پلی استیشن ۴، شاید روزی دیگر…
شرکت سونی در کنفرانس گزارش مالی خود اذعان کرد که در حال کار بر روی کنسول جانشین پلی استیشن ۳ است. هنگامی که از Masaru Kato مدیر مالی این شرکت در مورد بالا رفتن هزینه بخش تحقیق و توسعه سوال شد او گفت : ” این هزینه مربوط است به تحقیقاتی بر روی یک طرح اولیه مفهومی که در گزارش مالی امسال قید شده است.” او ادامه داد : ” ما امسال قرار است یک NGP وارد بازار کنیم و این هزینه تحقیقاتی مربوط به همین NGP و یک وسیله خانگی دیگر است که الان اسمش را نمی توانم بگویم!!!.” او البته به این موضوع اشاره کرد که عمر پلی استیشن ۳ تمام نشده و این کنسول پتانسیل های کشف نشده بسیاری دارد اما باید به این موضوع اشاره کرد که رقیبان سونی نیز در حال کار بر روی کنسولهای نسل آینده خود هستند. نینتندو قرار است کنسول جدید خود را در E3 امسال رونمای کند و سال ۲۰۱۲ هم وارد بازار کند. مایکروسافت هم ۲ ماه پیش یک آگهی استخدام منتشر کرد که به دنبال متخصصانی از رشته های مختلف میگردد برای ساخت کنسول جنشین ایکس باکس ۳۶۰.
اوپس
یکی بیاد این بالایی رو جم کنه
این چرتا چیه میفرستی
یکی بیاد این بالایی رو جمع کنه
Nintendo Co., Ltd. (任天堂株式会社 Nintendō Kabushiki gaisha?) is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. Nintendo is the world’s largest video game company by revenue.[8] Founded on September 23, 1889[2] by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it originally produced handmade hanafuda playing cards.[9] By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as cab services and love hotels.[10]
Abandoning previous ventures in favor of toys in the 1960s, Nintendo then developed into a video game company in the 1970s, ultimately becoming one of the most influential in the industry and Japan’s third most valuable listed company with a market value of over US$85 billion.[11] Nintendo of America is also the majority owner of the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team.[12]
The name Nintendo can be roughly translated from Japanese to English as “leave luck to heaven.”[13] As of March 31, 2014, Nintendo reports historically cumulative sales of over 670.43 million hardware units and 4.23 billion software units.[4]
Contents
۱ History
۱.۱ ۱۸۸۹–۱۹۵۶: As a card company
۱.۲ ۱۹۵۶–۱۹۷۴: New ventures
۱.۳ ۱۹۷۴–۱۹۷۸: Early electronic era
۱.۴ ۱۹۷۹–۲۰۰۳: Success with video games
۱.۵ ۲۰۰۴–present: A new direction in video games
۲ Products
۲.۱ Home consoles
۲.۲ Handheld consoles
۲.۳ Software
۳ Organization
۳.۱ Marketing
۳.۲ Board of directors
۳.۳ International divisions
۳.۴ Logo
۴ Research & Development
۴.۱ Divisions
۴.۲ Subsidiaries
۴.۳ Partners
۵ Policy
۵.۱ Content guidelines
۵.۲ License guidelines
۵.۳ Emulation
۵.۴ Seal of Quality
۵.۵ Environmental record
۶ See also
۷ Notes
۸ References
۹ External links
History
Main article: History of Nintendo
۱۸۸۹–۱۹۵۶: As a card company
Former headquarters plate, from when Nintendo was solely a playing card company
Nintendo was founded as a card company in late 1889, later (1951) named Nintendo Koppai (Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd.). Based in Kyoto, Japan, the business produced and marketed a playing card game called Hanafuda. The handmade cards soon became popular, and Yamauchi hired assistants to mass-produce cards to satisfy demand. Nintendo now continues to manufacture playing cards in Japan[14] and organizes its own contract bridge tournament called the “Nintendo Cup.”[15]
۱۹۵۶–۱۹۷۴: New ventures
The Love Tester, one of Nintendo’s experimental toys.
In 1956, Hiroshi Yamauchi, grandson of Fusajiro Yamauchi, visited the U.S. to talk with the United States Playing Card Company, the dominant playing card manufacturer there. He found that the world’s biggest company in his business was only using a small office. This was a turning point when Yamauchi realized the limitations of the playing card business. He then gained access to Disney’s characters and put them on the playing cards to drive sales.
In 1963, Yamauchi renamed Nintendo Playing Card Co. Ltd. to Nintendo Co., Ltd.[16] The company then began to experiment in other areas of business using newly injected capital. During this period of time between 1963 and 1968, Nintendo set up a taxi company, a love hotel chain, a TV network, a food company (selling instant rice) and several other ventures.[citation needed] All of these ventures eventually failed, and after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, playing card sales dropped, and Nintendo’s stock price plummeted to ¥۶۰.[citation needed]
In 1966, Nintendo moved into the Japanese toy industry with the Ultra Hand, an extendable arm developed by its maintenance engineer Gunpei Yokoi in his free time. Yokoi was moved from maintenance to the new “Nintendo Games” department as a product developer. Nintendo continued to produce popular toys, including the Ultra Machine, Love Tester and the Kousenjuu series of light gun games. Despite some successful products, Nintendo struggled to meet the fast development and manufacturing turnaround required in the toy market, and fell behind the well-established companies such as Bandai and Tomy.
In 1973, its focus shifted to family entertainment venues with the Laser Clay Shooting System, using the same light gun technology used in Nintendo’s Kousenjuu series of toys, and set up in abandoned bowling alleys. Following some success, Nintendo developed several more light gun machines (such as the light gun shooter game Wild Gunman) for the emerging arcade scene. While the Laser Clay Shooting System ranges had to be shut down following excessive costs, Nintendo had found a new market.
۱۹۷۴–۱۹۷۸: Early electronic era
Nintendo’s first venture into the video gaming industry was securing rights to distribute the Magnavox Odyssey video game console in Japan in 1974. Nintendo began to produce its own hardware in 1977, with the Color TV-Game home video game consoles. Four versions of these consoles were produced, each including variations of a single game (for example, Color TV Game 6 featured six versions of Light Tennis).
A student product developer named Shigeru Miyamoto was hired by Nintendo at this time.[17] He worked for Yokoi, and one of his first tasks was to design the casing for several of the Color TV Game consoles. Miyamoto went on to create, direct and produce some of Nintendo’s most famous video games and become one of the most recognizable figures in the video game industry.[17]
In 1975, Nintendo moved into the video arcade game industry with EVR Race, designed by their first game designer, Genyo Takeda,[18] and several more titles followed. Nintendo had some small success with this venture, but the release of Donkey Kong in 1981, designed by Miyamoto, changed Nintendo’s fortunes dramatically. The success of the game and many licensing opportunities (such as ports on the Atari 2600, Intellivision and ColecoVision) gave Nintendo a huge boost in profit and in addition, the game also introduced an early iteration of Mario, known then as Jumpman, the eventual mascot of the company.
۱۹۷۹–۲۰۰۳: Success with video games
The Game & Watch series was Nintendo’s first worldwide success in video game consoles.
