first 24 hours of release, which equated to a cool $400 million in just a single day. The game went on to earn $775 million in five days. How well will Black Ops II sell? Most likely even better than Modern Warfare 3.

[via Bloomberg]

Specifically, it seems that disc 2 in some copies of Black Ops II actually house install data for Mass Effect 2. Luckily, physical copies of the PC version come with Steam codes, so those who ended up buying half of one game and half of another can redeem the codes and download a complete copy of Black Ops II. This is clearly a mistake in the manufacturing process, with someone labeling Mass Effect 2 discs as Black Ops II discs instead.

Of course, Mass Effect and Call of Duty have nothing to do with one another and are made by entirely different developers and publishers. Mass Effect is an Electronic Arts series while Call of Duty is an Activision series, and many of you know that Activision and EA have a rivalry that goes back years. Aside for the annoyance this is bound to cause PC players who opted for a physical copy of the game, the whole situation is quite funny. Check out the video below for evidence of the mixed up discs, but be warned that it contains some salty language.

At the moment, neither Activision nor Electronic Arts have commented on the mix up, though we’re pretty sure they’re just as confused as all the rest of us. In any case, if you were planning to pick up a physical copy of Black Ops II on PC today, it might be a better idea just to skip it and go through Steam since there’s a chance you’ll end up there anyway. Have any of you PC players found a Mass Effect 2 disc masquerading as Black Ops II, or was your copy good to go?

[via Joystiq]

On its own, Heart of the Swarm will cost $39.99 and will be available physically at brick and mortar stores as well as digitally over on Battle.net. If you’re new to the world of StarCraft II, you’ll be able to pre-order a bundle that packs Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm together for $60. Players who pre-order this bundle (pre-orders open up today, by the way) will have immediate access to their copy of Wings of Liberty.

There are also a couple collector’s editions for Heart of the Swarm. The first is the Digital Deluxe Edition, which as you may have guessed is only available digitally. This comes with Heart of the Swarm (naturally), a Torrasque skin for Zerg Ultralisks, special StarCraft II portraits and decals for your Battle.net account, a Baneling companion pet for World of Warcraft, and finally, wearable bladewings and a banner sigil for use in Diablo III.

The physical Heart of the Swarm Collector’s Edition features all of the digital goodies found in the Digital Deluxe Edition, along with a behind-the-scenes DVD/Blu-Ray, a copy of the Heart of the Swarm soundtrack, the compulsory art book, and a Zerg Rush mouse pad. The Digital Deluxe Edition will cost $59.99, while the full blow Collector’s Edition will set you back $79.99. Are you ready for some more StarCraft II action?

The Call of Duty series has been a huge hit ever since the original title was released back in 2003. Last year’s installment, Modern Warfare 3, saw $400 million in sales just on the first day alone, selling 6.5 million copies in North America and the UK. The first Black Ops title garnered $360 million in sales, while the previous title, Modern Warfare 2, earned $310 million.

Obviously, there’s an upward trend happening, and if history is any indication, Black Ops II will most likely shoot past $400 million within the first 24 hours of availability. People were lined up at GameStop hours before the game’s release at midnight, and IGN even conducted a poll that found that 26% of gamers planned on skipping work or school to play the new game.

Of course, any diehard Call of Duty fan has played hooky at least once during a launch day (myself included, back in the day), but 26% is a fairly high number today, especially for a game series that has seen a yearly launch for the past six years or so, proving that the series hasn’t died down just yet.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops II DLC Season Pass costs $49.99 and gives you access to all four map packs that will release throughout all next year. By purchasing a Season Pass, you’ll now be able to grab the Nuketown Zombies map for free starting in December for the Xbox 360, with PC and PlayStation 3 gamers getting the map at a later date.

Previously, the only way to get the Nuketown Zombies content was to pre-order one of the three special editions of Black Ops II, which consists of the Hardened Edition ($79.99), the Care Package Edition ($179.99), or the PC-only Digital Deluxe Edition ($79.99). Gamers who pre-ordered the regular edition weren’t eligible. Those who pre-ordered one of these special editions will be able to enjoy the Nuketown Zombies map on launch day.

According to the email, the companies decided to offer the Nuketown Zombies map “in response to the overwhelming amount of enthusiasm demonstrated by the Call of Duty community over Treyarch’s Zombies mode.” To coincide with the announcement, Activision released a screenshot from the Nuketown Zombies map (pictured above).

The folks at Treyarch and Activision have released a teaser trailer for this new season of Call of Duty Elite TV, though it doesn’t part with too many details. We’re told that Call of Duty Elite TV will give you information about maps and loadouts, divulge tips that come straight from the developers, and show off “epic community clips.” Call of Duty Elite TV will also be on “more platforms than ever,” including smartphones and tablets.

