Activision 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?