In 1979, Gunpei Yokoi conceived the idea of a handheld video game, while observing a fellow bullet train commuter who passed the time by interacting idly with a portable LCD calculator, which gave birth to Game & Watch.[19] In 1980, Nintendo launched Game & Watch—a handheld video game series developed by Yokoi. These systems do not contain interchangeable cartridges and thus the hardware was tied to the game. The first Game & Watch game released, titled Ball, was distributed worldwide. The modern “cross” D-pad design was developed in 1982 by Yokoi for a Donkey Kong version. Proven to be popular, the design was patented by Nintendo. It later earned a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award.[20][21]
In 1983, Nintendo launched the Family Computer (colloquialized as “Famicom”) home video game console in Japan, alongside ports of its most popular arcade titles. In 1985, a cosmetically reworked version of the system known outside of Japan as the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES, launched in North America. The practice of bundling the system along with select games helped to make Super Mario Bros. one of the best-selling video games in history.[22]
In 1988, Gunpei Yokoi and his team at Nintendo R&D1 conceived the new Game Boy handheld system, with the purpose of merging the two very successful ideas of the Game & Watch’s portability along with the NES’s cartridge interchangeability. Nintendo released the Game Boy in Japan on April 21, 1989, and in North America on July 31, 1989. Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa managed a deal to bundle the popular third party game Tetris along with the Game Boy, and the pair launched as an instant success.
In 1989, Nintendo announced plans to release the successor to the Famicom, the Super Famicom. Based on a 16-bit processor, Nintendo boasted significantly superior hardware specifications of graphics, sound, and game speed over the original 8-bit Famicom. The system was also said to have backwards compatibility with Famicom games, though this feature was ultimately cut upon release. The Super Famicom was finally released relatively late to the market in Japan on November 21, 1990, and released as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (abbreviated to SNES or Super Nintendo) in North America on August 23, 1991 and in Europe in 1992. Its main rival was the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive, known in North America as Sega Genesis, which had been advertised aggressively against the nascent 8-bit NES. A console war between Sega and Nintendo ensued during the early 1990s.[23] From 1990 to 1992, Nintendo opened World of Nintendo shops in the United States where consumers could test and buy Nintendo products.
In August 1993, Nintendo announced the SNES’s successor, code-named Project Reality. Featuring 64-bit graphics, the new system was developed as a joint venture between Nintendo and North-American-based technology company Silicon Graphics. The system was announced to be released by the end of 1995, but was subsequently delayed. Meanwhile, Nintendo continued the Nintendo Entertainment System family with the release of the NES-101, a smaller redesign of the original NES. Nintendo also announced a CD drive peripheral called the SNES-CD, which was co-developed first by Sony with the name “Play Station” and then by Philips. Bearing prototypes and joint announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show, it was on track for a 1994 release, but was controversially cancelled.
During the same year, Nintendo announced that it had sold one billion game cartridges worldwide, one tenth of it being from the Mario franchise. This prompted Nintendo to deem 1994 the “Year of the Cartridge”. To further their support for cartridges, Nintendo announced that Project Reality, which had now been renamed the Ultra 64, would not use a CD format as expected, but would rather use cartridges as its primary media format. Nintendo IRD general manager Genyo Takeda was impressed by video game development company Rare Ltd.’s progress with real-time 3D graphics technology, using state of the art Silicon Graphics workstations. As a result, Nintendo bought a 25% stake in the company, eventually expanding to 49%, and offered their catalogue of characters to create a CGI game around, making Rare a Nintendo’s first western-based second-party developer.[24] Their first game as partners with Nintendo was Donkey Kong Country. The game was a critical success and sold over eight million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling game in the SNES library.[24] In September 1994, Nintendo, along with six other video game giants including Sega, Electronic Arts, Atari, Acclaim, Philips, and 3DO approached the United States Senate and demanded a ratings system for video games to be enforced, with prompted the decision to create the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
Aiming to produce an affordable virtual reality console, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy in 1995, designed by Gunpei Yokoi. The console consists of a head-mounted semi-portable system with one red-colored screen for each of the user’s eyes, featuring stereoscopic graphics. Games are viewed through a binocular eyepiece and controlled using an affixed gamepad. Critics were generally disappointed with the quality of the games and the red-colored graphics, and complained of gameplay-induced headaches.[25] The system sold poorly and was quietly discontinued.[26] Amid the system’s failure, Yokoi retired from Nintendo.[27] During the same year, Nintendo launched the Satellaview in Japan, an add-on for the Super Famicom. The accessory allowed users to play video games via broadcast for a set period of time. Various games were made exclusively for the platform, as well as various remakes.
In 1996, Nintendo released the Ultra 64 as the Nintendo 64 in Japan and North America. The console was later released in Europe and Australia in 1997. Despite the limitations set by using cartridges, the technical specifications of the Nintendo 64 surpassed its competitors. With its market shares slipping to the Sega Saturn and partner-turned-rival Sony PlayStation, Nintendo revitalized its brand by launching a $185 million marketing campaign centered around the “Play it Loud” slogan.[28] During the same year, Nintendo also released the Game Boy Pocket in Japan, a smaller version of the Game Boy that generated more sales for the platform. On October 4, 1996, famed Nintendo developer Gunpei Yokoi died in a car crash. In 1997, Nintendo released the SNS-101 (called Super Famicom Jr. in Japan), a smaller redesigned version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
In 1998, the successor to the Game Boy, the Game Boy Color, was released. The system had improved technical specifications allowing it to run games made specifically for the system as well as games released for the Game Boy, albeit with added color. The Game Boy Camera and Printer were also released as add-on accessories. In October 1998, Retro Studios was founded as an alliance between Nintendo and former Iguana Entertainment founder Jeff Spangenberg. Nintendo saw an opportunity for the new studio to create games for the upcoming GameCube targeting an older demographic, in the same vein as Iguana Entertainment’s successful Turok series for the Nintendo 64.[29]
In 2001, just three years later, Nintendo introduced the totally redesigned Game Boy Advance. The same year, Nintendo also released the GameCube to lukewarm sales, and it ultimately failed to regain the market share lost by the Nintendo 64.
In 2003, Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance SP, its fourth handheld system.
۲۰۰۴–present: A new direction in video games
The Wii Remote, along with the Wii, was said to be revolutionary because of its motion detection capabilities.
In 2004, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS, its fourth major handheld system. The DS is a dual screened handheld featuring touch screen capabilities, which respond to either a stylus or the touch of a finger. Former Nintendo president and now chairman Hiroshi Yamauchi was translated by GameScience as explaining, “If we can increase the scope of the industry, we can re-energise the global market and lift Japan out of depression – that is Nintendo’s mission.”. Regarding lukewarm GameCube sales which had yielded the company’s first reported operating loss in over 100 years, Yamauchi continued: “The DS represents a critical moment for Nintendo’s success over the next two years. If it succeeds, we rise to the heavens, if it fails, we sink into hell.”[30][31][32] Thanks to titles such as Nintendogs and Mario Kart DS, the DS became a success. In 2005, Nintendo released the Game Boy Micro in North America, a redesign of the Game Boy Advance. The last system in the Game Boy line, it was also the smallest Game Boy, and the least successful. In the middle of 2005, Nintendo opened the Nintendo World Store in New York City, which would sell Nintendo games, present a museum of Nintendo history, and host public parties such as for product launches.
