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PS3 UT3 officially pushed to '08, new MK revealed

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Oct 2, 2007 2:34 pm PT

Development issues cost Sony a major holiday console exclusive, though Epic says it is trying to finish the title by year's end; Midway announces new fighter, Blitz game.

Last month, Epic Games president Mark Rein cautioned fans that a November release for Unreal Tournament 3 on the PlayStation 3 and PC was just a target and not a certainty. Epic appears to have missed the target with the PS3 edition of the game: Publisher Midway today announced that it expects that it won't ship that version of the game until the first quarter of 2008.

The warning comes in spite of a statement from Rein late Tuesday saying that the studio is still toiling to get the PS3 UT3 completed by year's end. However, Midway president and CEO David Zucker said in an investor conference call that any delay will not affect the PC edition, which is still set to release in early November.

Zucker also said there is release window yet announced for the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament 3, which is set to arrive sometime next year. However, a Midway representative confirmed to GameSpot that UT3 would still see a period of console exclusivity on the PS3.

The shift in the PS3 game's release date was also listed by Midway as one of several factors contributing to the publisher reducing its quarterly and yearly revenue projections. Previously, Midway expected $50 million in revenue for the quarter ended September 30, but lowered that figure to $39 million after the PS3 edition of Stranglehold was pushed into the fourth quarter.

Events affecting the company's full-year revenue estimates include delays for the PS3 Unreal Tournament 3 as well as the PS3 edition of BlackSite: Area 51. In Europe, the game has been pushed into the first quarter of 2008, while North American Sony fans will have to wait until late November for the game, three weeks after its PC and Xbox 360 counterparts ship. Factoring in those difficulties, Midway is now projecting full-year revenues of $170 million, down from the previously expected $225 million.

In the conference call, Zucker blamed the PS3 BlackSite and Stranglehold delays on problems stemming from getting the Unreal Engine 3 up and running on Sony's console. Both will arrive before Epic Games' PS3 debut, which had been prominently promoted as being exclusive to Sony's console and the PC during the 2007 holiday shopping season.

Zucker also provided a sales performance estimate for Stranglehold, saying he expects the company to ship 1.5 million copies of the game worldwide across its three platforms. He said those numbers reflect the game underperforming expectations in North America, but overperforming them in Europe.

Regardless, Zucker said the problems with the engine and the platform have been dealt with, and Midway expects its 2008 PS3 titles to ship day and date with their Xbox 360 counterparts. However, he noted that the two games would still be shipping before Epic Games' own debut PS3 Unreal Engine 3 game.

However, it wasn't all delays and bad news from the publisher. Zucker also confirmed that a number of hit franchises will be resurfacing next year.

"Looking ahead to 2008, with our core technology platform now in place, we expect to release a number of titles, including already announced console versions of Unreal Tournament 3, a next-generation installment of our NBA Ballers franchise, Wheelman, and TNA iMPACT! the video game," Zucker said in a statement. "We also expect to release several as-yet-unannounced titles such as next-generation versions of our hit franchises Blitz and Mortal Kombat, and two exciting new ambitious open world games. We intend to give more details on our 2008 release schedule in the near future."

804 Comments

  • coolman437

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 2:59 pm PT

    whoever is a loser and would pay 2 grand for a computer by all means go right ahead, but i'll enjoy my consoles because i have real life friends and i play games with them not sit around a computer all day on WoW like Ba0ng89

  • xavier14

    Posted Feb 19, 2008 7:20 am PT

    cant wait for the 360 version and the new MK

  • 9mmSpliff

    Posted Oct 30, 2007 11:11 am PT

    Sigil....UT3 runs on a 9800pro. So its not spec hungary.

