In speaking to its investors in an investor meeting after releasing their quarterly financial report, Activision decided to defend the performance of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, which is far below the heydey of the franchise’s peak success days on the Xbox 360, while also promising the world with the new game.
“I don’t think it’s franchise-oriented,” they said, specifically referring to the question of franchise fatigue. “[Advanced Warfare] was the number one game for the sixth consecutive year in North America, and we’re now well past a billion dollars in sell-through, and as we just announced we’re up to a great start with our DLC season of Advanced Warfare, which is double digits both on season pass and on cart DLC sales, and engagement is higher than it was a year ago.
“Also, Advanced Warfare is a great game, that was really well received by both critics and fans, and they create a lot of positive buzz for the franchise. We’re attached at a franchise-high level to the next-gen consoles, which I think is what matters most when we’re looking towards the future.
“But I actually think the franchise ended the year in a great place and enters 2015 with a lot of momentum,” they said, referring to the uncertainty that the transition from Xbox 360 and PS3 to their respective successors caused. “2014 was the height of the console transition, so I think that comparing to years when Call of Duty was able to sell to a much larger and more stable installed base is not an apples to apples comparison.”