In the first half of 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite, a version of the original Nintendo DS with lighter weight, brighter screen, and better battery life. In addition to this streamlined design, its prolific subset of casual games appealed to the masses, such as the Brain Age series. Meanwhile, New Super Mario Bros. provided a substantial addition to the Mario series when it was launched to the top of sales charts. The successful direction of the Nintendo DS had a big influence on Nintendo’s next home console, which had been code named “Revolution” and was now renamed to “Wii”.
In the latter half of 2006, Nintendo released the Wii as the backwards-compatible successor to the GameCube. Based upon intricate Wii Remote motion controls and a balance board, the Wii inspired several new game franchises, some targeted at entirely new market segments of casual and fitness gaming. At over 100 million units, the Wii is the best selling console of the seventh generation, regaining the market share lost during the tenures of the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube.
On May 1, 2007, Nintendo acquired an 80% stake on video game development company Monolith Soft, previously owned by Bandai Namco. Monolith Soft is best known for developing role-playing games such as the Xenosaga and Baten Kaitos series.[33]
During the holiday season of 2008, Nintendo followed up the success of the DS Lite with the release of the Nintendo DSi in Japan. The system features two cameras, one facing towards the player and one facing outwards, and had an online distribution store called DSiWare. The DSi was later released worldwide during 2009. In the latter half of 2009, Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi XL in Japan, a larger version of the DSi. This updated system was later released worldwide in 2010.
In 2011, Nintendo greatly expanded the DS legacy by releasing the Nintendo 3DS, based upon a glasses-free 3D display.
In February 2012, Nintendo acquired Mobiclip, a France-based research and development company specialized in highly optimized software technologies such as video compression. The company’s name was later changed to Nintendo European Research & Development.[34] During the fourth quarter of 2012, Nintendo released the Wii U. It sold slower than expected,[35] although being the first eighth generation console. By September 2013, however, sales had rebounded.[clarification needed] Intending to broaden the 3DS market, Nintendo released 2013’s cost-reduced Nintendo 2DS. The 2DS is completely compatible but lacks the 3DS’s more expensive but cosmetic autostereoscopic 3D feature. Nintendo also released the Wii Mini, a cheaper and non-networked redesign of the Wii.
On September 25, 2013, Nintendo announced it had purchased a 28% stake in a Panasonic spin-off company called PUX Corporation. The company specializes in face and voice recognition technology, with which Nintendo intends to improve the usability of future game systems. Nintendo has also worked with this company in the past to create character recognition software for a Nintendo DS touchscreen.[36] After announcing a 30% dive in profits for the April to December 2013 period, President Satoru Iwata announced he would take a 50% pay-cut, with other executives seeing reductions by 20%-30%.[37] During a May 7, 2014, investors’ meeting, Nintendo confirmed that it had spent over $150 million on an acquisition of an unspecified, non-Japanese, non-gaming, technology company.[38]
Products
Home consoles
Nintendo Entertainment System
Main article: Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo’s first major success in the home console market.
The Nintendo Entertainment System (abbreviated as NES or Nintendo) is an 8-bit video game console, which released in North America in 1985, and in Europe throughout 1986 and 1987. The console was initially released in Japan as the Family Computer (abbreviated as Famicom) in 1983. The best-selling gaming console of its time,[39]e[›] the NES helped revitalize the US video game industry following the video game crash of 1983.[40] With the NES, Nintendo introduced a now-standard business model of licensing third-party developers, authorizing them to produce and distribute titles for Nintendo’s platform.[41] The NES was bundled with Super Mario Bros., one of the best-selling video games of all time, and received ports of Nintendo’s most popular arcade titles.[22] As of March 31, 2014, Nintendo reports sales of 61.91 million NES hardware units and 500.01 million NES software units worldwide.[4]
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Main article: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (abbreviated as SNES, Super NES or Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit video game console, which was released in North America in 1991, and in Europe in 1992. The console was initially released in Japan in 1990 as the Super Famicom, officially adopting the colloquially abbreviated name of its predecessor. The console introduced advanced graphics and sound capabilities compared with other consoles at the time. Soon, the development of a variety of enhancement chips which were integrated onto each new game cartridge’s circuit boards, progressed the SNES’s competitive edge. While even crude three-dimensional graphics had previously rarely been seen on home consoles,[42] the SNES’s enhancement chips suddenly enabled a new caliber of games containing increasingly sophisticated faux 3D effects as seen in 1991’s Pilotwings and 1992’s Super Mario Kart, and then fundamentally three-dimensional worlds beginning with 1993’s SuperFX-powered Star Fox game.[43] This platform-enhancing development in cartridge technology sparked the industry’s increasingly widespread interest in polygon graphics, helping to usher in a fundamental shift to 3D graphics as seen in the next generation.[44] The SNES is the best-selling console of the 16-bit era despite its relatively late start and the fierce competition from Sega’s Genesis/Mega Drive console. As of March 31, 2014, Nintendo reports sales of 49.10 million SNES hardware units and 379.06 million SNES software units worldwide.[4]
Nintendo 64
Main article: Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64 was released in 1996, featuring 3D polygon model rendering capabilities and built-in multiplayer for up to four players. The system’s controller introduced the analog stick and later introduced the Rumble Pak, an accessory for the controller that produces force feedback with compatible games. Both were the first such features to come to market for home console gaming and eventually became the de facto industry standard.[45] Announced before the console’s launch, an expansion device called the Nintendo 64DD (“DD” standing for “Disk Drive”) utilizing 64 MB magneto-optical disks was developed. Eventually released only in Japan in 1999, its commercial failure there resulted in only nine games being released and precluded further worldwide release.
GameCube
Main article: GameCube
The GameCube (officially called Nintendo GameCube, abbreviated NGC in Japan and GCN in North America) was released in 2001, in Japan and North America, and in 2002 worldwide. The sixth-generation console was the successor to the Nintendo 64 and competed with Sony’s PlayStation 2, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Sega’s Dreamcast. The GameCube was the first Nintendo console to use optical discs as its primary storage medium.[46] The discs are similar to the miniDVD format, and as a result of their smaller size, the system was not designed to play standard DVDs or audio CDs. Nintendo also introduced a variety of connectivity options for the GameCube. It was the first Nintendo console to support online gaming, a feature that required the use of an add-on broadband or modem adapter sold separately. Game support and availability of the adapter was, however, very limited. The GameCube also supported connectivity to the Game Boy Advance, allowing players to access exclusive in-game features using the handheld as a second screen and controller. As of March 31, 2014, Nintendo reports sales of 21.74 million GameCube hardware units and 208.57 million GameCube software units worldwide.[4]
Wii
Main article: Wii
The Wii, Nintendo’s best selling home video game console.
