One of the big issues with Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard is Call of Duty. (opens in new tab)Sony and regulators have expressed concern that Microsoft could use the series as a weapon against PlayStation by dedicating the series to the Xbox console. Microsoft has repeatedly said it won’t do this, but a new response to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority argued that one day it might not matter because nothing lasts forever.
Few video game series are as profitable and reliable as Call of Duty. It’s true. Nearly two decades after the first Call of Duty launched in 2003, he became a true giant with the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007. Millions of game sales (and millions more microtransactions) are lost access each year. But what if Call of Duty sucks? Then no one cares about exclusivity, right?
“Call of Duty is one of many popular franchises, but that doesn’t guarantee its success over time,” Microsoft wrote. Response to CMAs (opens in new tab)“Relevance to gamers is gained or lost with each release.
“This dynamic is demonstrated by last year’s Call of Duty Vanguard performance. (opens in new tab) The release was heavily criticized by trade press and gamers alike, resulting in significantly lower sales than reflected in internal documents cited by the CMA. “
Of course, Vanguard isn’t the only Call of Duty game to disappoint in recent years: Infinite Warfare. (opens in new tab)released in 2016, sold only half (opens in new tab) of Black Ops 3 the year before.
The CMA didn’t immediately embrace the argument, saying that even if individual titles didn’t live up to expectations, the Call of Duty series as a whole continues to maintain “sustained high earnings and player engagement” and was “not liked.” Gamers who weren’t Vanguard would most likely have continued to play the older CoD title rather than switch to another game.”
However, Microsoft 10Q filing (opens in new tab) For the quarter ended June 30, 2022, it showed an all-around decline in Call of Duty in the months following Vanguard’s release. [monthly active users] 47 million or 12% less in the three months ended June 30, 2022 compared to the three months ended June 30, 2021… Primarily for the Call of Duty franchise Driven by Activision’s decline in average MAU. “
The 10Q filing also quotes Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! It was cited as a contributing factor to Activision’s monthly player base decline, but Microsoft did not include it in its response. Activision also said, “We believe the overall trend in MAU numbers can be a meaningful performance indicator. [but] Period-to-period fluctuations may not indicate long-term trends. “
Microsoft may have stressed this point a bit, but it’s a fair stance nonetheless. The popular video game series is extremely durable. Look at the Madden NFL, which has been around since the 1980s. , people get bored with the annual iterations of the same basic military shooter. Could that happen anytime soon? I have to say no, and a large part of Microsoft’s defense in this CMA filing (related to Call of Duty) is down to the economic argument that removing Call of Duty from the PlayStation platform is not in Microsoft’s interest. I continue to rely on it.
But it’s an interesting (and, let’s be honest, fun) realization: one day there could be a Call of Duty that’s as bad as Sony didn’t want it to be.
