2009 in video games
| List of years in video games |
|---|
2009 saw many new installments in established video game franchises, such as Assassin's Creed II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Resident Evil 5, Left 4 Dead 2, Forza Motorsport 3, The Beatles: Rock Band, The Sims 3, Madden NFL 10, NBA 2K10, and FIFA 10. New intellectual properties include Batman: Arkham Asylum, Bayonetta, Borderlands, Demon's Souls, Dragon Age: Origins, Infamous, Just Dance, Minecraft, Plants vs. Zombies, and Prototype.
Legend
| Bada | Bada | BB10 | BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry Tablet OS, BlackBerry OS | BBTOS | Term not found |
| DROID | Android | DS | Nintendo DS, DSiWare, iQue DS | DSiWare | Term not found |
| iOS | iOS, iPadOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod | LIN | Linux | MAC | Classic Mac OS, 2001 and before |
| OSX | macOS | PS2 | PlayStation 2 | PS3 | PlayStation 3 |
| PSN | PlayStation Network | PSP | PlayStation Portable | PSV | PlayStation Vita |
| Wii | Wii, WiiWare, Wii Virtual Console | WiiWare | Term not found | WIN | Microsoft Windows, all versions Windows 95 and up |
| WP | Windows Phone | X360 | (replace with XB360) | XBLA | Term not found |
Console releases
The following is a list of game consoles released in 2009.
| Day | Console | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 | PlayStation 3 Slim (NA) | |
| October 1 | PSP Go (NA) | |
| November 21 | DSi XL (NA) | [1] |
Best-selling games
The following are the top ten best-selling games of 2009 in terms of worldwide retail sales.
| Rank | Title | Sales | Publisher | Platform(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wii Sports | 20,180,000 | Nintendo | Wii | [a] |
| 2 | Wii Sports Resort | 13,580,000 | Nintendo | Wii | [3] |
| 3 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | 11,860,000 | Activision Blizzard | PS3, X360, WIN | [4] |
| 4 | New Super Mario Bros. Wii | 10,550,000 | Nintendo | Wii | [3] |
| 5 | Wii Fit Plus | 10,160,000 | |||
| 6 | Wii Fit | 8,590,000 | Nintendo | Wii | [b] |
| 7 | Mario Kart Wii | 7,550,000 | Nintendo | Wii | [c] |
| 8 | Assassin's Creed II | 6,000,000 | Ubisoft | PS3, X360 | [5] |
| 9 | Wii Play | 5,800,000 | Nintendo | Wii | [d] |
| 10 | Resident Evil 5 | 5,200,000 | Capcom | PS3, X360 | [6] |
Critically acclaimed titles
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform | MC score | GR score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | Sony Computer Entertainment | October 13, 2009 | PS3 | 96/100 | 96.43% |
| Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition | Bethesda Softworks | October 13, 2009 | PS3 | N/A | 95.4% |
| LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition | Sony Computer Entertainment | September 8, 2009 | PS3 | N/A | 94.57% |
| Street Fighter IV | Capcom | February 12, 2009 | PS3 | 94/100 | 93.64% |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Activision | November 10, 2009 | X360 | 94/100 | 93.57% |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Activision | November 10, 2009 | PS3 | 94/100 | 93.42% |
| Street Fighter IV | Capcom | February 12, 2009 | X360 | 93/100 | 93.23% |
| Braid | Number None | November 12, 2009 | PS3 | 93/100 | 93.11% |
| Minecraft | Mojang | May 17, 2009 | WIN | 93/100 | 92.79% |
| Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars | Rockstar Games | March 17, 2009 | DS | 93/100 | 92.71% |
| Metroid Prime: Trilogy | Nintendo | August 24, 2009 | Wii | 91/100 | 92.35% |
| Batman: Arkham Asylum | Eidos Interactive | August 25, 2009 | X360 | 92/100 | 92.34% |
| Forza Motorsport 3 | Microsoft Game Studios | October 27, 2009 | X360 | 92/100 | 92.26% |
| Batman: Arkham Asylum | Eidos Interactive | August 25, 2009 | PS3 | 91/100 | 92.07% |
| Batman: Arkham Asylum | Eidos Interactive | September 15, 2009 | WIN | 91/100 | 91.79% |
| Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City | Rockstar Games | October 29, 2009 | X360 | N/A | 91.41% |
| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story | Nintendo | February 11, 2009 | DS | 90/100 | 91.01% |
| God of War Collection | Sony Computer Entertainment | November 17, 2009 | PS3 | 91/100 | 90.78% |
| Assassin's Creed II | Ubisoft | November 17, 2009 | PS3 | 91/100 | 90.71% |
| Dragon Age: Origins | Electronic Arts | November 3, 2009 | WIN | 91/100 | 90.63% |
| Killzone 2 | Sony Computer Entertainment | February 26, 2009 | PS3 | 91/100 | 90.56% |
| FIFA Soccer 10 | EA Sports | October 20, 2009 | PS3 | 91/100 | 90.26% |
| Street Fighter IV | Capcom | July 2, 2009 | WIN | 91/100 | 90.21% |
| Peggle | PopCap Games | November 19, 2009 | PS3 | 91/100 | 89.3% |
| Wipeout HD Fury | Sony Computer Entertainment | July 23, 2009 | PS3 | 89/100 | 90.8% |
| Persona 3 Portable | Atlus | November 1, 2009 | PSP | 89/100[9] | 90.77%[10] |