The Wii was released during the holiday season of 2006 worldwide. The system the Wii Remote controller, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and which detects movement in three dimensions. Another notable feature of the console is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.[47] It also features a game download service, called “Virtual Console”, which features emulated games from past systems. Since its release, the Wii has spawned many peripheral devices, including the Wii Balance Board and Motion Plus, and has had several hardware revisions. The Wii Family Edition variant is identical to the original model, but is designed to sit horizontally and removes the GameCube compatibility. The Wii Mini is a smaller, redesigned Wii which lacks GameCube compatibility, online connectivity, the SD card slot and Wi-Fi support, and has only one USB port unlike the previous models’ two.[48][49] As of March 31, 2014, Nintendo reports sales of 101.06 million Wii hardware units and 895.22 million Wii software units worldwide, making it Nintendo’s best-selling home video game console.[4]
Wii U
Main article: Wii U
The Wii U, the successor to the Wii, was released during the holiday season of 2012 worldwide.[50][51] The Wii U is the first Nintendo console to support high-definition graphics. The Wii U’s primary controller is the Wii U GamePad, which features an embedded touchscreen. Each software title may be designed to utilize this touchscreen as being supplemental to the main TV, or as the only screen for Off-TV Play. The system supports most Wii controllers and accessories, and the more classically shaped Wii U Pro Controller.[52] The system is backward compatible with Wii software and accessories; this mode also utilizes Wii-based controllers, and it optionally offers the GamePad as its primary Wii display and motion sensor bar. The console has various online services powered by Nintendo Network, including: the Nintendo eShop for online distribution of software and content; and Miiverse, a social network which can be variously integrated with games and applications. As of 31 March 2014, the Wii U has sold 6.17 million hardware units and 32.28 million software units worldwide.[4]
Handheld consoles
Game & Watch
Main article: Game & Watch
[icon] This section requires expansion. (March 2014)
Game and Watch is a handheld line produced from 1980 to 1991 by Gunpei Yokoi. It features a single game and a clock and/or alarm.
Game Boy
Main article: Game Boy line
After the success of the Game & Watch series, Yokoi developed the Game Boy handheld console, which was released in 1989. Eventually becoming the best-selling handheld of all time, the Game Boy remained dominant for more than a decade, seeing critically and commercially popular games such as Pokémon Yellow released as late as 1998 in Japan and 2000 in Europe. Incremental updates of the Game Boy, including Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light and Game Boy Color, did little to change the original formula, though the latter introduced color graphics to the Game Boy line.
The first major update to its handheld line since 1989, Game Boy Advance features improved technical specifications similar to those of the SNES. The Game Boy Advance SP was the first revision to the GBA line and introduced screen lighting and a clam shell design, while later iteration, the Game Boy Micro, brought a smaller form factor.
The Nintendo DS Lite is the best-selling handheld console of all time.
Main article: Nintendo DS line
Nintendo DS
Main articles: Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS line
Although originally advertised as an alternative to the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo DS replaced the Game Boy line after its initial release in 2004.[53] It was distinctive for its dual screens and a microphone, as well as a touch-sensitive lower screen. The Nintendo DS Lite brought a smaller form factor[54] while the Nintendo DSi features larger screens and two cameras,[55] and was followed by an even larger model, the Nintendo DSi XL, with a 90% bigger screen.[56]
Nintendo 3DS
Main article: Nintendo 3DS
Further expanding the Nintendo DS line, the Nintendo 3DS uses the process of autostereoscopy to produce a stereoscopic three-dimensional effect without glasses.[57] Released to major markets during 2011, the 3DS got off to a slow start, initially missing many key features that were promised before the system launched.[58] Partially as a result of slow sales, Nintendo stock declined in value. Subsequent price cuts and game releases helped to boost 3DS and 3DS software sales and to renew investor confidence in the company.[59] As of August 2013, the 3DS was the best selling console in the United States for four consecutive months.[60] The Nintendo 3DS XL was introduced in August 2012 and includes a 90% larger screen, a 4GB SD card and extended battery life. In August 2013, Nintendo announced the cost-reduced Nintendo 2DS, a version of the 3DS without an autostereoscopic 3D screen. It has a slate-like design as opposed to the hinged, clamshell design of its DS-line predecessors. The 2DS was released on October 12, 2013 in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, although no Japanese release has been announced.
In August 2014, it was announced that Japan would receive a new 3DS called “New 3DS” with extra shoulder buttons, a right analogue stick, faster processor, compatibility with Amiibo and other changes. It was released in October 2014.
Software
See also: List of products published by Nintendo
Wiki letter w.svg This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2014)
Organization
Marketing
Main article: Nintendo marketing
Nintendo of America has engaged in several high-profile marketing campaigns to define and position its brand. One of its earliest and most enduring slogans was “Now you’re playing with power!”, used first to promote its Nintendo Entertainment System. It modified the slogan to include “SUPER power” for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and “PORTABLE power” for the Game Boy. Its 1994 “Play It Loud!” campaign played upon teenage rebellion and fostered an edgy reputation. During the Nintendo 64 era, the slogan was “Get N or get out.” During the GameCube era, the “Who Are You?” suggested a link between the games and the players’ identities. The company promoted its Nintendo DS handheld with the tagline “Touching is Good.” For the Wii, they used the “Wii would like to play” slogan to promote the console with the people who tried the games including Super Mario Galaxy and Super Paper Mario. The Nintendo DS’s successor, the Nintendo 3DS, used the slogan “Take a look inside”. The Wii’s successor, the Wii U, used the slogan “How U will play next.”
Board of directors
Nintendo’s president since 2002, Satoru Iwata.
Satoru Iwata, Global President, Chairman and CEO of Nintendo of America.[61]
Genyo Takeda, Senior Managing Director, Chief Director of General Development
Shigeru Miyamoto, Senior Managing Director, Chief Director of Information Development[62]
Tatsumi Kimishima, Managing Director, Chief Senior Director of Business Administration, Chief Director of General Affairs
Kauro Takemura, Chief Director of Human Resources, Director
Shigeyuki Takahashi, Director of Finance, Chief Director of Administration, Director
Satoshi Yamato, Chief Director of Sales, Director
Susumo Tanaka, Chief Director of Operation, Director
Shinya Takahashi, Chief Director of Planning and Development, Director of Planning and Development
Hirokazu Shinshi, Chief Director of Manufacture, Manager of Production Planning, Director
Other key executives:
Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO of Nintendo of America (NOA)
Satoru Shibata, President of Nintendo of Europe (NOE)
International divisions
See also: List of divisions of Nintendo
Nintendo Co., Ltd. (NCL)
Headquartered in Kyoto, Japan since the beginning, Nintendo Co., Ltd. oversees the organization’s global operations and manages Japanese operations specifically. The company’s two major subsidiaries, Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe, manage operations in North America and Europe respectively. Nintendo Co., Ltd.[63] moved from its original Kyoto location[a][where?] to a new office in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto,;[b] in 2000, this became the research and development building when the head office relocated to its present location in Minami-ku, Kyoto.[c][64]
Nintendo of America (NOA)
Nintendo’s North American subsidiary is based in Redmond, Washington. Originally the NOA headquarters handled sales, marketing, and advertising. However, the office in Redwood City, California now directs those functions. The company maintains distribution centers in Atlanta (Nintendo Atlanta) and North Bend, Washington (Nintendo North Bend). The 380,000-square-foot (35,000 m2) Nintendo North Bend facility processes more than 20,000 orders a day to Nintendo customers, which include retail stores that sell Nintendo products in addition to consumers who shop Nintendo’s web site.[65] Nintendo of America’s Canadian branch,[66] Nintendo of Canada, Ltd. (NOCL), is based in Vancouver, BC, with a distribution center in Toronto, Ontario.
