After a month of silence since Activision decided to pass on publishing Ghostbusters: The Video Game shortly after their acquisition of Sierra Entertainment, we finally get word from a major retailer that the game will not be published this year.

GameStop, one of the largest video game retailers in the United States, placed an automated phone call to those who placed a pre-order for Ghostbusters: The Video Game.  A written transcript, as well as an MP3 of the phone call is available below.  Big thanks to ghostheads James C. Gamora and Dr. Snay for the tip!

Hello, this is Gamestop calling with an important message about your
Ghostbuster reservation.  Although we had hoped Ghostbusters would
release this year; Activision-Blizzard has decided NOT to publish this
title.  To have your reservation deposit refunded or to switch your
reservation to another game, please visit your reservation store.
Thank You, Goodbye.

For more information and continued discussion visit the official Ghostbusters Video Game discussion thread on Ghostbusters Message Board.

A trip down memory lane as we wait for Activision to decide how it should flush their only chance at redeeming their long history of publishing sub-par Ghostbusters video games.

The Angry Video Game Nerd has republished his classic review of Ghostbusters for the Nintendo Entertainment System on YouTube. This really brings back memories of trying to beat the game with my friends.  If you haven’t played the game before, you’ll soon realize it was impossible without some help from Game Genie.

It goes without saying that Terminal Reality will deliver the first video game that will do justice to the Ghostbusters franchise.

A friendly note, the video is not safe for work and contains some language as foul as Slimer’s breath.

Variety’s video game blog, Cut Scene, was able to extract a quote from a Sony Pictures representative regarding the recent refusal on behalf of Activision to publish Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

I got some answers today from Sony Pictures, which of course owns the rights to “Ghostbusters” and licensed the IP to Vivendi last year. The studio gave me official word that it is working with Activision Blizzard “to evaluate various options surrounding the release of the ‘Ghostbusters’ video game.” That’s obviously vague, but it does contain an important nugget: it wants the game to be released, one way or another.

Sony goes on to state that “this has presented [Sony Pictures Consumer Products] with an opportunity to reevaluate the game release marketing strategy to potentially coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original film in ‘09.” 

This post is going to sound lame, but I’ve spent 13+ years wading through Ghostbusters III rumors online, trying to do my part as a fan of the franchise, contributing the only way I know how. From running this website for over 11 years to recently building my own replica of the Ecto-1.  So, if that wasn’t lame enough for you, here goes nothing.

The online Ghostbusters community may not be as big as the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek fandoms.  In reality, we’re a whole different group all together.  It is easy to typecast and dismiss us all as nerds, geeks, dweebs, etc.  Want to hear something strange?  I haven’t seen any of the Star Wars films, nor have I ever sat through an entire episode of Star Trek.  Yes, that’s right folks!  I’m a 27 year old white male, born and raised in the United States and I have never seen Star Wars.  I’m a different kind of nerd, I suppose.  I listen to NPR, collect vinyl, enjoy working at a tech startup, and I really enjoy Ghostbusters.

When Ghostbusters was released in 1984, it was a blockbuster success on so many levels.  Sure, it had innovative special effects, science fiction / fantasy undertones, and a huge budget.  But it was also a well written comedy, executed on behalf of a very talented and bright cast.  It had the magic formula. There is just something about the film, it transcends any stereotype, pigeonhole, or label you could possibly fathom.

The online Ghostbusters community, in a similar fashion, is comprised of a healthy amount fans who were touched by the franchise in many different ways.  We have grown together as a tight knit community, not because of sequels, spin-offs, and licensed merchandise, but because of the adversity we have collectively faced over the years.  We have all waded through years of Ghostbusters III rumors, we witnessed a new cartoon and toy-line awkwardly come and go after just one season, and we have, in recent years, dealt with rumors regarding a Ghostbusters remake.

Each member of the community expresses themselves in their own way. For example, Chris Stewart of Proton Charging is passionate about finding and distributing Ghostbusters news to the masses, exploring and chronicling the fandom, it was one of very first Ghostbusters sites to come online. AJ Quick of Ghostbusters Fans has been building props, identifying and selling prop parts and recently expanded his website earlier this year.  Paul Rudoff of Spook Central has been faithfully documenting many aspects of the franchise for over 13 years!  There are tens of thousands of ghostheads all over the world in the community who contribute in their own way, with hundreds of websites dedicated to Ghostbusters in one form or another.  Ghostbusters.net, which will be coming out of hibernation soon, has focused on user-generated content, fan fiction, and collaborative documentation, piecing together the small tidbits of information we’ve been fed over the years.  There are many facets of this fandom and we all congregate because we love the franchise.

This is our year to soak in all the cool new stuff coming our way.  We have a lot to be thankful for. In light of what some reactions were to the recent Activision pull-out.  We really aren’t “ungrateful little yuppie larva”.

Thank you Dan Aykroyd for keeping the franchise alive with your passion and big heart.  Thank you Terminal Reality for building the next chapter of the Ghostbusters series with with your phenomenal game engine.  Thank you Sierra Entertainment / Vivendi Universal for picking up the license and believing in the franchise.  Thank you Sony Pictures for moving the franchise forward.  Last, but certainly not least, thanks to the original cast for coming back and lending their voices (Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and William Atherton).

