MGS2 takes on Monsters
Konami predicts the game's impact on the UK market, and it makes movies look feeble
Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty has finally gone on sale after what seems like years of waiting. The game that a lot of people bought their PS2s to play is expected to become the fastest selling videogame ever, with figures released yesterday indicating that it will produce £29 (€47) million at UK retail. Highlighting the convergence of two popular forms of media, movies and videogames, Konami has announced that some £9 (€14) million is expected to be generated during the game's opening weekend, a figure which rivals the takings of Disney/Pixar animated spectacular Monsters, Inc. 550,000 copies of the game are available today. "In a period when video game revenue is outstripping that of other entertainment industries, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is the biggest game launch the industry has ever seen," says Jon Murphy, Marketing Manager for Konami UK, who will hope that the game can live up to its billing in light of these astonishing sales projections. Of course, the game's US launch in November of 2001 saw it steal an unprecedented 33 per cent share of the games market's sales and generate over $18.8 (£13.2 / €21.4) million during its first week on sale. Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty is, for the moment at least, exclusively available on PlayStation 2, and launching the game a week ahead of Microsoft's Xbox may help to scupper sales of the more expensive console debutant. MGS2 is also available in a system bundle, consisting of the console, a gamepad and the game itself for £229.99 (€373). Related Feature - Hideo Kojima and Harry Gregson-Williams interview