Nintendo of Europe (NOE)
Nintendo’s European subsidiary was established in June 1990,[67] based in Großostheim,[68] close to Frankfurt, Germany. The company handles operations in Europe and South Africa.[67] Nintendo of Europe’s United Kingdom branch[69] handles operations in that country and in Ireland from its headquarters in Windsor, Berkshire. In June 2014, NOE initiated a reduction and consolidation process, yielding a combined 130 layoffs: the closing of its office and warehouse, and termination of all employment, in Großostheim; and the consolidation of all of those operations into, and terminating some employment at, its Frankfurt location.[70][71]
Nintendo Australia (NAL)
Nintendo’s Australian subsidiary is based in Melbourne, Victoria. It handles the publishing, distribution, sales and marketing of Nintendo products in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania (Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Vanuatu). It also manufactures some Wii games locally. Nintendo Australia is also a third-party distributor of some titles from Rising Star Games, Namco Bandai Games Europe, Atlus, The Tetris Company, Sega, Tecmo Koei Games Europe and Capcom Europe.
iQue
A Chinese joint venture between its founder, Wei Yen, and Nintendo, manufactures and distributes official Nintendo consoles and games for the mainland Chinese market, under the iQue brand. The product lineup for the Chinese market is considerably different from that for other markets. For example, Nintendo’s only console in China is the iQue Player, a modified version of the Nintendo 64. The company has not released its more modern GameCube or Wii to the market, although a version of the Nintendo 3DS XL was released in 2012.
Nintendo of Korea (NOK)
Nintendo’s South Korean subsidiary was established on July 7, 2006
Call of Duty is a computer/video game based on the Quake III Arena engine (id Tech 3), and was released on October 29, 2003. The game was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II.[4] Call of Duty was accompanied in September 2004 by an expansion pack, Call of Duty: United Offensive, which was also produced by Activision, but developed by Gray Matter Interactive with contributions from Pi Studios. The game follows the American paratroopers, British paratroopers and the Red army. The Mac OS X version of the game was ported by Aspyr Media. In late 2004, the N-Gage version was developed by Nokia and published by Activision. Other versions were released for PC, including Collector’s Edition (with soundtrack and strategy guide), Game of the Year Edition (includes game updates), and the Deluxe Edition (which contains the United Offensive expansion and soundtrack; in Europe the soundtrack was not included). On September 22, 2006, Call of Duty: War Chest was released for PC, collecting Call of Duty, United Offensive, and Call of Duty 2.[5] Since November 12, 2007, Call of Duty and its sequels have been available for purchase via Valve’s content delivery platform, Steam.[6]
Call of Duty 2
Main article: Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 2 is a first-person shooter computer/video game and sequel to the critically acclaimed game Call of Duty. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game is set during World War II and is experienced through the perspectives of soldiers in the Red Army, British Army and United States Army. It was released on October 25, 2005 for PC, November 15, 2005 for the Xbox 360, and June 13, 2006 for Mac OS X. Other versions were made for mobile phones, Pocket PCs, and Smartphones.
Call of Duty 3
Main article: Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty 3 is a World War II first-person shooter and the third installment in the Call of Duty video game series. Released on November 7, 2006, the game was developed by Treyarch, and was the first major installment in the Call of Duty series not to be developed by Infinity Ward, it was also the first not to be released on the PC platform. It was released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360.[7] Call of Duty 3 follows the American, Canadian, British, French Resistance, and Polish armies after D-Day in the Falaise Gap.
Modern Warfare story arc
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Main article: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the fourth installment of the main series, and was developed by Infinity Ward. It is the first game in the series not to be set during World War II (it is set in the modern day), as well as the first to receive a Mature rating from the ESRB (except for the Nintendo DS version, which was rated Teen). The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 7, 2007. Download and retail versions for Mac OS X were released by Aspyr in September 2008. As of May 2009, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold over 13 million copies.[8]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2[9] is the sixth installment of the main series. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision.[10] Activision Blizzard officially announced Modern Warfare 2 on February 11, 2009.[11][12] The game was released worldwide on November 10, 2009, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows.[9] A Nintendo DS iteration of the game, titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized, was released alongside the game and the Wii port of Call of Duty : Modern Warfare.[13][14] Modern Warfare 2 is the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4 and continues the same storyline, taking place five years after the first game and featuring several returning characters including Captain Price and “Soap” MacTavish.[15]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a first-person shooter computer/video game. It is the eighth installment of the Call of Duty series and the third installment of the Modern Warfare series. Due to a legal dispute between the game’s publisher Activision and the former co-executives of Infinity Ward – which caused several lay-offs and departures within the company[16] – Sledgehammer Games assisted in the development of the game, while Raven Software was brought in to make cosmetic changes to the menus of the game.[17] The game was said to have been in development since only two weeks after the release of their previous game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.[17] Sledgehammer was aiming for a “bug free” first outing in the Call of Duty franchise, and had also set a goal for Metacritic review scores above 95 percent.[18] On May 12, 2011 on the official YouTube page for the Call of Duty franchise, four teasers were released entitled: America, England, France and Germany, indicating possible location for the game. The “e” in each name was stylised in the trailers with a Modern Warfare stylised number “3”.
The game continues the story from the point at which it ended in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and continues the fictional battle story between United States and Russia, which evolves into the Third World War between NATO allied nations and Ultra-nationalist Russia (a revolutionary political party idolizing the late days of the Soviet Union).
Black Ops story arc
Call of Duty: World at War
Main article: Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War developed by Treyarch is the fifth installment of the main series and a prologue to Black Ops. It returns to the World War II setting of earlier titles.[19] On June 9, 2008, it was confirmed that the game would be titled Call of Duty: World at War and would be set in the Pacific theater and Eastern front of World War II. The game uses the same proprietary game engine as Call of Duty 4. Call of Duty: World at War was released for the PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 consoles and the Nintendo DS handheld in North America on November 11, 2008, and November 14, 2008 in Europe. As of June 2009, Call of Duty: World at War has sold over 11 million copies.[20]
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops[21] is a 2010 first-person shooter computer/video game[22] developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for release on November 9, 2010.[23] Officially announced on April 30, 2010, the game is the seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, the third game in the series to be developed by Treyarch, and the first game to take place during the Cold War and partially in the Vietnam War. It was initially only available for pre-order on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3; however, Activison later confirmed that it would also be released for the Nintendo Wii as well as the Nintendo DS.[24]
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick stated on November 8, 2011 that Call of Duty 9 (working title) was in development for a 2012 release.[25] The game was confirmed by Activision during its fourth-quarter earnings call on February 9, 2012.[26] On the 23rd of April, it was announced the new title will be announced on the 1st of May during the basketball playoffs on TNT.[27] The game was revealed as Call of Duty: Black Ops II when the official site went live on May 1, 2012.[28][29] Black Ops II is the first game in the Call of Duty franchise to feature sci-fi settings and weapons.
