The new quarterly report from Activision Blizzard reveals fantastic numbers for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. As a player, however, the release was experienced quite differently – shaky and unfinished. Why, then, is the shooter still breaking franchise records?
How successful was CoD MW2? The new quarterly report reveals broken records for Modern Warfare 2 among the premium titles in the series, meaning the annual paid titles (via investor.activision.com). Here, the latest shooter in the series can put down two big exclamation points:
- Most sales in the first release quarter
- Most play hours at this point after a release
Activision Blizzard does not provide exact numbers, but it makes comparisons with values from previous years. After 2 rather weak years, Call of Duty is back on track, which also applies to the Blizzard games.
Exciting is the approximately 60% increase in revenue compared to the previous year from operating business for the Activision segment. A real figure, and since Activision is effectively made up entirely of Call of Duty, the increase is almost entirely due to the franchise.
This also includes Warzone or CoD: Mobile. But the direction is clear. However, many players perceived the release of CoD MW2 as really bad – how does that fit together?
With Season 2, Warzone 2 is getting a new map. Check out the teaser here:
Call of Duty: Sometimes a name is enough
How did the release of CoD MW2 go? On MeinMMO, we closely followed the release, were often in the community and maintained a server downtime article for a long time. Because the servers were very unstable throughout the entire first weekend.
- Some were lucky, able to play for hours without issues
- Others could hardly start a match or play at all
Additionally, there was significant criticism regarding missing features that had been present in almost every CoD release until now. At first, one could not access statistics – in Warzone 2, that still isn’t possible to this day.
There was great disappointment due to the absence of hardcore modes. These are only coming with Season 2, which were also delayed by 2 weeks. Additionally, the first content drops from Season 1 for CoD MW2 consisted of two old maps that were recycled.
On top of that, there were the usual small errors, glitches, and bugs that accompany almost every major release.
Overall, the release went worse than it had in years. Especially with the server problems, the usual CoD level was not reached, making it hard to play for long periods or invite friends to the squad.
What’s already known about Season 2 can be read here:
So why was CoD MW2 so successful? Call of Duty is an incredibly large franchise with annual full-price titles. It is too short-sighted to only look at one year. For many players, 2022 was once again a CoD year to look forward to.
- Black Ops Cold War (2020) had an interesting setting but was already weaker than 2019
- CoD: Vanguard tried once again the 2nd World War, but could not meet expectations
Call of Duty scored a hit in 2019 with the reboot of Modern Warfare. Together with the release of Call of Duty: Mobile (before) and Call of Duty: Warzone (after), new standards were set. After the problematic CoD Black Ops 4 (2018), they achieved a turnaround with a reboot.
Similar factors are playing a role again now. We live in a time of “sequels”, whether in gaming or other parts of the media landscape. Many players of CoD MW 2019 had been waiting for the successor to arrive. And they were rewarded.
Additionally, there is the “Warzone effect”. The first part of the free Battle Royale utilized the technology of CoD MW 2019 and attracted millions of new players into the world of Call of Duty. Warzone 2 utilizes the technology of CoD MW2, and all these players already knew the advantages of owning the premium title MW2 in Warzone.
It was a calculable success, but certainly, more could have been achieved. Then, due to the poor release, CoD MW2 stood in its own way.
What’s next? It can currently be assessed as uncertain as never before in Call of Duty. For a while now, a very credible report has been circulating that no completely new CoD will be released in 2023.
Activision writes in the latest report: “Across the entire Call of Duty franchise, our teams are working to enhance the success of the fourth quarter, with our plans for 2023. This includes more engaging live services across all platforms and the next full annual premium release in the blockbuster series.”
Currently, there is discussion about what this could mean. Some see this as a clear announcement of a new CoD title. The author of the report “No CoD 2023”, journalist Jason Schreier, further states that this could rather involve DLC content, not a standalone CoD.
First theories are already surfacing that the next CoD reboot is on the way and that the popular Black Ops series may reboot. Due to the successes of Modern Warfare, this is indeed a plausible option.
What are your thoughts on the topic? Leave a comment on the subject. If you would like to read more about CoD, check out this link: CoD Warzone 2 breaks with old damage rules – Some weapons are 40% stronger than in CoD MW2’s multiplayer
