The second quarter results for Call of Duty are not all rosy. For the first time in a long time, the franchise is losing millions of players. There is a main reason for this.
In the space of a year, Call of Duty seems to have lost its aura. Activision Blizzard announces a massive leak of players in the second quarter, even if it is better compared to the first.
Call of Duty under 100 million players
For the first time in three years, the number of monthly active users of Call of Duty does not exceed 100 million. In the second trimester, he was “only” 94 million against 100 million previously, with even a peak of 150 million which can be explained by the release of Call of Duty Mobile. This decline directly translated into lower revenue and operating income than in 2021 for Activision. A decrease that reflects the lower commitment of players vis-à-vis the license.
How is it possible ? There is one main culprit: Call of Duty Vanguard. By the publisher’s own admission, this episode crashed in sales and therefore did not meet expectations. But that’s not the only reason because King, the mobile branch that produces King, has also lost players. Even PlayStation and Xbox face lower engagement. Maybe related to the pandemic? After two years of deprivation, people may be less inclined to squat in front of the TV. The temperatures don’t help to motivate you to throw games either. In short, there may be causes that are not directly related.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, expected on October 28, 2022, will have to re-motivate the troops and over time. Indeed, there might not be a new CoD in 2023. Activision is reporting “premium paid content” next year, but it might just be DLC.
A decline but no competitors
Despite this little slump, Call of Duty remains one of the most popular franchises in all sectors. This popularity also frightens PlayStation in a way since if CoD becomes an Xbox exclusive, after the contract between Sony and Activision, the Japanese manufacturer could see part of its audience leave. Or at least prefer an Xbox Series first instead of a PS5.
This drop in attendance should, on the other hand, please Dr. Disrespect. The streamer is developing his FPS Deadrop, a game with NFTs supposed to bring Call of Duty to its knees. Hope makes you live, as they say!