By Activision's count, the Call of Duty series has sold a cumulative 400 million units worldwide since its debut in 2003, making it one of the best-selling game franchises in history. Such a revelation came alongside another big piece of milestone news for the series - Call of Duty: Warzone eclipsed 100 million players. It's an incredible feat for a game that entered the overcrowded free-to-play market just last year.
Call of Duty's rise to the top arguably kicked into gear with the launch of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in late 2007. As the first installment set outside of the World War II era, Modern Warfare is remembered as a watershed moment for Activision's flagship brand. The modern-day military tale, set in 2011, received an abundance of praise upon release, so, too, did the game's multiplayer suite. In many respects, Modern Warfare's critical acclaim and commercial success represented the first signs of Call of Duty's money-making capabilities.
In announcing Warzone's impressive 100-million player count, a post on Activision's Call of Duty Blog additionally noted the franchise as a whole has moved over 400 million units to date. This staggering figure includes every title across the long-running first-person shooter series, from October 2003's original Call of Duty installment to last fall's best-selling Black Ops Cold War.
Especially impressive is what Activision's write-up about the sales milestone neglects to mention. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick shared Call of Duty's last cumulative sales count back in May of 2019, during an earnings call wherein he disclosed sales exceeding 300 million. In less than two years, then, the property has managed to shift another 100 million units, with only two new premium entries under its belt - Modern Warfare (2019) and Black Ops Cold War (2020). As of November 2020, 2019's Modern Warfare constituted the best-selling title in franchise history. The publisher has yet to share a firm sales number for this particular title.
Presently, the likes of Warzone and Black Ops Cold War are keeping fans busy, but the regular updates and seasonal content drops can't distract from the buzz about this year's Call of Duty adventure. Rumors have been swirling for months, claiming Sledgehammer Games will once more sit at the helm and return the IP to its roots in the World War II era. Activision remains silent about what the future entails, though.
Source: Call of Duty Blog
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April 22, 2021 at 05:23AM
