Call of Duty: Vanguardwas the best-selling new video game release of 2021, but even so, its sales were still below expectations.Call of Duty: Vanguardhas sold worse thanBlack Ops Cold WarandModern Warfare, and is in fact one of the worst-sellingCall of Dutygames in years. In a message to its stockholders, Activision has offered its own theory on whyCall of Duty: Vanguardhas struggled to meet sales expectations.
Activision said that it blames its “own execution” forCall of Duty: Vanguard’s disappointing sales, believing that it failed to “deliver as much innovation” as it needed to verify the game was a success. Beyond that, Activision also pointed toCall of Duty: Vanguard’s World War 2 settingas another reason why the game’s sales were not up to expectations.
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While it’s possible the World War 2 setting could have contributed toCall of Duty: Vanguard’s underwhelming sales performance, the game’s critical reception and word of mouth from the community likely played a bigger role.Call of Duty: Vanguard’s campaignis incredibly short and doesn’t do much to shake things up from previous games in the series, and its Zombies mode was universally panned by fans and critics alike.
Call of Dutyplayers who normally pick up the new game every year may have been turned off byVanguard’s disappointing Zombies modeand underwhelming new features. These downsides contributed toCall of Duty: Vanguard’s poor review scores, making it the lowest-rated main seriesCall of Dutygame released to date.
WhileCall of Duty: Vanguardfell short of expectations in more ways than one, it seems likely that the 2022Call of Dutygame will go a long way in getting the franchise back on track.2022’sCall of Dutyis being developed by Infinity Ward, the studio behind the record-breakingCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, and the new game is in fact a direct sequel to the hit 2019 game. Not only that, but Activision has started marketingCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2months earlier than it didBlack Ops Cold WarandVanguard, so it’s definitely coming out swinging.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is beingbuilt alongside aWarzonesequel, which could also help sales. A proper reveal forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is expected to come at some point in the near future, so fans should stay tuned for more information.
Call of Duty: Vanguardis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
