Lower Call of Duty: Ghosts sales 'not a sign of series fatigue'

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Call of Duty: Ghosts didn’t fare too well at review, but Activison feels that its biggest and most trusted critics are the fans themselves who, according to Eric Hirshberg, are getting along with the new shooter just fine.

Speaking among the pages of this month’s GameInformer, Activision’s head of publishing was asked if the Call of Duty brand was in danger of perishing under gamer fatigue.

He replied, “No,” and added, “We’ve been pretty transparent all year that we think, because of the challenges of the console transition year, that that was likely in the short-term. I think it would be a mistake to conflate the challenges of the console transition year with any indications about the health of the franchise.”

The magazine then asked Hirsberg if annualising the brand has perhaps caused diminishing returns to this pointm and it was suggested that this is a popular view among critics. He replied, “Well no, obviously not – and obviously I don’t agree with the critics there. I know that Call of Duty’s a polarising franchise with some of the critics, and it’s clear to me that not all the critics like our strategy of making a game every year, but thankfully our fans do.

“It’s also clear to me that the critical response doesn’t always mirror the fans’ appreciation of a game. We actually do read the critics’ comments and take them into consideration during our creative process, but we just can’t measure ourselves by that yardstick alone.

“Our most important audience is our fans, so we try to stay laser-focused on making games that they love. If you look at the fact that [Ghosts is] the most pre-ordered game of the year, it’s the most pre-ordered next-gen game of the year, it’s already the number one most played on Xbox Live, and that we’re seeing longer average playtimes than ever before, we’re confident that we’re doing well by the criteria that matter most.”

Is the Call of Duty brand dwindling? How much longer can it keep up this pace? Let us know below.

Posted:
Related Forum: Call of Duty Forum

Source: http://www.vg247.com/2013/12/04/call-of-duty-ghosts-critical-response-doesnt-mirror-fan-appreciation-says-activision/

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"Lower Call of Duty: Ghosts sales 'not a sign of series fatigue'" :: Login/Create an Account :: 126 comments

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KonviictedPosted:

Italian It is a sign of fatigue obviously. But like I said earlier this Call Of Duty, I think helped reputation. I think people didn't buy it because of what they heard after it came out or because they decided to quit Call of Duty after BO2.

COD4 - #1
WAW - #2
BO1 - #3
Ghosts - #4
BO2 - #5
MW2 - #6
MW3 - #7

That is my order of favorite COD to least favorite COD


Not hating or anything since its just an opinion, but the order I'd put them in is
1. BO2
2. MW2
3. CoD 4
4. Ghosts
5. BO1
6. WaW
7. MW3

At least we can both agree on something haha, MW3 was the worst by far its the only one I actually don't like. WaW and BO1 weren't bad, Ghosts is alright, CoD4 was pretty good, but I think BO2 was the best by far and MW2 is a classic like CoD4

KatsumiPosted:

Gossip Ive been a COD fan for a long time and I have to say that this is one of the worst games.


I haven't gotten around to playing it yet, but i haven't heard many good things about it at all

ChromeModzPosted:

COD4 Will Always Be #1... Infinity Ward Should Fix The Game Like They Promised

GossipPosted:

Ive been a COD fan for a long time and I have to say that this is one of the worst games.

AstraeusPosted:

I really don't like this game one bit

CutPosted:

Lia I really don't see how it's number one for the most played game of the year. Anytime I hop on the game there is barely 100,000 people playing it on the 360.


Well there are only a few games available for the next gen consoles so the most played would obviously be CoD

thecaniac17Posted:

This is probably my last Call of Duty. I've been playing since the release of World at War and IMO they've strayed too far away from the basics. Squad points are probably the dumbest thing that they've added to the game. Some maps are too big and are poorly put together. Not a whole lot of weapons either. I remember when mature skilled players played the game, now you got a bunch of 8 year old pricks who cry to their parents to get the game for them. If they would go back to their roots, I'd see Call of Duty becoming a great franchise again, but until then, they're going the wrong way. On the 360 I saw at most 300 thousand play. On Xbox One, no more than 200 thousand. That's pretty low considering how many peoe played in previous CoD titles.

ItalianPosted:

It is a sign of fatigue obviously. But like I said earlier this Call Of Duty, I think helped reputation. I think people didn't buy it because of what they heard after it came out or because they decided to quit Call of Duty after BO2.

COD4 - #1
WAW - #2
BO1 - #3
Ghosts - #4
BO2 - #5
MW2 - #6
MW3 - #7

That is my order of favorite COD to least favorite COD

MIAARCTICGH0STPosted:

Lia I really don't see how it's number one for the most played game of the year. Anytime I hop on the game there is barely 100,000 people playing it on the 360.


Really? Everytime I get on around 3:30 PST its 215k

EtaPosted:

Katsumi
fex I'd say it IS a sign of the series fatgigue. People are losing interest in CoD Because of the repetition that they have in thier games


I would have to say the same thing.. many people are getting bored of the call of duty franchise as of late


To innovate and make changes to a series such as CoD is a huge amount of work and needs creativity. Some people may feel that it's just the same thing each year.


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