The 2009 to 2010 Shift...Who Succeeds, Who Suffers?

It's reasonable to believe that many of us are miffed by the seemingly ever increasing number of 2009 to 2010 release date changes. Sometimes it seems as if the once bursting holiday season has dwindled down to a meager few titles for gamers. Games conversationally hinted at or officially noted to be a 2009 release have been bumped to early 2010.   In some cases, this was due to the title being unable to reach completion before the announced sales date, or in other cases; publishers said they didn't want to compete among the many high-profile franchises on holiday store shelves.   In one notable case, the online multiplayer network separate from the game itself is the cause of the delay. 

So, as I glanced over the list of titles now in competition for our 2010 attention, I wonder which will now get lost among the backlog?   Which titles would have done better staying in 2009 and which will benefit from the move?   Which ones will sell well under any circumstance?   If this was a relatively normal year, it might have been beneficial for new IPs or second-tier franchises to have the post-holiday season all to themselves, but that isn't going to happen as we pass from December to January.   Below is a list of what titles I believe were once thought to be 2009 releases and are now 2010 games.   They will join the list of titles previously assumed to be coming in 2010.

The games I fear for most are the new IPs and the forgotten franchises.   Singularity and Dark Void are unknowns and potentially risky ventures for gamers.   They look pretty but that’s hardly enough these days to warrant a purchase. Max Payne 3 and Dead to Rights: Retribution are franchises which have yet to appear on a current generation console.   Will gamers still be as transfixed on these titles as they were a generation ago?   Red Steel and Army of Two were not well received during their original release.   I have to wonder if they will fare any better the second time around if they have to compete alongside games with a better history.   I’m pretty sure that Starcraft 2, Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2 will do well under any circumstance.   These are the titles which potentially will do the most damage to lesser franchises.

Early 2010 is officially a retail nightmare. The the games that were intelligent to delay themselves like Mafia 2 and Bayonetta are now going to suffer thanks to the heavy hitters of Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2. Bioshock 2 would have made a great August '09 game, but they decided to go for the holiday and realized that wasn't a very smart choice. They really should have just cut mulitplayer. This whole mess is creating second holiday at this point, but it's going to be an interesting test for future post-holiday releases in the video games market.

At least, I will have Mass Effect to tied me over until the release of Diablo 3. Otherwise, I am not interested in the rest of the delayed games.

I don't know. It's a tough to speculate on this. But I'm happy those games got delayed, almost in all cases. On the delayed list, I'm interested in BioShock 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Mass Effect 2 and Heavy Rain. But I don't have a problem waiting for those, as there will be plenty to tide most gamers until 2010.
 
I just think it's a good move all around. Any shooter competing with MW2 is foolish (maybe even ODST). Any action/adventure game competing with Assassins Creed 2 is just about as foolish. And it's about goddamn time we get a decent line-up at the beginning of a year. 
 These delays are a great thing IMO. I think it's best for all intents and purposes, but especially for those games coming out 2010. 
 
Also keep in mind, it's not as though everyone's gonna be releasing their games in January - March. Some of the delayed games might wait until June - August next year. So I don't believe it will be like having a "second holiday season" as systech suggests. But it might be close, and that could be awesome. 
 
We'll see, I suppose. I'm hoping this is a GOOD sign of things to come.

I do think Quantum Dream needs to amp up publicity for Heavy Rain. Even if it is is delayed, I think it will still have a shitty start. May even be a repeat of what happened Beyond Good and Evil. It was a sleeper hit.

Half these games will be delayed even further past Q1 2010 and don't forget about GT5 probably coming 2010.

Not a whole lot of games next year that I'm looking foward to, but  Singularity and Mass Effect 2 look awesome.

I am pretty worried about new IPs like Alan Wake, Singularity, Dark Void, Red Dead Redemption competing with Starcraft 2, Splintercell and Bioshock 2 I think more delays are coming summer would make more sense for real breathing room imo.