Bungie deal wont offset Infinity Ward ills

It’s a solid business deal with one of the most reputable developers in the industry, but the announcement of Activision and Bungie’s ten-year agreement is (almost) as much about PR as it is about profits.

Nonetheless, analyst Michael Pachter doesn’t believe the news is enough to completely counter the negative press garnered from Activision’s legal spat with Infinity Ward.

I’m not sure that this will fully offset the negative investor reaction to the ongoing Infinity Ward soap opera,” Pachter told Gamasutra.

But at least it shows that Activision can deal with world class developers, and I actually thought that the Bungie guys sounded quite happy with their deal and with their relationship.”

Nonetheless, Pachter doesn’t think that, in straight retail terms, Activision’s new business interest will have any negative impact on the Call of Duty brand.

The majority of the 20m people who bought Call of Duty have no idea who Infinity Ward is. The next instalment probably won’t sell 20m copies, but it will sell at least half that.”