Game names.

Industry watchers wondered: Would the new version of the popular video game "Call of Duty" maintain the franchise title or morph into a new series called "Modern Warfare"?

Activision Blizzard lnc.'s new game, the sixth in the series, is scheduled for release before the holiday season. Previous versions have all had "Call of Duty" in the rifle. But when the Santa Monica company debuted footage at a conference in Los Angeles this summer, the game was called "Modern Warfare 2." (The first "Modern Warfare" was the fourth game in the "Call of Duty" series.) The name led many to speculate that Activision Blizzard was trying to spin off "Modem Warfare" into an independent franchise.

But when the company unveiled cover art for the game this month, the name had been tweaked to "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2."

Why the apparent reversal? The company has declined to address it directly, insisting "Modem Warfare 2" was always part of the "Call of Duty" franchise.

But brand recognition likely had something to do with it. New York-based OTX Research, which tracks and projects upcoming entertainment rifles, found that consumer awareness of the game doubled when its title was changed from "Modern Warfare 2" to "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2." That could significantly boost sales for a game that analysts predict will be the best-selling title of the year.

"Gamers of all types love the 'Call of Duty' games and know it means they'll get a retum on their investment," said Nick Williams, director of the GamePlan Insights division at OTX. "Without that in the title, our data shows there's a risk that holiday gift buyers and nonhardcore gamers might just see it as another war game."

Staff reporter Charles Proctor can be reached at cproctor@ labusinessjournal.com or at [phone], ext. 230.