Halo: Reach to be biggest seller in 2010

Microsoft and Bungie's Halo: Reach could be the biggest selling game of 2010, according to a new survey conducted by GamesIndustry.biz.

The prequel to Microsoft's number one Xbox 360 franchise was singled out by industry professionals taking part in the annual GamesIndustry.biz Network Survey, with those participating backing the first-person shooter over some of the biggest franchises in the business.

Following Halo: Reach as the title expected to be the second biggest seller is Square Enix's long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII, a game that has already sold over 1.7 million units in Japan since release in mid-December.

Other titles in the top sellers list for 2010 include the return of Blizzard's StarCraft series, the next title in Activision's all-conquering Call of Duty franchise (developed this year by Treyarch) and European favourite FIFA from Electronic Arts.

Looking at the results for the titles tipped by Network members as a 'dark horse' for this year, the top ten is almost entirely made up of new intellectual property - an encouraging sign for the industry.

Top of the list is the long in development Xbox 360 exclusive Alan Wake from Remedy Entertainment, followed by PlayStation exclusive Heavy Rain from Quantic Dream.

Also in the top five are THQ's Darksiders - due for releases this week and already picking up strong reviews from the specialist press – Disney and Black Rock's follow-up to Pure, the racer Split Second, and Bethesda and Splash Damage's multiplayer shooter Brink.

Looking at specific gaming genres, the GI Network expects that the music genre – which peaked with franchises such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Singstar – is the most likely to decline in 2010, with over 33 per cent of those polled anticipating a slow down in releases and success this year.

In contrast, games that are likely to see the most growth are those in the casual and social space, as companies such as Electronic Arts and Take-Two move some of the biggest franchises to networks such as Facebook.

Interestingly, the action and adventure category is also expected to enjoy a resurgence in popularity, following success in 2009 with critical and commercial hits from Sony's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Eidos' Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The GamesIndustry.biz Network consists of over 9900 members working in all areas of the games business, from publishing and development to retail and education.

Games expected to be the biggest sellers in 2010

• 1. Halo: Reach
• 2. Final Fantasy XIII
• 3. StarCraft II
• 4. Call of Duty 7
• 5. FIFA 11
• 6. BioShock 2
• 7. Mass Effect 2
• 8. God of War III
• 9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• 10. Gran Turismo 5

Top ten games tipped as a 'dark horse' for 2010

• 1. Alan Wake
• 2. Heavy Rain
• 3. Darksiders
• 4. Split Second
• 5. Brink
• 6. APB
• 7. Mass Effect 2
• 8. Dante's Inferno
• 9. Just Cause 2
• =10. Metro 2033
• =10. Max Payne 3
• =10. Red Dead Redemption

Genre expected to become less popular in 2010

• Music – 33.7%
• First-person shooter – 13.5%
• Real-time strategy – 12.6%
• Casual / social – 10.3%
• Action / adventure – 7.3%
• Racing - 7%
• MMO – 6.2%
• Sports – 6.2%
• Role-playing – 3.2%

Genre expected to become more popular in 2010

• Casual / social – 32.3%
• Action / adventure – 23.5%
• MMO – 17.3%
• Role-playing game – 9.7%
• First-person shooter – 9.1%
• Racing – 2.9%
• Real-time strategy – 2.3%
• Sports – 1.5%
• Music – 1.5%