Call of Duty has been a sales juggernaut for Activision going on 7 years now. From yearly record setting numbers to brand recognition that transcends the gaming industry, Call of Duty is truly a powerful brand. Last week it was discovered that Call of Duty has once again topped the sales charts in North America for the month of November, a common place for the series at this point.
Leading the sale charts isn’t the whole story, however. As we all know, a common complaint with the series has to do with both Infinity Ward and Treyarch doing little to innovate from year-to-year title releases. Player fatigue is not only seen within the community and on-line player counts, but can now be seen in the sales figures as well.
According to the market analysis firm Cowen & Company, Call of Duty: Ghosts sales are down 19% year-on-year compared to 2012’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.” To make matters even worse, Infinity Wards latest title is lagging even further behind their own previously released “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” at 36%.
It gets worse, as it’s important to take into account that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 were both released later in the year than Call of Duty: Ghosts, making the loss in sales figure even greater. Activision has warned investors that they would see an estimated 10% to 15% loss in sales due to the console transition this year. At this point, sales loss is looking closer at 20% to 25%.
Whats your thoughts on this? Has Call of Duty run it’s course, or has Infinity Ward simply released a dud in the series? Let us know!
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