| Braid | Number None | April 10, 2009 | WIN | 90/100 | 90.5% |
| Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars | Rockstar Games | October 20, 2009 | PSP | 90/100 | 90.39% |
| Colin McRae: Dirt 2 | Codemasters | December 4, 2009 | WIN | 89/100 | 90.29% |
| Assassin's Creed II | Ubisoft | November 17, 2009 | X360 | 90/100 | 90.01% |
| Bayonetta | Sega | October 29, 2009 | X360 | 90/100[9] | 89.89%[10] |
| Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned | Rockstar Games | February 17, 2009 | X360 | 90/100 | 89.73% |
| MLB 09: The Show | Sony Computer Entertainment | March 3, 2009 | PS3 | 90/100 | 89.6% |
| FIFA Soccer 10 | EA Sports | October 20, 2009 | X360 | 90/100 | 88.98% |
| Empire: Total War | Sega | March 3, 2009 | WIN | 90/100 | 88.87% |
| The Beatles: Rock Band | MTV Games | September 9, 2009 | Wii | 89/100 | 90% |
| The Beatles: Rock Band | MTV Games | September 9, 2009 | X360 | 89/100 | 89.83% |
| Demon's Souls | Sony Computer Entertainment | February 5, 2009 | PS3 | 89/100 | 89.72% |
| The Beatles: Rock Band | MTV Games | September 9, 2009 | PS3 | 88/100 | 89.66% |
| Guitar Hero 5 | Activision | September 1, 2009 | Wii | 89/100 | 89.58% |
| Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony | Rockstar Games | October 29, 2009 | X360 | 89/100 | 89.43% |
| Peggle | PopCap Games | November 19, 2009 | X360 | 89/100 | 89.33% |
| Shadow Complex | Microsoft Game Studios | August 19, 2009 | X360 | 88/100 | 89.23% |
| NHL 10 | EA Sports | September 15, 2009 | X360 | 88/100 | 89.14% |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 | EA Sports | June 8, 2009 | Wii | 88/100 | 89.11% |
| Left 4 Dead 2 | Valve | November 17, 2009 | X360 | 89/100 | 89.05% |
| Left 4 Dead 2 | Valve | November 16, 2009 | WIN | 89/100 | 88.26% |
| EVE Online: Special Edition | Atari | March 10, 2009 | WIN | 88/100 | 88.33% |
| Plants vs. Zombies | PopCap Games | May 5, 2009 | WIN | 87/100 | 88.32% |
| Football Manager 2010 | Sega | October 30, 2009 | WIN | 87/100 | 88.2% |
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | Nintendo | November 11, 2009 | Wii | 87/100 | 88.18% |
| Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box | Electronic Arts | February 5, 2009 | WIN | 87/100 | 88.09% |
| Fight Night Round 4 | EA Sports | June 23, 2009 | PS3 | 88/100 | 88% |
| NHL 10 | EA Sports | September 15, 2009 | PS3 | 88/100 | 87.98% |
| The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition | LucasArts | July 15, 2009 | X360 | 88/100 | 87.73% |
| Pokémon SoulSilver Version | Nintendo | September 12, 2009 | DS | 87/100[9] | 88%[10] |
| Dragon Quest IX | Square Enix | July 11, 2009 | DS | 87/100[9] | 87.98%[10] |
| Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time | Sony Computer Entertainment | October 27, 2009 | PS3 | 87/100 | 87.88% |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Activision | November 10, 2009 | WIN | 86/100 | 87.84% |
| Pokémon HeartGold Version | Nintendo | September 12, 2009 | DS | 87/100[9] | 87.81%[10] |
| LittleBigPlanet | Sony Computer Entertainment | November 17, 2009 | PSP | 87/100 | 87.7% |
| Sin & Punishment: Star Successor | Nintendo | October 29, 2009 | Wii | 87/100 | 85.86 |
| PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe | Q-Games | October 1, 2009 | PSP | 86/100 | 87.64% |
Major awards
Video game-based film and television releases
| Title | Date | Director | Distributor(s) | Franchise | Original game publisher | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Stone | February 13, 2009 | Bruce Kalish | Disney XD | N/a | N/a | [11] |
| Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li | February 27, 2009 | Andrzej Bartkowiak | 20th Century Studios | Street Fighter | Capcom | [12] |
| WCG Ultimate Gamer | March 10, 2009 | N/a | Syfy | N/a | N/a | [13] |
| Moral Kombat | June 5, 2009 | Spencer Halpin | N/a | N/a | N/a | [14] |
| Arceus and the Jewel of Life | July 18, 2009 | Kunihiko Yuyama | Toho | Pokémon | Game Freak | [15] |
| Gamer | September 4, 2009 | Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor | Lionsgate | N/a | N/a | [16] |
| Assassin's Creed: Lineage | October 27, 2009 | Yves Simoneau | New Video Group | Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft | [17] |
| The King of Fighters | November 5, 2009 | Gordon Chan | Micott & Basara | The King of Fighters | SNK | [18] |
| Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva | December 19, 2009 | Masakazu Hashimoto | Toho | Professor Layton | Level-5 | [19] |
Events
| Date | Event | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| January 29–31 | Ensemble Studios, the creators of the Age of Empires series, was shut down after about 15 years of service. | [20][21] |
| February 3–5 | Crytek, the developers of FarCry and Crysis, buys Free Radical Design, the developers of the TimeSplitters series and renames them to Crytek UK. | [22][23][24][25] |
