Gears 2 preorders top original's
By
Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor
Xbox 360 shooter on pace to shatter predecessor's sales figures; Microsoft expects 20,000 stores to have midnight launches for sequel.
In a GameSpot interview published last week, Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski said, "If [Gears of War 2] comes out and sells like hotcakes and has great reviews, then we'll consider doing another one."
It appears as if the sales part of that equation will be fulfilled--and then some. This week, Microsoft confirmed that preorders for Gears of War 2 have surpassed those of the original Gears of War. The gap between the two games' presale figures will only grow, given that the sequel still has more than three weeks left before its scheduled November 7 launch in the US.
Although Microsoft would not specify preorder numbers, at the time of Gears of War's release, GameStop called it the second-most preordered Xbox game of all time, behind only Halo 2. The original Epic shooter also topped 1 million sales within its first two weeks on shelves. The industry-tracking NPD Group has the Xbox 360 game selling nearly 2.9 million at US retailers to date, whereas Bleszinski said it has sold more than 5 million in total.
With even more people putting down money early to get their hands on the sequel, Microsoft is readying an array of promotions to mark the Gears of War 2 launch. According to the publisher, more than 20,000 retailers will put the game on sale at 12:01 a.m. as part of a Midnight Madness promotion. Gamers who stop by to pick up their copies of Gears of War 2 at the earliest possible time will receive a code to download a gold-plated Hammerburst Assault Rifle that can be used in multiplayer matches.
In addition, Microsoft is planning a "Game with Fame" weekend on Xbox Live for the Nov. 7-10 launch weekend. During the event, Gears of Wars 2 developers will wade into the online carnage as players attempt to win prizes. Xbox Live Silver account members who don't want to be left out of the fun will be able to join in using a 48-hour subscription code included with every copy of the game.
For more on Gears of War 2, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
By
Brendan Sinclair, Senior Editor
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
250 comments
Ive already reserved my limited edition copy. Ill get the gold plated lancer, but if the gamestop that i reserved it is having a midnight madness promo , then i may get the gold plated hammerbusrt too!. cant wait!!!!!
I was not a gears fan but a friend loaned me GOW1 and I was hooked...I pre-Ordered 2 as soon as possible...I had so much fun, luv the 3rd person game play and expecting GOW2 to be even better than one...cya on the battlefield......
hmmm... picking up a new console soon for the season.. and decided on 360 because of price and amazing games selection. $299 w/ 2 free games (holiday bundle)for the Kids and Gears 2 & fable for me.. PS3 $399 (no games included) = Only Little big planet interest me(hmm dats it, since all the exclusive 360 will be gettin as well) easy choice.. GEARS 2 :-)
Aright Everyone....listen 2 me cuz im only gonna say this once; BUY GEARS OF WAR 2...NO MATTER WAT DA PRICE, OR WAT IT WILL DO 2 U, BUY DA GAME, & IF IT MAKES TOP SALES, IN ABOUT 3 YRS, OR SO A THIRD PART WILL B ADDED. "SWEET"!
yeah really, i got halo 3 and didnt even play a second of halo 2. So if people who hevent played gears of war get gears of war 2, why would that really bbe a problem?
Gears 2 will definatly meet, if not beat Halo 3 in sales. The only games that I think will beat it are Metal Gear Solid 4 And GTA 4
It's going to be awesome. Microsoft is going to market this game to death in the next week or so. It's definitely going to sell well over 4 million copies worldwide. Don't know if it'll make it to the 8 million+ that Halo 3 has sold.
I loved the first game - have the second pre-ordered...hated the multiplayer. Hated it. To me it was like the a frag version of basketball. 30 seconds - match over. 42 seconds - Score, match over. 36 seconds - everyone run to the center - match over. Ugh! Give me Call of Duty any day. I don't have ADD, I don't mind taking a little time with an online match.
"And am glad the online community will have at least one less moron in it." Thanks, I'm glad not to be a part of Gears online community...everybody wins :D
it only makes sense the 2nd will have a bigger pre-order number because people who bought the 1st one told other people how brilliant it is, so now everyone is buying the 2nd one!! :D and i cant count how many times i have completed the SP on GoW, and i still play multiplayer to this day. its the simplicity that is addictive and the visual style still seems fresh.
Good to hear but its not really news. Gears 1 LOOKED good, but we never played anything like that before. Now we know its real good, so of course Gears 2 will top the original :P
Yeah-heh! just what I love to see! A char-white guy beating down a bl..... "Different" dude! kekekekekekekeke
This just in: you need air to breath! c'mon gspot this aint news. thats like saying halo 3 preorders out selling part 2 would be a shock.
