There is no denying that theCall of Dutyfranchise has been hugely successful for Activision. Back in December, the company announced that the franchise hadmade over $3 billionover the last 12 months. And now, perhaps to no one’s surprise, it’s been reported thatCall of Duty: Modern Warfarewas the highest earning premium game of 2020.
According to SuperData, a research analytical firm,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which originally released in 2019, made roughly $1,913 million last year, putting it right at the top of the chart for highest earning premium games of 2020. Aside from it obviously being a very popular title in an already popular franchise (as well as a reboot of theModern Warfaresubseries), it managed to earn this thanks to the battle royale gameCall of Duty: Warzone, which released in March 2020.
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ThoughWarzoneis free-to-play, players could upgrade toModern Warfarethrough it, meaning the gamewas able to reach a new audience. What’s more, the lockdowns brought about by the coronavirus pandemic contributed to the rise in players, with many people forced to stay at home to help prevent the spread of the virus. This eventually led toModern Warfarebecoming thebest sellingCall of Dutygame of all time.
SuperData’s report reveals thatCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waralso made it into the top ten highest earning games of 2020, having accrued about $678 million. This is particularly impressive consideringBlack Ops Cold Waronly released two months ago in November. It even managed to outperformAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, which released much earlier in March.
Other games within the top ten includeGrand Theft Auto 5,FIFA 20, and bothNBA 2K20andNBA 2K21, which are consistently financially successful titles.Cyberpunk 2077managed to reach number eight despite only coming out in December, which is hardly surprising considering it was a massive sales success even before it launched.
With all three currentCall of Dutytitles being integrated with each other, it’s likely that this success will continue throughout 2021. However, despite all the money these games are making, the player-base seems to be routinely frustrated and disappointed with them. There have beenrecurring complaints of bugs, glitches, and other issuesthat hamper gameplay, especially the online.
The recent integration betweenWarzoneandCold Warhas led to a variety of new issues that are plaguing players at the moment, and one weapon is considered so powerful, that many players findWarzoneto be borderline unplayablein its current state.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfareis available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
