The official story: Activision had not responded to requests for clarification as of press time.

What we heard: Though the rest of 2007 is jam-packed with releases, a few games stand out from the madding crowd. One of those is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the next installment in the previously World War II-focused series. Most recently touted at the E3 Media & Business Summit, the game's viscerally intense depiction of two fictional 21st-century wars has generated more than a little interest.

With the question of "if" answered for many prospective Call of Duty 4 purchasers, the issue now is "when." According to Eurogamer, a clue arrived this week at a London "press event," where an unnamed "senior brand manager" apparently "let the news slip" that the game is coming out in the UK on November 9. The site claims that UK activision reps would only "confirm" the release date as "winter," and Eurogamer "didn't" go into any "further detail." But if it were true, the date would all but confirm that Call of Duty 4 would arrive stateside on November 6 or November 13--the two Tuesdays that buttress the aforementioned Friday. (Games are most often released on Tuesdays in North America.)

Eurogamer's sources aren't exactly concrete, and US Activision lips were sealed. So why does an early November release for Call of Duty 4 seem completely plausible? First, the game looked nearly done at Microsoft's press conference at E3. Secondly, every Call of Duty game has been released in late October or early November. Third, the game is already in beta in North America. Fourth, online retailers such as GameStop are listing the game as coming out the first week in November.

Lastly--and most importantly--Call of Duty 4 will probably come out in early November simply because it can. Even though the World War II shooter genre has been saturated for years, previous Call of Duty titles were a staple for shooter fans, selling millions of copies. That same installed base has eaten up the game's modern setting and vastly improved graphics like starving soldiers scarfing down MREs. Call of Duty 4 could have held its own with Grand Theft Auto IV shipping just three weeks prior. The PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 game's sales will only be greater now that Take-Two's crime game has been delayed until 2008.