As a PC AND console gamer, it would really upset me that GoW2 isn't coming to PC if it weren't for the fantastic line-up of games already coming to the platform in the next year. I can't find time to play them all as it is, so whatever. Maybe I'll play this on the 360 and maybe I won't.
muppen Posted Oct 16, 2008 10:45 am PT (hide) Run, duck, shoot...repeat...boring...overrated ----------------------- You know you can sum up any game with a few adjectives. Mario= run, jump, save princes, repeat, boring. Or Metal Gear Solid= run, hide, sneak, kill, repeat, boring. Or lets say you "Muppen= lame, pre-pubescent, troll, newbie, repeat, boring. So thanks Muppen for that insight into what we gears players will be doing when we purchase our copies. I hope to be doing many and i do mean MANY a' run, duck, hide, shoot, etc. And am glad the online community will have at least one less moron in it. ;)
Nobody cares ace the ace. You act like Gamestop is the meccha in all things video games, but I'm pretty sure publications and the people who actually make the games themselves are....If Epic says theirs a skin, then theirs a skin, and you crummy store was ill notified b/c my gamestop has the code. So much for being the first in district, cuz your the last to know hahahahaha
"ungodlyabyss Hopefully its longer than the first one. 60 bucks for six hours of gameplay is a huge rip off." LOL, well i also completed the SP game in a few hours but still play MP even now (2 years later), so stop yer damn whining!! Longevity is in the MP component!
Well, nothing surprising considering that now much more people own a 360 than in 2008/2009 and that they have sepnt hundreds of thousands of $ advertising this game.
Cant wait skiping school that friday and playing all weekend with my budys. Playing Gears and getting hig- what more would you want to do lol.
And what's this about a gold plated gun? I have not heard anything about a code to get it at GameStop execpt for the limited edition which gets the gold Lancer.
The GameStop I work at has almost hit the 200 mark already in pre-orders. Of course, we are number one in our district and the district average for pre-orders is about 65.
Hopefully its longer than the first one. 60 bucks for six hours of gameplay is a huge rip off.
Amazon did a special on the LE a few months ago, so I guess I am waiting by the mail. Hopefully, it ships to me on release date (I did request the option).
FOR THOSE WHO DONT KNOW GEARS2 IS 360 ONLY, NO PC NO PC NO PC NO PC. I dont know why they wouldnt since the code implementation is easy as heck with the XNA 2.0 framework.
I have yet to play the first. My 360 is not for exclusives only but games i cant live without. I'll own both eventually esp when the originals price goes down :) but Mr. Sinclair your article is worthless..Of course the second is going to superceed the first..Same will apply to resistance I bet!
Conversation powered by Livefyre
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Biden: No legal problem with taxing violent games
United States Vice President Joe Biden believes there is no legal restriction on ability to tax violent media. Full Story
- Posted May 13, 2013 8:50 pm GMT
-
Just Cause dev promises 'holy f**king sh**' moments in future games
Avalanche Studios co-founder says developer's ambition is for action, not moments that make players cry; steampunk-style game on hold. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 2:33 pm GMT
Featured Stories
-
Bungie shoots down Destiny for PS Vita rumor
Developer confirms image suggesting version of upcoming shared-world shooter in development for Sony's latest portable is a fake. Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 1:08 pm GMT
-
Ubisoft planning to release games more frequently
Assassin's Creed and Far Cry publisher says its network of 26 studios and over 7,000 developers will allow company to ship major franchises more regularly. Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 12:42 pm GMT
-
Metro: Last Light dev responds to workplace conditions claims
4A Games creative director Andrew Prokhorov thanks Jason Rubin for telling the studio's story, but says, "We deserve the ratings we get." Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 8:44 pm GMT
-
EA opens DICE LA to make Star Wars games
DICE head would also like to poach top talent from rivals Infinity Ward and Treyarch. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 11:28 am GMT
-
EA dropping Online Passes - Report
Future EA games won't require Online Passes; the service is being scrapped after tepid player response. Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 4:28 am GMT
Submit News
Related Game
Gears of War 2
Not Following
- Publisher(s): Microsoft Game Studios
- Developer(s): Epic Games
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- PEGI: 18+
Related Games
Recent News
-
Microsoft clarifies Xbox One used game stance
Xbox maker acknowledges "confusion" exists around secondhand games for next-gen platform, doesn't deny fee will be required to play secondhand titles.
