Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare hasn’t been as well received by gamers as it has been by critics. While it’s far from the best Call Of Duty out there, its campaign is being heralded as one of the best in years, and a solid reinvigoration of the franchise in that area.
Strangely, however, the multiplayer has received the brunt of criticism aimed at the game, which is ironic considering it’s normally the bread-and-butter of the CoD experience, not the campaign. Unsurprisingly, just as we get one of the more clinical and familiar multiplayer experiences in the franchise’s history, sales have also seen a significant drop off.
According to the Gfc Chart Track, Call Of Duty sales are down 43.6%, and that’s after you take out the difference in sales for the Xbox 360 and PS3, of which had no Call Of Duty iteration this year. Despite Modern Warfare Remastered being added as a pre-order bonus, and it being arguably the best remaster we’ve ever seen, sales are down enough to suggest Activision needs to majorly rethink its approach to the franchise.
The fascinating thing, however, is not that sales are down so much: it’s that the game is still so popular. It’s come in at No.2 on the UK charts behind FIFA 17, which is an achievement in and of itself. For a game that has lost almost 50% of its market share to still come in second place, and for it to topple Battlefield 1, the year’s highest-rated shooter, goes to show just how much of a monstrosity the Call Of Duty franchise is.
Battlefield 1 had a spectacular launch, outselling the launches of Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline combined. It was enough to propel it to second place behind FIFA 17 for the best launch of 2016. However, Call Of Duty has trumped it, pushing EA’s acclaimed shooter to third place.
Activision earlier in the year told investors that it expected a drop in sales due to Infinite Warfare being a new franchise. However, it probably planned for this all along, which would explain Modern Warfare Remastered being bundled in. To see a 43% drop off, however, can’t be a good look, especially with such an appealing pre-order bonus of such a high quality being offered.
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