Ghosts story arc
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Main article: Call of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the tenth main installment in the series, and was developed at Infinity Ward. The game was released on November 5, 2013.[30][31]
Advanced Warfare story arc
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Main article: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Before being switched to become the co-developers of Modern Warfare 3, Sledgehammer Games were already working on a Call of Duty game. This game was announced before Modern Warfare 3 and after Black Ops, however, no details were released. The game was said to be an action-adventure first-person shooter computer/video game. A Call of Duty massively multiplayer online game was also rumored to be in development.[32] Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg later stated that Modern Warfare 3 was not the same title as Sledgehammer Games’ action-adventure Call of Duty game. When asked if the action-adventure game was also in development, Hirshberg then stated that the Sledgehammer team was fully focused on Modern Warfare 3 and that their own title had been put on hold.[33]
A new game in the Call of Duty series will be released in November 2014.[34] It was officially unveiled on May 4, 2014.[35] A video released on May 1, 2014 revealed that Kevin Spacey will portray an antagonist in the game.[36] The trailer leaked ahead of schedule and was therefore officially released, revealing the game to be Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.[37]
Rotation
In 2006, Treyarch launched their first official Call of Duty game to the main series and is now a primary developing team for the series. Treyarch and Infinity Ward went by a contract to confirm that there will be a rotation every year of who produces the next upcoming title. In 2010, Sledgehammer games announced they were working on a title to appear in the main series of Call of Duty. This game was postponed in order to help Infinity Ward produce Modern Warfare 3. In 2014 it has been confirmed that Sledgehammer Games are producing the 2014 title and will instead of the two year rotation between Infinity Ward and Treyarch, there will be a three rotation starting from Infinity Ward (2013), Sledgehammer Games (2014), and Treyarch (2015).[citation needed]
Canceled titles
Call of Duty: Combined Forces
Call of Duty: Combined Forces was a proposed concept draft which was originally intended to be a sequel or Expansion Pack to Call of Duty: Finest Hour. However, due to multiple legal issues that arose between Spark Unlimited, Electronic Arts, and Activision as well as other production problems, the games draft and scripts never came to be. The game was projected to cost $10.5 million to produce after Finest Hour was complete. Eventually Activision deemed the ideas as more of an expansion than something entirely new, causing Activision to reject the proposal and ending their contract with Spark Unlimited shortly after.[38]
Call of Duty: Devil’s Brigade
Call of Duty: Devil’s Brigade was a canceled first-person shooter for the Xbox 360 developed by Underground Entertainment. The game was set in World War II, mainly focusing on the Italian Campaign.[39]
Call of Duty: Vietnam
Call of Duty: Vietnam is a third-person shooter set during the Vietnam War. It was in development for at least six to eight months at Sledgehammer Games. The development was stopped because Infinity Ward needed help finishing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 due to the employee firings and departures in 2010.[40]
Expansions
Call of Duty: United Offensive
Call of Duty: United Offensive is an expansion pack for the popular first-person shooter computer game, Call of Duty. It is also played through the perspective of American, British, and Russian soldiers.
Console and handheld titles
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is the first console installment of Call of Duty, and was released on the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game include an online multiplayer mode which supports up to 32 players. It also includes new game modes.[citation needed]
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a spin-off of Call of Duty 2 developed by Treyarch, and based on the American 1st Infantry Division’s exploits during World War II. The game was released on Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is a PSP game that was based on Call of Duty 3. This game did not feature online multiplayer infrastructure.
Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts
Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts is the PlayStation 2 adaptation of Call of Duty: World at War. Developed by Rebellion Developments, Final Fronts features three campaigns involving the U.S. fighting in the Pacific theater and the Battle of the Bulge in Europe, as well as the British advancing on the Rhine River into Germany.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized is the Nintendo DS companion game for Modern Warfare 2. Developed by n-Space, the game takes place in the same setting as the main console game, but follows a different storyline and cast of characters. Playing as the S.A.S. and the Marines in campaign mode, both forces are trying to find a nuclear bomb.
Call of Duty: Black Ops DS
Call of Duty: Black Ops is the Nintendo DS companion game for Black Ops. Developed by n-Space, the game takes place in the same setting as the main console game, but follows a different storyline and cast of characters.
Call of Duty: Zombies 1 and 2
Call of Duty: Zombies is a first-person shooter computer/video game developed by Ideaworks Game Studio, and published by Activision for the iPhone OS. It is a spin-off of the Call of Duty series, and based on the “Nazi Zombies” mode of Call of Duty: World at War. A sequel for the iPhone and iPod Touch includes Shi No Numa that was originally released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
Call of Duty: The War Collection
Call of Duty: The War Collection is a boxed set compilation of Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War. It was released on the Xbox 360.[41]
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified was announced on June 4, 2012 at E3 2012. It is exclusively developed for the PlayStation Vita.[42]
Call of Duty: Strike Team
Main article: Call of Duty: Strike Team
Call of Duty: Strike Team is a first & third-person shooter game developed by The Blast Furnace, and published by Activision for the iOS. The game is set in 2020 with players tasked with leading a US Joint Special Operations Team after the country “finds themselves in a war with an unknown enemy”. The game was released on September 5, 2013.
MacUser gave Strike Team a four out of five review and called it “one of the most innovative iOS shooters to date, and also one of the most visually sumptuous”.[43]
Online version
Call of Duty Online (known as CoD Online for short), was announced by Activision when the company first stated their interest in an Massively multiplayer online game (MMO) in early 2011. By then, it had been in discussion for 2 years. CoD Online is an exclusively licensed, F2P game that can only be played in mainland China. It is hosted by Tencent, a Chinese-exclusive online social network for MMO games and social networking. Since Activision had lost the publishing rights to CoD and several other franchises in China due to a legal dispute on most of the Western gaming consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii), it had been rumored that it would be PC-exclusive (that is, a Microsoft Windows platform), since PCs hold the dominant share of gamers in mainland China.
The CEO of Activision Blizzard (AB), Bobby Kotick, has expressed interest in, and plans on investing in, CoD Online. He has stated that it could be a huge financial success for AB, if properly powered by micro-transactions within the game itself. CoD Online remains exclusive to mainland China for now, with global availability to be determined depending on the degree of success of the game.