  • Sigil-otaku

    Posted Oct 24, 2007 4:10 pm PT

    I believe the PC gaming market is doing it all wrong, rather than maximize the potential of computer specs (just meaning trying to make games look as good and clean as possible with less specs) PC games are now leaning towards going highly expensive and spec hungry (Crysis, UT3 etc.) where half of the PC gaming population has to upgrade just to play the game. I know of a clan that is all upgrading there graphics cards to DX 10 ones so they can run Crysis and stuff but for a whole clan that is a lot off moolah just to be able to play Crysis.

  • rts11220

    Posted Oct 17, 2007 3:16 pm PT

    A PC for 2 grand! that's a lot for some people

    dont it usally have like a payment option like 50 buck a month?

  • LittleYoshi

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 6:42 am PT

    Ba0ng89: "Dude...Dan2002sk8er check ur facts...i could get a PC 4times faster stronger than a freaking PS3 for like 2grands...." PC systems don't count for me as a true gaming system. A true gaming system is a system that mainly for playing games.

    A PC for 2 grand! that's a lot for some people. (and made in China...lol)
    The PS3 is not trying to compare itself with a powerfull super computer.
    Its comparing with all the gaming consloses.....duh!

  • Thatsmypunk

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 12:35 am PT

    How about a new NHL Hitz game?

  • Ba0ng89

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 10:26 pm PT

    Dude...Dan2002sk8er check ur facts...i could get a PC 4times faster stronger than a freaking PS3 for like 2grands....

  • king258

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 5:15 pm PT

    Dan2002sk8er :"so we should all gang up on the PC gamers for having inferior technology for 28 times the price, instead of trying to say my console is better
    yea dude like blade said check ur facts a cheap aileanware desktop(at 1199USD)is better than ps3

  • predator1006

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 4:08 pm PT

    im really looking forward to getting unreal tournament 3, and mortal kombat, especially mortal kombat, i can't wait to see what that's going to look like on the ps3 with awesome graphics, and real looking fatalities.

  • Leandrovalle

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 3:07 pm PT

    Uau! to doido para que chegue o Mortal Kombat!!!

  • jaredrichards3

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 5:23 am PT

    I hope this game lives up to the hype and expectations of , unlike halo 3 which was just hype and disappointing to most

  • Cirus2

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 7:20 pm PT

    November gonna be a crazy month, prob another reason they delayed it.. ...... Mass effect, COD4, Assasin creed, Blacksite: Area 51, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Need For Speed: ProStreet, Army Of Two, Ace Combat 6: Fires Of Liberation, Dark Sector, FIFA Street 3, Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock and PES2008 :O anyone got like £2000 to donate to me plz?

  • bozoblade

    Posted Oct 11, 2007 12:55 pm PT

    Dan2002sk8er :"so we should all gang up on the PC gamers for having inferior technology for 28 times the price, instead of trying to say my console is better"

    That's a pretty pathetic statement and so untrue. Check your facts man. Just bought a computer probably around twice ( not 28 ) the price of a PS3 and I'm 100% sure it will slaughter the PS3 when it comes both to resoultion, fps , control and visual madness. UTseries=Top priority PC.

  • BlakkSteel

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 7:49 pm PT

    I'm actually more interested in the new Blitz title. MK Armageddon was somewhat of a letdown from the previous 2 titles. & The way that most developers have been skimpin' on the "next gen" titles, I'm not too sure how that 1 will turn out. I'll need to read & see more on the MK. Stranglehold needs to hurry, before I change my mind. & UT3 is moot to me. LOL

  • Samiiii

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 11:20 am PT

    UT3 won't be gracing my PS3 anymore. Cause in 08' I've got LittlebigPlanet and GTA4 as well as games out later this year
    Assassins creed, Haze and Uncharted.

  • aquamah

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 8:15 am PT

    PLEEEEEEEZ gamespot... go MIDWAY and DIG for mortal kombat... we need news.

  • shortster1

    Posted Oct 10, 2007 5:03 am PT

    i cant wait for the new mortal kombat!!!!!!!

  • epousard

    Posted Oct 9, 2007 10:27 pm PT

    PC gamers deserve UT3 before everyone else, Cliffy B keeping it real.

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