Ben-DutkaActivision has several seemingly legitimate reasons as to why this year's Call of Duty entry won't smash records the way its predecessors did.
However, many gamers and critics really seem to think that this franchise is in dire need of another overhaul. Modern Warfare began the current phenomenon but clearly, that phenomenon is beginning to wane.
Call of Duty: Ghosts is a good game but many will agree it's not as impressive as the last few entries. Furthermore, the Battlefield franchise continues to rise, stealing a bit more of CoD's market share every time a new Battlefield sequel hits store shelves. Battlefield 4 is widely considered to be a little better than Ghosts and I can understand why. However, despite all the evidence that points toward a declining franchise, will Activision actually do anything about it?
Will they task Infinity Ward or Treyarch to re-imagine the next CoD iteration? And if so, what direction will the franchise take? I'm not sure the publisher has any interest in issuing any new directive, though…and that means that 2014 could be quite entertaining. They've confirmed a new Call of Duty for the holiday rush, which means it's already in development. And if that's the case, how can it possibly be the revamp so many gamers and journalists are calling for? Activision says this isn't like Guitar Hero – which they managed to run into the ground – and that's true to some extent.
But that incident does prove that a billion-dollar franchise can take a very steep nosedive, even though it may seem impossible at times. So, will Activision respond to the feedback?
If it costs more money than usual they no they won't do it.
No they won't do it.
They won't touch the game based on critics alone. They won't touch the game until the decline in quality starts to show in the sales figures.
Ghosts might not have reviewed well, it might not have sold as much as previous titles, but it has still sold a LOT.
It IS showing in the sales figures. Ghosts marks the first decline in the franchise (I think you'll see that in terms of numbers soon) in many years.
I definitely have to see the decline in numbers. Last I check, they still made billions in revenue pretty fast though, so it shouldn't be alarming for them to the point that they want to rebuild.
As long as they're committed to the alternate two year cycle (basically annualization of the franchise), there's no way they can pull off a true revamp. One of the teams will have to take a break and invest more time into a COD title.
"Ghosts might not have reviewed well, it might not have sold as much as previous titles, but it has still sold a LOT."
Thanks for paying attention Ben lol.
yeah until the sales go down we won't get another COD worth buying just the lowest common denominator that keeps buying the game and doesn't care about it in the slightest it seems that will keep activison happy till they don't make money and for their sakes no that i care anymore cos there are loads of other good games to keep me busy on the ps3 and ps4 and hopefully sooner rather than later the ps vita and also the good old psp
happy gaming =)
They won't do it if critics continue to rate this game in its own scale, because that's what it seems like, and if it continues to generate billions. It was never a technical showcase, and innovation is little, but scores everywhere make it doesn't seem outdated or "bad."
For them to change, consumers have to respond in a dramatic fashion, similarly to how many have responded to Xbone's initial policies. They saw horrific pre-orders, and BAM, 180 magic. This game will have to suffer the same thing.
Ghosts isn't averaging anything special in terms of review scores; in fact, it has a significantly lower average score than any CoD in recent memory.
Now that I checked Metacritic, I guess you're right.
Well, I only follow a few gaming site, and so far, it's scoring at least an 8 in ALL of them (with the exception of 7.9 from here), and that to me is a pretty good score, especially for a game that hasn't changed much. It's definitely not enough to force them to make a face-lift for the franchise. They need to average much lower. Either that, or a big dip in sales.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Activision and Call of Duty is the true epitome of this. They need a serious wake up call as Xbone did.
Last edited by daus26 on 11/26/2013 1:54:20 AM
If the figures at VGChartz is correct, and if we don't see a massive upswing in said figures soon, it could well be on the cards. Ghosts currently sits at 8.57 million copies sold, a startlingly sharp decline from the almost 25 million touted by Black Ops 2. More people will pick it up as the year rolls on and they get their next-gen consoles, but I think that Activision will be lucky indeed to see that tally even double by the time the next iteration releases and that, more than anything else, should speak to them.
It won't happen in 2014. That would be impossible with the release schedule that they demand, but I would not be surprised to either see a new studio stepping up to the plate in 2015, or Infinity Ward offering something that is fundamentally different. If not… the end of the CoD boom is nigh, and it will come through the combination of TitanFall and Battlefield.
TY for the sales figure that makes Ghost at around $514.2 million sold a far cry from the $1 billion, sold to retailers, that Activision kept quoting to make it seem like they beat Grand Theft Auto. I would really like to know the actual first 24hrs sales figure versus the BS Activision one.
why improve the recipe when its already bringing in the hoards?
sure ghosts may not have had the gate success that previous titles have, but its only been out for 2 weeks give it some time.
not to mention next gen consoles still are not out in EU yet.
one question any company has to ask itself, is the cost will get out of it going to exceed the cost were putting into it?
and we all know what the answer to that is.
What I'm hoping for is that Unreal Tournament could return with a bang. Those games were FUN FUN FUN. Run'n'gun at its finest.
oh yes. I couldn't agree more. that will never happen though. shooters are getting slower and slower. right now: play ghosts and it is speedy compared to the shooters that are getting more popular like killzone and battlefield. fast and twitchy won't sell to the masses. it's too hard for them
They are getting more strategic, that is true. But it's kinda a natural progression. But like all trends, they will turn. It all comes in waves.
But I do remember the days with Unreal Tournament with joy. Sweat dripping, fingers cramped, eyes red, focus on max. Jump-jump-turn-jump-fire-weaponswitch-turn-dodge-fire-switch-jump-fire-doublejump-fire-turn-fire-dodge-fire-jump-switch-fire…
Good grief those were intense hours. 😀
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/26/2013 11:05:41 AM
I still crave that. I just wish it was more of a popular position. Why can't we have room for the realistic tactical shooter and the heart pounding twitch shooter? because all the little kiddies can't handle it. unfortunately 🙂
I hope titanfall changes that mindset. even though I won't get an xbox one for it, I really hope it does well so these companies start to realize that they can do something more intense and mobile with a shooter. I want to jump off walls and dodge weapons; not just be the guy that aims down site faster
I want something a little more multi-dimensional…..
Last edited by BR3WMASTER on 11/28/2013 9:22:28 AM
They wont until sales go down which is very disapointing as a true next gen cod could bring back alot of lost players
Less money but still loads of cash,so of course they will not change it.
When the profit won't be much, THEN they change it,not now.
Graphical its top,it needs the CHOICE of you siding stealth or action or a mix of those two then more different kind of players will buy it,now its only action action action and will only be bought by this kind of players,but sadly they still make a lot of profit so it will not change for now
Nope…..no need to.
So what were the sales for the new COD game? I remember them being cocky, telling Rockstar to enjoy the record for sales while they can, because when the new COD comes out, the record will belong to them again. I am really hoping that didn't happen.