So I got up the other morning and started enjoying my first cup of coffee of the day while I check the internets and I came across one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard in my life.
It came from a quote from Eric Hirshberg, the new CEO of Activision, who is the publisher the Call of Duty games.
Are you ready for it?
You have to be sure, because it made me really mad.
“The Call of Duty franchise is a force of nature. I think it is the closest thing this generation has to a Star Wars,” he said. “I think it’s unique and bigger than any musical act or any movie franchise in that capacity.”
I get it, he likes the games his company puts out, but strong>Star Wars? Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon that is so big, people still pretend they are Jedi’s 30-plus years later. Jedi’s didn’t even exist before the movies, did soldiers and war? Sure did. Nothing new was created. I’m sorry, but kids are not going to pretend to be the main character from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Halloween in the year 2040. Time for a reality check. Sure the Call of Duty franchise has made lots of money, however Star Wars it is not. It doesn’t even have Ewoks.
[Source: IGN]
So I got up the other morning and started enjoying my first cup of coffee of the day while I check the internets and I came across one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard in my life.
You’re absolutely right. What a joke. Love it or hate it, NOTHING has come close to the cultural impact for Star Wars. Not yet.
Comment by Jeff Brunner — July 22, 2010 @ 10:30 am
Star wars is so big it has spawned a religion. Nuff said.
Comment by scrotumbagmonkeyflicker — July 22, 2010 @ 10:41 am
There’s nothing innovative about the achievements in Call of Duty, some people complained to the Call of Duty online is that it is so fast paced, people who prefer to be a sniper in a position of serious disadvantage. For new players for Call of Duty Decoding all the sayings and idioms using the player can be a difficult process.
This will not be as strong as StarWars character – and not well matched.
Comment by Anes — July 22, 2010 @ 11:44 am
The other flaw in the argument is that Star Wars is accessible to essentially “everyone” while CoD is not. Call of Duty requires a platform to play video games, decent internet & an interest in FPS. Star Wars is also a “timeless” tale. The Harry Potter franchise with books, movies, video games, theme park attractions & true multi-generational appeal is a much more likely candidate for this generation’s Star Wars. People are also much more likely to introduce Star Wars &/or Harry Potter to their children as they grow up than Call of Duty.
Comment by LRNs — July 22, 2010 @ 1:10 pm
WTF! Halo is this generation’s Star Wars
Comment by Spartan Omega — July 22, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
I think of Halo as the next star wars franchise. Why: The story is one of the greatest ever told in gaming. It set the stage for Fps’s including COD. Master Chief is one of the biggest icons to date, and don’t forget about how many copies it has sold across all Xbox platforms to date. COD may sell and it’s fun for a few months but Halo has been keeping millions logging on and each Halo has a 3 year lufe span(ODST and Wars don’t really count). To be honest, i think Reach will take back the FPS crown. You’ll see.
Comment by Chris — July 22, 2010 @ 6:26 pm
COD is is a cultural phenomenon for it’s COD jokes.
I don’t think anything can have the kind of impact Star Wars had, because before there was nothing like Star Wars – it started movie merchandising for goodness sakes!
Besides, I think there should be a clear definition between games and movies. Yes, they essentially tell stories and the games industry is as big as the movie industry, but it’s like saying Star Wars had the same kind of cultural impact as the Lord of the Rings books.
Comment by Haldered — July 23, 2010 @ 3:45 am
Star Wars will last much longer than my lifetime. Enough said.
Comment by Kdog — July 26, 2010 @ 10:50 pm