Activision postpones Starcraft II launch to 2010

San Francisco (CA) – Activision Blizzard has postponed the launch of Starcraft II to 2010. However, the company is still expected to release a number of new titles in Fall 2009, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero, Tony Hawk: Ride and Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

“As we prepare for next year, we have moved the expected release dates for two games, Activision Publishing’s Singularity and Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft II, into 2010,” confirmed CEO Robert Kotick.

Kotick also noted that Activision Publishing was the “#1” US third-party console and handheld publisher during the second quarter. In addition, Activision claimed three, top-10 best-selling titles in the US: Prototype, Guitar Hero World Tour and Wolverine.

“Although there is a great deal of economic uncertainty in the global marketplace, we remain focused on the opportunities afforded by our industry and will continue exploring potential new markets and business models that should enable us to continue expanding our operating margins,” said Kotick.

“During a challenging economic climate, Activision Blizzard grew its quarterly North American and European market share 2.8 points across all platforms to 12.7% from 9.9% for the previous year.”