IGN: CoD 4, Assassin's Creed To Benefit From GTA IV Delay

IGN has released its latest GamerMetrics report, this time singling out those titles it expects to most benefit from the recent delay of Take Two's Grand Theft Auto IV until fiscal Q2 2008, specifically naming Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed as those most likely prosper from the move. According to the report, both of these titles will likely garner added interest due to the gap left by Grand Theft Auto IV's absence at retail this holiday season, as well as their availability for multiple platforms. The speculation echoes Activision's own predictions made during a conference call yesterday, during which a representative noted belief that due to the delay, Call of Duty 4 “is likely to be the number one product on the PS3.” Additionally, those Xbox 360 titles expected to gain an added boost from the delay include BioWare's Mass Effect, Electronic Arts' Rock Band, and Microsoft's highly anticipated Halo 3. Meanwhile, in looking to the PlayStation 3, Sony's Heavenly Sword, Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and Free Radical's Haze are all also expected to greatly benefit this holiday season. Commenting on reader response to the Grand Theft Auto IV's delay, the GamerMetric report writes that “since the announcement we have been keeping a close eye on gamers' reaction throughout IGN's message boards, and despite a few grumblings here and there, it seems they are happy to wait six months for a polished Grand Theft Auto product, especially given the depth of quality titles releasing during the next four months.”