The best part is that Call of Duty Elite, and by extension Call of Duty Elite TV, will be available for free with Black Ops II. That means no more subscription fees, just all the information a Call of Duty die-hard could ever want. We have a feeling that this will make Black Ops II even harder to put down for some, but then again, we’re also pretty sure that’s precisely what Activision wants. Check out the teaser below.

Black Ops II is primed to be the biggest game of the year, though it has some stiff competition from the likes of Halo 4 and Assassin’s Creed III. It’s been a big couple of weeks for gaming already, and it’s going to get even bigger with next week’s launch of Black Ops II. Are you picking it up on launch day?

We had a couple of quarterly reports land this afternoon, with both Activision and Qualcomm looking great as they charge into Q4 2012. Apple executive Eddy Cue has joined Ferrari’s board of directors, while AT&T is putting up a whopping $14 billion to boost its LTE and U-Verse services. There were rumors of an iPad Mini 2 with Retina Display floating around today, and ZTE was spotted teasing a new Windows Phone 8 device with a massive 5.9-inch screen.

Gearbox has squashed a nasty exploit in Borderlands 2 with a new patch, and we learned that Kim Dotcom’s new website has been killed before it even got off the ground. AT&T has revealed off-contract pricing for the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820, and Time Warner Cable is trying to lure new customers in by giving away free Xbox 360s. We got to see Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unbox the Wii U, found out which features will be on the Wii U from launch day, and were even told that the Wii U will allow for 12 user accounts per console.

Verizon is waiving voice and text fees for those who were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, and Microsoft has released its SkyDrive app for Windows Phone 8. A new Sandvine report gives us an idea of just how popular Netflix is in North America, and Yahoo has hired a former National Geographic photographer to head up Flickr. A*STAR has revealed a new hybrid disk drive that’s only 5mm-thick, and DC Comics are now available digitally through iOS, Kindle, and NOOK devices.

Finally tonight, Don Reisinger asks if Apple actually helps its competitors, we take a closer look at Qualcomm Halo, and Chris Davis gives us his review of the Phillips hue lightbulb. That does it for tonight’s edition of the Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night everyone!

Its earnings per share for the quarter also grew year-over-year and topped projections. The company is reporting a GAAP earnings per share of $0.20, rising $0.07 from the year prior and beating projections by a healthy $0.14. Non-GAAP net revenue came in at $751 million for the quarter, while non-GAAP earnings per share is at $0.15. Since the company performed better than expected in Q3, it has revised its forecast for the full year, now expecting GAAP net revenue to come in at $4.57 billion as compared to a previous projection of $4.33 billion.

In the earnings call to accompany this report, Blizzard‘s Mike Morhaime announced that the studio is planning an expansion to Diablo III, though didn’t give any other details on it. We also heard the unfortunate news that StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm won’t make a 2012 release, though that was pretty easy to figure out considering that it’s now November. Now Blizzard is shooting for a first-half 2013 release date for Heart of the Swarm, though it wouldn’t out an specific release date.

Now Activision is in its Q4, which will definitely be bigger than the quarters before it thanks to next week’s release of Black Ops II and the fact that the holiday shopping season will shortly be in full swing. Make no mistake, Black Ops II is going to make Activision a lot of money in Q4, as will Skylanders Giants. We’ll be watching for Activision’s next round of financials at the end of Q4, so keep it tuned here to SlashGear for more.

An impressive feat to be sure, especially when you consider that Halo 4 releases tomorrow and was leaked a month ago. Treyarch game design director David Vonderhaar mentioned the leak on Twitter, and didn’t seem too upset over the idea that the game had leaked, instead taking a shot at the people streaming gameplay videos. “If you are going to live-stream the game early, which I don’t remotely recommend, you could at least be good at it. :P,” he said, followed by, “I’m really glad people are excited for the game. Legit streams coming up later this week and early next. Watch this space.”

Eurogamer tracked down one of these videos, which shows off the game’s new zombie mode. We’ve posted it below as well, but be warned: you probably shouldn’t click the play button on that video if you don’t want things spoiled ahead of release. If you’re finding it hard to resist the temptation, just remember that there’s only a week left to go before legitimate copies of Black Ops II are available for everyone to play.

Truth be told, we’re not surprised that Black Ops II became the victim of a leak before its release, but we are surprised that Activision managed to keep it from leaking for this long. Then again, it could be that Activision was the one that leaked it in the first place, attempting to hype the game even more before it launches on November 13. Since Activision apparently doesn’t want to talk about the leak, it looks like we’ll just have to settle for conspiracy theories instead. Who’s picking up Black Ops II on launch day?