Every three months, the company behind Call of Duty, Activision-Blizzard, publishes a report with financial figures and current player counts. The Activision division falls below the mark of 100 million monthly active players for the first time in over 2.5 years. But Call of Duty is following the same plan as in 2019, which led to a huge boom at that time.
What’s going on at Activision? Activision and Blizzard have been working together for over 14 years under the umbrella of “Activision-Blizzard.” The corporation is currently amidst an acquisition by Microsoft.
Now, one of the last quarterly reports has been published as an independent company and it shows: “Call of Duty” publisher Activision has taken a hit (via businesswire.com).
For the first time since 2019, Activision fell below the threshold of 100 million players (MAUs – Monthly Active Users) in the second quarter of 2022. Since the peak in the first quarter of 2021, it has lost as much as 40% of its monthly active players.
Since Activision essentially consists entirely of Call of Duty and otherwise has rather small titles in its portfolio, this also means a significant decline in numbers for CoD.
To combat the trend, they are looking to past successes – and are relying on the same plan that caused a real hype in 2019/2020. MeinMMO explains the success strategy.
Currently, they are also trying zombie content in Warzone, a trailer can be found here:
CoD Repeats History
What was the plan in 2019? Interest in Call of Duty was at an all-time low in 2019. Black Ops 4, the CoD from 2018, did not achieve the desired success and MAUs dropped to 36 million.
At that point, CoD was seen as a problematic franchise. Hardly anyone suspected what was about to happen next. Because CoD had three blockbusters planned, all of which were set to be hits:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – Became the most successful premium title of CoD of all time.
- Call of Duty: Mobile – The free mobile offshoot was extremely successful at release.
- Call of Duty: Warzone – The free battle royale ran with the engine from CoD MW and exploded upon release.
Activision’s player numbers skyrocketed. In the fourth quarter of 2019, they suddenly reached 128 million MAUs. This figure was then only surpassed in the first quarter of 2021 – the provisional peak was reached with 150 million MAUs.
Why is it not going well currently? Since the record high, things have been declining. Even today, they are still riding the wave from 2019/2020, but have not been able to maintain that very high level. The latest report shows 94 million MAUs, which is about 40% less than 1.5 years ago.
This is due to several issues in the current games that are now pressuring the player numbers:
- Call of Duty: Vanguard – The premium title from 2021 did not fare well. The interest in the WWII setting was misjudged, and there were too few innovations.
- Call of Duty: Warzone – The battle royale was only planned for one year. They did not anticipate the great success and this mistake is still affecting them today.
- Call of Duty: Mobile – Delivers stable numbers but cannot compensate for the losses in other areas. It should be able to achieve more in a growth market like mobile gaming.
With the three major products in the portfolio struggling, player numbers are also suffering. But it is far from being a crisis for Call of Duty.
Compared to the period before the major plan in 2019, they still have three times as many players – 94 million. The current report also provides a good reference value: The Blizzard division, with major titles like Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch, has 27 million MAUs in the second quarter of 2022.
What is the plan for 2022? Now they want to repeat the success story that led to a big boom in 2019. However, unlike in 2019, they are not just sitting on a faltering premium title that is financed through DLCs and loot boxes.
In recent years, they have evolved into a service game machine, have hired a lot of new people, and want to initiate the next hype with the same plan as in 2019:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – The next premium title is set to be released on October 28 and is the direct sequel to the previously most successful premium CoD (CoD MW 2019).
- Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 – The sequel to the free battle royale currently has no name but is expected to be released later this year.
- Call of Duty: Mobile-Warzone – The battle royale is set to come as a standalone title for smartphones. There is still no release timeframe.
Like in 2019, they have a premium CoD with “Modern Warfare” in the title, a new Warzone game, and a mobile offshoot in the pipeline.
Can the plan succeed? The Call of Duty brand continues to have a lot of appeal and potential. At the moment, it is more likely that CoD will be successful with its plans. However, there are certain risks.
CoD MW2 and Warzone 2.0 share the technical foundation. If there are problems at the release of CoD MW2, Warzone will also be affected, or the release will be delayed.
Warzone 2.0 is also under immense pressure. It “must” be better than Warzone 1, as there will be critical comparisons from day one.
CoD MW2 and Warzone 2.0 both have a good chance of generating hype, the starting conditions are good, and people are eagerly waiting for both titles. On PC and consoles, the quality of the delivered products is becoming more crucial than ever.
In the mobile market, Warzone-Mobile is expected to provide new momentum and players. There is also immense potential for new players here, especially in markets where players tend to use their smartphones for gaming and expensive computers and consoles are less common.
Whether the recipe for success from 2019 works will soon be revealed. In any case, the facts show that Call of Duty is pursuing a strict plan – even though the current weakness in player numbers is due to self-inflicted problems.
If Activision and Call of Duty leverage the experiences of recent years, then 2023 could see the next record numbers: if everything goes smoothly.
Share your opinion on the topic – how do you assess the situation of Call of Duty? Leave us a comment.
If you prefer to read about what Sony has to say, check it out here: PS5: Sony comments on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard – “Call of Duty has no competition, will never have any”