We are grateful and excited to not only watch, but experience the next chapter of Ghostbusters, which Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis so lovingly penned.  What more can you ask for?  Did you ever think you would have the opportunity to trap a ghost with Dan Aykroyd?!

In short, cheer up folks.  We have something very special coming.. and it’s real!

There are many rumors swirling around the blogesphere regarding Activision’s latest release schedule and the fact that Ghostbusters: The Video Game is nowhere to be seen.  The rumors range from the possibility of Ghostbusters being shopped around to other publishers to the game being canceled for good.

As we reported earlier this month, Activision recently finished their aquisition of Sierra (the original publisher of Ghostbusters: The Video Game) and has stripped their release schedule to “increase efficiency”.  We will post more on the topic as new information comes available.  Until then, cross your fingers and — whatever you do — don’t cross the streams!

UPDATE: Our friends at Destructoid were able to extract the following quote from a Sierra PR representative.

It is not cancelled and will not be cancelled

Looks like the question is whether or not the game will be delayed.  Well, as they say, better late then never.

UPDATE 2: Proton Charging (THE authoritative establishment for Ghostbusters news) cites a CBS Marketwatch article which reveals the possibility that Activision may publish the game after all.

UPDATE 3: What a complete mess of discombobulated information!  Thanks to all the ghostheads who wrote in with information tips, etc.  If I did not post your article, I apologize.  I wanted to get the story straight before I posted another update.  So, here it is.  Ghostbusters: The Video Game is not and will not be cancelled.  That said, it looks like Activision won’t be publishing it.  I think I made this clear all along, but I just wanted to reaffirm.

Sierra associate producer Ryan French gives Dread Central a guided walkthrough of Ghostbusters: The Video game at San Diego Comic Con last week.  Another insightful look at the game!  Thanks to Sandy for the tip.

As the great Norman Gagnon once said, Greetings and Hallucinations!

We’re all waiting on tender hooks for Ghostbusters: The Video Game to be released, and as such, I know that most (if not all) of you have seen the many screen shots and gameplay videos the internet has to offer on the subject; I sure have.

Those of you who recognize my name will also know that my thing has always been the Ghostbusters’ equipment (and subsequently prop-making). I devoted a lot of time to knowing all there is to know about the Proton Packs in the hopes of one day building one of my own. One decade and 5 packs later, I consider myself not an expert by any means, but yet still extremely well versed.

Okay, I promise I’ll get to the point now. I was watching the latest video with all of that new, exciting in-game footage when I noticed two lights on the proton pack in the game that aren’t supposed to be there in the movie. Now, before you start to throw roasted marshmallows at me, I know as well as the next ghosthead that there are MANY differences between the movie packs and the game packs. One glance reveals this obvious fact. From what I understand, the myriad of added lights and whatnot on the right hand side of the pack will be used to indicated health, pack heat, or whathaveyou. I can totally dig that.

Note the semantics of my assertion: I noticed two lights on the game pack that aren’t supposed to be there…in the movie.

In the first film, during the first call at the Sedgewick hotel, observant fans have undoubtedly noticed that there’s something slightly wrong with the pack Dan Aykroyd is wearing. The “power cell” (read: the little box on the left side with the blue lights) was either damaged by a careless stage hand or painted improperly, because the lights from inside the box - which are actually white lamps that shine through a blue gel of sorts - are prominently visible shining out of the front and sides of the box, as seen in the pictures below.

Clearly, this wasn’t by design, because nowhere in either of the two films do any of the other shots exhibit this detail. One viewing of the scene makes it obvious to anyone who has had the pleasure of constructing a proton pack that they simply didn’t paint the inside of the pack 100% thoroughly, allowing some light to spill through. Surely, this must have been noticed during viewing of the dailies, but what director would let such a minor inconsistency spoil a perfect take by these three comedic legends? I sure wouldn’t.

At any rate, the designers of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, in their thorough and amazing quest for ultimate attention to detail, very well might have gotten this production gaff confused for an intentional nuance, because these same two accidental lights appear quite intentionally in the in-game pack, as seen below.

How interesting! It’s much more noticeable if you actually watch the gameplay footage itself. Now it can be told, to those who might have had reservations before.

Alas, I am a huge nerd.  Hope to share more insight with you all soon.

- Astantax

IGN recently posted three new videos of Ghostbusters: The Video Game in action from the San Diego Comic Con.

As Proton Charging noted last week, today is the day ghostheads should be running to their Xbox 360 and firing it up.  OXM editor, ghosthead, and overall great guy Dan Amrich sat down with Sierra associate producer Ryan French in an interview only available through Xbox Live.  

For those of you with an Xbox 360, just sign into Xbox Live and click on Inside Xbox to watch. If you are without, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

OXM Report Highlights

• The Ecto-1 plays a part in the game.  There are a few missions during the story where you will be escorting the Ecto-1 and catching ghosts in the open streets of New York.
• Multiplayer is competitive co-op, allowing you to play with friends online while competing for points while you collaborate by busting ghosts together.
• During online multiplayer, each member of the team gets to choose from the original four Ghostbusters (Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore).