With more folks turning to video games to pass the time during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, it did not take long for one of 2020 biggest games to emerge.Call of Duty: Warzonebrought in millions of usersas the franchise’s first foray into the Battle Royale genre. Reinvigorating theCall of Dutybrand, the game has led to some staggering amounts of profit for publisher Activision, with the company reporting some big earnings in a recently released financial statement.
TheCall of Dutybrand has been a consistent performer for years, an FPS with big mainstream appeal, new releases in the franchise sell millions of copies annually. It is such a juggernaut that it is able to deflect criticism directed at the franchise and mitigateMetacritic user review bombing.Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warmay have stumbled a bit out of the gate with fans, but it is still part of a very successful year for Activision.
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The press release from the company covering financials of theCall Of Dutyfranchise says that “net bookings” for the last 12 months have eclipsed $3 billion. “Net bookings” is an operating metric that is defined as the net amount of products and services sold digitally or physically in a period, including things like license fees and merchandise. Essentially this number represents allCall of Dutyproducts out there, not simply game sales. The report also notes that this number is an 80% increase over the previous 12-month period, with games sales specifically up 40%.
As with any release meant to entice and keep investors, the one page document also takes time to talk up the future of the franchise. Promising continued support for the franchise, with new seasons of content, community events, and smooth integration ofBlack Ops Cold WarintoWarzone.That integration was supposed to take place on December 10th, but Activision pushed that back a week, with theCold War/Warzoneintegration set for December 16thnow.
Despite the delay, there is a lot of content being promised by developer Treyarch, including afan favoriteBlack Ops 2mapmaking a return to multiplayer. A slight delay isn’t likely to cause too much grief among fans, or hurt the financial bottom line for Activision.
WhileCall of Duty’s success this year is quite extraordinary, critique ofBlack Ops Cold War’s not-so-subtle revisionist historyhas made waves online. While it may not be enough to derail the brand, with such a prominent spot in mainstream culture,Call of Dutycould be alienating some fans with their narratives. For now however, the good times are rolling at Activision.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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