If the past few months have been defined by every other major release trying to avoid Grand Theft Auto 6, then November may well be about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake daring to step up. Granted, they’re not launching anywhere near the same date, but it’s an intriguing situation. And naturally, Activision thinks it should be included with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.
That’s according to chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl, who told The Game Business, “Well, no offense to Zelda, but [GTA and COD] are the two biggest games of the year. More people coming in to the dashboards, more people taking the dust off their Xbox or PlayStation and starting to play again, and loading up that experience, is going to be more eyeballs for us overall.”
As inflammatory as that may sound, Call of Duty has proven a huge revenue generator for Activision and Xbox, even if past efforts like Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 7 were utterly deplorable. “At the end of the day, what makes Call of Duty last the test of time is the community and social experience. The idea of being able to play with your friends. When we look at our research and say, ‘What are the most exciting things about our games? Is it the combat or the gunplay?’
“It’s actually, ‘My friends were there. Or, ‘I’m able to spend time with my friends.’ We stand on our own there, where being able to play with your friends on all different platforms, from Switch 2 this year — which is a new platform for us — all the way to PC and Xbox and PlayStation still, I think makes it a unique opportunity.”
Bahl then moves to what can only be described as the bargaining stage, noting that, “If more people are talking about games, if there’s more press around it, that’s going to be good for everybody, not just us.” Of course, it wouldn’t hurt Modern Warfare 4, especially with both games hogging the limelight even as it launches next week.
That is, unless you pre-ordered the game, in which case the campaign will be available starting tomorrow. DMZ, set in the new Hajin City, also goes live on October 20th for those who want to experience its PvEvP extraction shooter action (for as long as it’s supported). And despite Bahl’s insistence that it’s about playing with your friends, you can enter solo.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Check out our feature on the campaign and what you should know before jumping in.
