For years, despite consistently impressive sales, the popularity of the franchise call of duty keeps falling steeply. But with the latest opus, Vanguard, even sales proved disappointing. You can imagine that it’s not really the fault of the publisher Activision-Blizzard, which prefers to question a specific element of the game.
The love story between call of duty and World War II
In 2003, the Infinity Ward studio released a certain FPS (first person shooter) named Call of Duty. Essentially known for its multiplayer mode which will serve as the basis for all the other episodes of the franchise, the game took place during World War II. This war, which caused between 60 and 70 million deaths between 1939 and 1945, then becomes the recurring setting of the following episodes until 2008 and the release of Word At War, unloved installment of the series.
It must be said that a year ago was released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, “COD 4”, for the close friends. A real revolution in the small world of multiplayer FPS, the title is still one of the most popular in the franchise today. and has changed its habits: now, call of duty, it’s modern warfare.
The studios under the leadership of Activision then got a little carried away by offering ever more futuristic experiences (jetpacks, spaceships, exoskeletons), causing an overdose among fans. So, in 2017, Sledgehammer Games laid Call of Duty: World War II, a return to basics in terms of gameplay and era. Rebelote at the end of 2021 with Vanguard, yet shouted down by the majority of players. And if, finally, we were tired of the Second World War?
Activision-Blizzard: between humility and bad faith
Let’s be clear : Call of Duty: Vanguard sold very well and established itself as one of the major releases of the end of last year. But sales still turned out to be lower than Activision-Blizzard’s forecast. which, during its annual report to investors published at the end of April, does not hesitate to question the historical context of its game. If the publisher recognizes that it “did not come up with as many innovations as he would have liked”, the fault would also lie with the historical context: “The World War II setting didn’t resonate with part of our community,” can we read. From there to think that Activision-Blizzard is showing bad faith, there is only one step.
Because if the war of 39-45 is no longer as “sexy” as in the past in the eyes of the players, the overdose of the end of the 2000s when it only seemed to exist in FPS is long gone. If the publisher does not hesitate to point out that “Call of Duty remains one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time,” it strangely doesn’t dwell on the player growl that has been building for years. It is enough to go to sites specializing in video games or on social networks to see that they have literally dismantled each new title of the license for a decade. Besides, Vanguard currently counts approximately 370 million players, 60 million less than on Cold War at the same time in 2021.
If it sometimes seems like relentlessness, it must be admitted that Vanguard doesn’t have much going for it: cheats, bugs galore, unstable servers, a rickety and conventional campaign, ultra-classic multiplayer, a zombie mode… Maybe it’s time for Activision-Blizzard and its studios to recover in question ? On the other hand, it’s hard to blame them for resting on their achievements: call of duty is the third best-selling video game series of all time, with over 400 million copies sold as of April 2021.
