Activision On Call of Duty Vanguard's Underperforming Sales: It Was World War II
Call of Duty: Vanguard and Activision Blizzard just can’t catch a break. Despite being the best-selling game in 2021, Activision is still unhappy with how the game has performed. Who have they identified as the culprit? World War II.
The company recognizes that the franchise is still one of the most successful entertainment franchises, at least, but their 2021 premium didn’t meet their expectations. In their annual report to investors, Activision Blizzard wrote, “The game’s World War II setting didn’t resonate with some of our community.”
Back in November, we reported that GameIndustry.biz, in collaboration with PAX and EGX, concluded people weren’t playing Vanguard because they were too busy playing other games. In fact, World War II even got a mention with 24% of those polled saying they also weren’t interested in games set during that time.
The company also says there was a lack of "innovation" in the 2021 mainline Call of Duty game, though what exactly that means is unclear.
Furthermore, Activision Blizzard's 2021 was marred by high-profile sexual discrimination and it's been reported that Activision Blizzard is facing even more complaints. This time on rushing the sale of the company to Microsoft to help dodge fallout from the sexual misconduct reports.
Perhaps the recently announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will fare better than Vanguard.
In our review of the single-player campaign, we called Call of Duty: Vanguard “highly polished” but “brief” with a “lack of variety.”
Casey David is a Freelance Writer for IGN.
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