Other media
Modern Warfare 2: Ghost
Modern Warfare 2: Ghost is a six-part comic book mini-series based on a character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Announced by Robert Bowling on August 17, 2009, the storyline focuses on the backstory of the character Ghost, who appears in the computer/video game. The series is published by WildStorm and the first issue was released on November 10, 2009, alongside the game.[44]
Merchandise
The Call of Duty Real-time Card Game was announced by card manufacturer Upper Deck.[45]
In 2004, Activision, in cooperation with the companies Plan-B Toys and Radioactive Clown, released the “Call of Duty: Series 1” line of action figures, which included three American soldiers and three German soldiers from the World War II era.[46] While the American G.I. action figure was made in 2004,[47] Plan-B Toys later discontinued a controversial Nazi SS Guard action figure based on the Nazi Totenkopf officer seen in the Call of Duty computer/video game.[48]
In 2008, McFarlane Toys announced their partnership with Activision to produce action figures for the Call of Duty computer/video game series. McFarlane Toys’ first series of action figures were released in October 2008 and consists of four different figures: Marine with Flamethrower, Marine Infantry, British Special Ops, and Marine with Machine Gun.[49]
Short films
The first film, Find Makarov, is a non-canon, fan-made film. The video was well received by both fans and Call of Duty publishers, Activision, who contacted We Can Pretend and subsequently produced a second short film, Operation Kingfish.[50]
Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish is a fan-made prequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and was first shown at Call of Duty XP. The video was produced by We Can Pretend, with visual effects by The Junction, and was endorsed by Activision. The video tells the story of how Captain Price ended up in a Russian Gulag set before the events of Modern Warfare 2رر
Call of Duty is a computer/video game based on the Quake III Arena engine (id Tech 3), and was released on October 29, 2003. The game was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II.[4] Call of Duty was accompanied in September 2004 by an expansion pack, Call of Duty: United Offensive, which was also produced by Activision, but developed by Gray Matter Interactive with contributions from Pi Studios. The game follows the American paratroopers, British paratroopers and the Red army. The Mac OS X version of the game was ported by Aspyr Media. In late 2004, the N-Gage version was developed by Nokia and published by Activision. Other versions were released for PC, including Collector’s Edition (with soundtrack and strategy guide), Game of the Year Edition (includes game updates), and the Deluxe Edition (which contains the United Offensive expansion and soundtrack; in Europe the soundtrack was not included). On September 22, 2006, Call of Duty: War Chest was released for PC, collecting Call of Duty, United Offensive, and Call of Duty 2.[5] Since November 12, 2007, Call of Duty and its sequels have been available for purchase via Valve’s content delivery platform, Steam.[6]
Call of Duty 2
Main article: Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 2 is a first-person shooter computer/video game and sequel to the critically acclaimed game Call of Duty. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The game is set during World War II and is experienced through the perspectives of soldiers in the Red Army, British Army and United States Army. It was released on October 25, 2005 for PC, November 15, 2005 for the Xbox 360, and June 13, 2006 for Mac OS X. Other versions were made for mobile phones, Pocket PCs, and Smartphones.
Call of Duty 3
Main article: Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty 3 is a World War II first-person shooter and the third installment in the Call of Duty video game series. Released on November 7, 2006, the game was developed by Treyarch, and was the first major installment in the Call of Duty series not to be developed by Infinity Ward, it was also the first not to be released on the PC platform. It was released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360.[7] Call of Duty 3 follows the American, Canadian, British, French Resistance, and Polish armies after D-Day in the Falaise Gap.
Modern Warfare story arc
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Main article: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the fourth installment of the main series, and was developed by Infinity Ward. It is the first game in the series not to be set during World War II (it is set in the modern day), as well as the first to receive a Mature rating from the ESRB (except for the Nintendo DS version, which was rated Teen). The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 7, 2007. Download and retail versions for Mac OS X were released by Aspyr in September 2008. As of May 2009, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold over 13 million copies.[8]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2[9] is the sixth installment of the main series. It was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision.[10] Activision Blizzard officially announced Modern Warfare 2 on February 11, 2009.[11][12] The game was released worldwide on November 10, 2009, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows.[9] A Nintendo DS iteration of the game, titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized, was released alongside the game and the Wii port of Call of Duty : Modern Warfare.[13][14] Modern Warfare 2 is the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4 and continues the same storyline, taking place five years after the first game and featuring several returning characters including Captain Price and “Soap” MacTavish.[15]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a first-person shooter computer/video game. It is the eighth installment of the Call of Duty series and the third installment of the Modern Warfare series. Due to a legal dispute between the game’s publisher Activision and the former co-executives of Infinity Ward – which caused several lay-offs and departures within the company[16] – Sledgehammer Games assisted in the development of the game, while Raven Software was brought in to make cosmetic changes to the menus of the game.[17] The game was said to have been in development since only two weeks after the release of their previous game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.[17] Sledgehammer was aiming for a “bug free” first outing in the Call of Duty franchise, and had also set a goal for Metacritic review scores above 95 percent.[18] On May 12, 2011 on the official YouTube page for the Call of Duty franchise, four teasers were released entitled: America, England, France and Germany, indicating possible location for the game. The “e” in each name was stylised in the trailers with a Modern Warfare stylised number “3”.
The game continues the story from the point at which it ended in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and continues the fictional battle story between United States and Russia, which evolves into the Third World War between NATO allied nations and Ultra-nationalist Russia (a revolutionary political party idolizing the late days of the Soviet Union).
Black Ops story arc
Call of Duty: World at War
Main article: Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War developed by Treyarch is the fifth installment of the main series and a prologue to Black Ops. It returns to the World War II setting of earlier titles.[19] On June 9, 2008, it was confirmed that the game would be titled Call of Duty: World at War and would be set in the Pacific theater and Eastern front of World War II. The game uses the same proprietary game engine as Call of Duty 4. Call of Duty: World at War was released for the PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 consoles and the Nintendo DS handheld in North America on November 11, 2008, and November 14, 2008 in Europe. As of June 2009, Call of Duty: World at War has sold over 11 million copies.[20]
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops[21] is a 2010 first-person shooter computer/video game[22] developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for release on November 9, 2010.[23] Officially announced on April 30, 2010, the game is the seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, the third game in the series to be developed by Treyarch, and the first game to take place during the Cold War and partially in the Vietnam War. It was initially only available for pre-order on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3; however, Activison later confirmed that it would also be released for the Nintendo Wii as well as the Nintendo DS.[24]
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Main article: Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick stated on November 8, 2011 that Call of Duty 9 (working title) was in development for a 2012 release.[25] The game was confirmed by Activision during its fourth-quarter earnings call on February 9, 2012.[26] On the 23rd of April, it was announced the new title will be announced on the 1st of May during the basketball playoffs on TNT.[27] The game was revealed as Call of Duty: Black Ops II when the official site went live on May 1, 2012.[28][29] Black Ops II is the first game in the Call of Duty franchise to feature sci-fi settings and weapons.