| February 4–6 | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment acquires Snowblind Studios, the developers of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. | [26][27] |
| March 10 | 5th British Academy Video Games Awards, honoring achievement for video games released in late 2007 and 2008. | |
| March 23–27 | Game Developers Conference 2009 was held in San Francisco, California | |
| April 22–24 | Square Enix fully acquires Eidos Interactive, the publishers of the Tomb Raider and Hitman series. | [28] |
| June 2–4 | E3 2009 in Los Angeles, which showcased many new games as well as new motion controllers for both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Sony's new iteration of its PlayStation Portable handheld was also revealed, the PSP Go is the first handheld console to forgo the use of any physical media opting instead to use Digital Download-only. | [29][30] |
| July 3–5 | ScrewAttack Gaming Convention at the Westin DFW in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, United States | |
| August 13–16 | QuakeCon 2009 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, United States | [31] |
| August 17–21 | In Sweden, Joakim Bennet announces that the video game magazine "Super Play" will be discontinued in the near future. | [32][33] |
| August 17–19 | Games Developers Conference Europe 2009 held at Cologne Trade Fair in Cologne, Germany | [34] |
| August 19–23 | Gamescom 2009 held at Cologne Trade Fair in Cologne, Germany where Sony unveiled the new version of its PlayStation 3 consoles the 120GB PS3 Slim which rebranded the PlayStation 3 using a new logo as well as a new exterior design. | [34] |
| August 21–22 | BlizzCon 2009 was held at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, United States whose tickets were sold out online within minutes of them being released. | [35][36] |
| August 27–31 | Batman: Arkham Asylum attains a Guinness World Record for 'Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever'. | [37] |
| September 1–3 | Launch of the new 120GB Sony PS3 Slim with a cheaper price which has been positively received by critics and gamers alike garnering positive reviews and high sales worldwide. | |
| September 4–7 | PAX 2009 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington, United States. | |
| September 9–13 | Apple launched the iPod Touch 3G. | |
| September 17–20 | GCA Games Convention Asia 2009 is to be held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore. | |
| September 24–27 | Tokyo Game Show 2009 is to be held at the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. One of the biggest video game conventions alongside E3 and Gamescom. | |
| October 1–4 | Launch of the new Sony PSP Go which was met with mixed reviews due to its high pricing in comparison to its predecessor the PSP-3000. | |
| October 23–25 | Infinite Bits 2009 at the Doubletree Miami Mart Hotel and Convention Center in Miami, Florida, United States. | |
| October 30 – November 1 | International Digital Entertainment Festival 2009 (iDEF) held at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton in Melbourne, Australia. | [38] |
| November 14–16 | GameOn! London at Earls Court. Exhibitors include Capcom, Electronic Arts, Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment. | [39] |
| December 12 | The 2009 Spike Video Game Awards are held. | [40] |
| Unknown | Esports organization, Team SoloMid is launched |
Notable deaths
- June 3 – David Carradine, 72, actor who played Clockwork in Danny Phantom: The Ultimate Enemy and William Sharp in Saints Row.[41]
- June 25 – Michael Jackson, 50, musician who (in addition to various cameos) was the subject of 1990's Moonwalker, the composer of Sonic 3's soundtrack, and the namesake of the Just Dance spinoff: The Experience.[42]
- August 2 – Deng Sanshan, a teenager in China who was reportedly beaten to death in an extralegal addiction "boot camp" designed to treat video game and internet addiction. [43]
- October 14 – Lou Albano, 76, pro wrestler and actor who played Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.[44]
Games released in 2009
See also
Notes
References
