Operation Flashpoint tops 3.5m sales

Codemasters’ shooter series Operation Flashpoint has sold 3.5m units globally.

The news comes ahead of the release of the latest instalment in the series, Red River, which arrives on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on Thursday, April 21st. It follows in the footsteps of 2009’s Dragon Rising, which is the most successful game in the series so far.

The franchise has shifted more than 3.5m units over various titles, and when you consider that until Dragon Rising, Operation Flashpoint was almost exclusively on PC, the numbers are impressive,” said Codemasters brand manager Dan Robinson.

Dragon Rising really opened the eyes of console gamers as to what a shooter can be – tactical, authentic, and challenging.”

Operation Flashpoint: Red River is also backed by a TV and cinema spot produced by Susanna White, director of military TV series Generation Kill and the recent Royal Marines TV advertisements.

There will also be TV ads on C4, Sky Sports, Sky Atlantic, MTV, Dave, as well as print advertisements running in the national and specialist gaming press. Online ads will run ahead of the game’s release.

Robinson added: Susanna bought into where we’re going with Red River and has done some great work.

The ad really plays on the themes of forming a fireteam with different skills and taking on one of the world’s fiercest military superpowers. It blends the real world with the Flashpoint world to tell a story and surprise people.

The campaign really emphasises the core USPs and makes Flashpoint stand out from the crowd.”