2009 drew to a close with the first ever console hardware launch not to support physical media – the PSPgo. Meanwhile, outlets who rely on physical media raged an astonishing price war that saw Tesco slash EA’s FIFA 10 to an incredible £24.97.
The quarter also bought ominous news for those with a penchant for BitTorrenting whilst Nintendo shocked us all with the reveal of yet another DS redesign – the DSi XL.
The real news though surely was the record-breaking, media-grabbing, awe-defying success that was Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which has broken nearly every retail record there is. What better way could there be to round off 2009?
OCTOBER
The digital revolution gets whole lot ‘realer’ with the arrival of Sony’s UMD-less PSPgo with 20 full games ready to download
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One of the most brutal price wars in recent times kicks off with Tesco slashing FIFA 10 to an astonishing £24.97
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“Digital distribution will outstrip retail 'within three years” – some headlines speak for themselves
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Another UK publisher falls by the wayside as the sad news of Oxygen’s closure is confirmed
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One of the worst pieces of tabloid games reporting ever comes courtesy of The Daily Star
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Who needs the Master Chief? Halo’s first Chief-less outing passes the 2.5m unit sales mark
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Following the triumph that was GamesWipe, MCV grabs a world exclusive interview with the man himself – Charlie Brooker
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Having remained whiter than white since its UK launch, decreasing sales of the Wii pave the way to a brand new black SKU for the motion sensing console
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Where France leads the UK looks set to follow with the public backing of a ‘three-strikes’ internet piracy ruling from popular Labour Lord Peter Mandelson
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In a genuinely surprising hardware announcement, Nintendo confirms yet another iteration of the DS – the DSi LL, or DSi XL as it will be known outside Japan
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Nokia’s long and painful N-gage journey finally reaches its conclusion with news that 2010 will bring an end to the mobile games service
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NOVEMBER
Infinity Ward claims that it turned down Activision’s ‘ludicrous’ budget proposals for the development of Modern Warfare 2
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The tough times continue at THQ with a Q2 annual sales slump of 40 per cent
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Trilogy and The Producers team up to form a UK ‘super-distributor’
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The Hut delights its customers and infuriates those who chose to buy from its competitors by sending out pre-ordered copies of Modern Warfare 2 nearly a week early
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We were worried that The Daily Mail would miss the chance to jump on the Modern Warfare 2 bandwagon with an ill-informed and negative video games story – thankfully it delivered as promised
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MCV breaks the exclusive that the next Medal of Honor will, much like Modern Warfare, be set in the present day
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The first record to be tumbled by Modern Warfare 2 is the UK day one sales record, with 1.23m copies shifted in the first 24 hours
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Modern Warfare 2 makes an astronomical $310m in its first day of sale in North America and the UK
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The week one sales record is next as Modern Warfare 2 sells 1.7m copies in its first five days in the UK
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Remember that UK super-distributor’? Well forget it. Talk of money problems at Trilogy lead to The Producers withdrawing from the deal
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The DSi LL arrives in Japan, selling over 100k units in its first week
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The news that rocked the decade! Well, it was interesting for a few minutes – X Factor’s odd double act Jedward were once game testers for Microsoft
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DECEMBER
Gaming’s in the headlines again as Modern Warfare 2 is named as a key reason for the split between Scottish tennis ace Andy Murray and girlfriend Kim Sears
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UK distributor Trilogy falls into administration having failed to recover from the loss of partner Midway
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One of the modern era’s most successful brands reaches a new milestone as Sony’s SingStar passes the 20m units sold mark
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40 jobs are thankfully saved as leading UK distributor GEM swoops for Trilogy’s assets
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Nintendo for the first time openly admits that infallible Rockstar IP Grand Theft Auto simply isn’t delivering on DS
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Warner once again signifies its gaming intentions with news that it will be handling publishing duties for Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 – the first game was an Eidos title
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EA’s Western world publishing boss Gerhard Florin announces that he is to leave the publisher after 15 years
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