Ghosts story arc
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Main article: Call of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the tenth main installment in the series, and was developed at Infinity Ward. The game was released on November 5, 2013.[30][31]
Advanced Warfare story arc
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Main article: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Before being switched to become the co-developers of Modern Warfare 3, Sledgehammer Games were already working on a Call of Duty game. This game was announced before Modern Warfare 3 and after Black Ops, however, no details were released. The game was said to be an action-adventure first-person shooter computer/video game. A Call of Duty massively multiplayer online game was also rumored to be in development.[32] Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg later stated that Modern Warfare 3 was not the same title as Sledgehammer Games’ action-adventure Call of Duty game. When asked if the action-adventure game was also in development, Hirshberg then stated that the Sledgehammer team was fully focused on Modern Warfare 3 and that their own title had been put on hold.[33]
A new game in the Call of Duty series will be released in November 2014.[34] It was officially unveiled on May 4, 2014.[35] A video released on May 1, 2014 revealed that Kevin Spacey will portray an antagonist in the game.[36] The trailer leaked ahead of schedule and was therefore officially released, revealing the game to be Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.[37]
Rotation
In 2006, Treyarch launched their first official Call of Duty game to the main series and is now a primary developing team for the series. Treyarch and Infinity Ward went by a contract to confirm that there will be a rotation every year of who produces the next upcoming title. In 2010, Sledgehammer games announced they were working on a title to appear in the main series of Call of Duty. This game was postponed in order to help Infinity Ward produce Modern Warfare 3. In 2014 it has been confirmed that Sledgehammer Games are producing the 2014 title and will instead of the two year rotation between Infinity Ward and Treyarch, there will be a three rotation starting from Infinity Ward (2013), Sledgehammer Games (2014), and Treyarch (2015).[citation needed]
Canceled titles
Call of Duty: Combined Forces
Call of Duty: Combined Forces was a proposed concept draft which was originally intended to be a sequel or Expansion Pack to Call of Duty: Finest Hour. However, due to multiple legal issues that arose between Spark Unlimited, Electronic Arts, and Activision as well as other production problems, the games draft and scripts never came to be. The game was projected to cost $10.5 million to produce after Finest Hour was complete. Eventually Activision deemed the ideas as more of an expansion than something entirely new, causing Activision to reject the proposal and ending their contract with Spark Unlimited shortly after.[38]
Call of Duty: Devil’s Brigade
Call of Duty: Devil’s Brigade was a canceled first-person shooter for the Xbox 360 developed by Underground Entertainment. The game was set in World War II, mainly focusing on the Italian Campaign.[39]
Call of Duty: Vietnam
Call of Duty: Vietnam is a third-person shooter set during the Vietnam War. It was in development for at least six to eight months at Sledgehammer Games. The development was stopped because Infinity Ward needed help finishing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 due to the employee firings and departures in 2010.[40]
Expansions
Call of Duty: United Offensive
Call of Duty: United Offensive is an expansion pack for the popular first-person shooter computer game, Call of Duty. It is also played through the perspective of American, British, and Russian soldiers.
Console and handheld titles
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Call of Duty: Finest Hour is the first console installment of Call of Duty, and was released on the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game include an online multiplayer mode which supports up to 32 players. It also includes new game modes.[citation needed]
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a spin-off of Call of Duty 2 developed by Treyarch, and based on the American 1st Infantry Division’s exploits during World War II. The game was released on Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is a PSP game that was based on Call of Duty 3. This game did not feature online multiplayer infrastructure.
Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts
Call of Duty: World at War – Final Fronts is the PlayStation 2 adaptation of Call of Duty: World at War. Developed by Rebellion Developments, Final Fronts features three campaigns involving the U.S. fighting in the Pacific theater and the Battle of the Bulge in Europe, as well as the British advancing on the Rhine River into Germany.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized is the Nintendo DS companion game for Modern Warfare 2. Developed by n-Space, the game takes place in the same setting as the main console game, but follows a different storyline and cast of characters. Playing as the S.A.S. and the Marines in campaign mode, both forces are trying to find a nuclear bomb.
Call of Duty: Black Ops DS
Call of Duty: Black Ops is the Nintendo DS companion game for Black Ops. Developed by n-Space, the game takes place in the same setting as the main console game, but follows a different storyline and cast of characters.
Call of Duty: Zombies 1 and 2
Call of Duty: Zombies is a first-person shooter computer/video game developed by Ideaworks Game Studio, and published by Activision for the iPhone OS. It is a spin-off of the Call of Duty series, and based on the “Nazi Zombies” mode of Call of Duty: World at War. A sequel for the iPhone and iPod Touch includes Shi No Numa that was originally released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
Call of Duty: The War Collection
Call of Duty: The War Collection is a boxed set compilation of Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War. It was released on the Xbox 360.[41]
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified
Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified was announced on June 4, 2012 at E3 2012. It is exclusively developed for the PlayStation Vita.[42]
Call of Duty: Strike Team
Main article: Call of Duty: Strike Team
Call of Duty: Strike Team is a first & third-person shooter game developed by The Blast Furnace, and published by Activision for the iOS. The game is set in 2020 with players tasked with leading a US Joint Special Operations Team after the country “finds themselves in a war with an unknown enemy”. The game was released on September 5, 2013.
MacUser gave Strike Team a four out of five review and called it “one of the most innovative iOS shooters to date, and also one of the most visually sumptuous”.[43]
Online version
Call of Duty Online (known as CoD Online for short), was announced by Activision when the company first stated their interest in an Massively multiplayer online game (MMO) in early 2011. By then, it had been in discussion for 2 years. CoD Online is an exclusively licensed, F2P game that can only be played in mainland China. It is hosted by Tencent, a Chinese-exclusive online social network for MMO games and social networking. Since Activision had lost the publishing rights to CoD and several other franchises in China due to a legal dispute on most of the Western gaming consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii), it had been rumored that it would be PC-exclusive (that is, a Microsoft Windows platform), since PCs hold the dominant share of gamers in mainland China.
The CEO of Activision Blizzard (AB), Bobby Kotick, has expressed interest in, and plans on investing in, CoD Online. He has stated that it could be a huge financial success for AB, if properly powered by micro-transactions within the game itself. CoD Online remains exclusive to mainland China for now, with global availability to be determined depending on the degree of success of the game.
Other media
Modern Warfare 2: Ghost
Modern Warfare 2: Ghost is a six-part comic book mini-series based on a character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Announced by Robert Bowling on August 17, 2009, the storyline focuses on the backstory of the character Ghost, who appears in the computer/video game. The series is published by WildStorm and the first issue was released on November 10, 2009, alongside the game.[44]
Merchandise
The Call of Duty Real-time Card Game was announced by card manufacturer Upper Deck.[45]
In 2004, Activision, in cooperation with the companies Plan-B Toys and Radioactive Clown, released the “Call of Duty: Series 1” line of action figures, which included three American soldiers and three German soldiers from the World War II era.[46] While the American G.I. action figure was made in 2004,[47] Plan-B Toys later discontinued a controversial Nazi SS Guard action figure based on the Nazi Totenkopf officer seen in the Call of Duty computer/video game.[48]
In 2008, McFarlane Toys announced their partnership with Activision to produce action figures for the Call of Duty computer/video game series. McFarlane Toys’ first series of action figures were released in October 2008 and consists of four different figures: Marine with Flamethrower, Marine Infantry, British Special Ops, and Marine with Machine Gun.[49]
Short films
The first film, Find Makarov, is a non-canon, fan-made film. The video was well received by both fans and Call of Duty publishers, Activision, who contacted We Can Pretend and subsequently produced a second short film, Operation Kingfish.[50]
Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish is a fan-made prequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and was first shown at Call of Duty XP. The video was produced by We Can Pretend, with visual effects by The Junction, and was endorsed by Activision. The video tells the story of how Captain Price ended up in a Russian Gulag set before the events of Modern Warfare 2.
ps4 اگر بیاد حتما گران میشود :mrgreen:
چی…ps4!!!
عمرأ تا ۲۰۱۵ نیاد. حالا حالا ها باید با ps3 حال کنیم.
مهاله,اولن گرافیک بالاتر از ps3 رو کدوم شرکت میخواد بازی بسازه؟؟!! الان هم که NGP جایگزینش شده.yamato is the blade of vergil :-|