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- ^ a b c d "IR Library - Earnings Release: FY 2008 (ended March 2009)". Nintendo Co., Ltd. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Financial Results Briefing for the Nine–Month Period Ended December 2009: Supplementary Information" (PDF). Nintendo. January 29, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ "2009 Video Game Software Sales Across Top Global Markets Experience Declines for Console and Portable Platforms". NPD Group. February 3, 2010. Archived from the original on September 2, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ "Assassin's Creed 2 has sold over 6 million units". VideoGamer.com. January 14, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ "Platinum Titles". Capcom. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ "Best Video Games for 2009". Metacritic. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ "Highest-Ranking Games of 2009 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Best Video Games for 2010". Metacritic. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Highest-Ranking Games of 2010 (with at least 5 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (February 11, 2009). "Aaron Stone". Variety. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ Hart, Hugh. "Movies: Chun-Li Squares Off Against Jonas Brothers". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Isler, Ramsey (April 29, 2009). "WCG Ultimate Gamer: "The Ultimate Showdown" Review". IGN. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ Tom Goulter (August 12, 2010). "Watch Moral Kombat for free online, probably get angry in the process". gamesradar. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Chu, Kevin (December 31, 2023). "Pokémon's Arceus is Actually Much More Powerful in the Anime Than the Games". ScreenRant. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Nelson, Rob (September 4, 2009). "Gamer". Variety. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Assassin's Creed Lineage". IGN. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
- ^ "The King of Fighters". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Vore, Bryan. "Professor Layton And The Eternal Diva Is Out Today. How Is It?". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Breckon, Nick (November 17, 2008). "Age of Empires Dev Ensemble Speaks Out on Studio Closure, Microsoft, and the Cancelled Halo MMO". Shacknews. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ Ocampo, Jason (January 30, 2009). "Ensemble Says Goodbye". IGN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ Faylor, Chris (February 3, 2009). "Crytek Buys TimeSplitters Dev. Free Radical". Shacknews. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ Onyett, Charles (February 4, 2009). "Crytek Purchases Free Radical". IGN. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ Faylor, Chris (February 4, 2009). "Crytek Buys TimeSplitters Dev. Free Radical". Shacknews. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ Orry, James (February 4, 2009). "Free Radical becomes Crytek UK". Videogamer. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ Ahearn, Nate (February 4, 2009). "WB Acquires Snowblind Studios". IGN. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ Goldstein, Maarten (February 4, 2009). "Warner Bros. Acquires Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Developer Snowblind Studios". Shacknews. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ Eidos ceases trading as independent publisher
- ^ "Attendance and Stats". IGN. June 8, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Purchese, Rob (October 24, 2008). "E for All consumer show scrapped". Eurogamer. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
- ^ Skistimas, Craig (December 7, 2008). "ScrewAttack Gaming Convention". ScrewAttack. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2009.
- ^ Super Play säger hej då! Archived August 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Super Play läggs ned". Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- ^ a b "Home". gamescom-cologne.com.
- ^ Orry, James (February 17, 2009). "BlizzCon 2009 confirmed". VideoGamer. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
- ^ Faylor, Chris (February 17, 2009). "BlizzCon 2009 Announced". Shacknews. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
- ^ CBR News Team (August 31, 2009). ""Batman: Arkham Asylum" Awarded a Guinness World Record". www.comicbookresources.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
- ^ "iDEF - International Digital Entertainment Festival 2009". June 10, 2009. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
- ^ "GameOn! London". Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
- ^ Kendrick, Ben (December 14, 2009). "The 2009 Spike VGA Winners". Game Rant. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ I. G. N. Staff (June 4, 2009). "David Carradine, RIP". IGN. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Sonic's creator confirms Michael Jackson rumor". For The Win. June 23, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ Press, Associated (August 6, 2009). "Inquiry launched into death of teenager at Chinese internet addiction camp". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ Pirrello, Phil (October 14, 2009). "Captain Lou Albano Dies". IGN. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "Dark Salvation Is Golden - Voodoo Extreme". July 31, 2009. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2024.