• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Gameranx

Gameranx

Video Game News, Lists & Guides

  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides
  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides

Call of Duty on the Decline? Numbers Indicate a 17 Percent Drop Year-Over-Year

December 11, 2012 by Alex Co

Activision’s FPS powerhouse might be losing some steam.

Is Activision's mega-shooter finally losing some steam? According to two separate industry analysts, the numbers indicate that it is.

In the latest U.S. retail sales numbers from the NPD Group (via Gamasutra), they reveal that Black Ops 2 has sold 4.9 million copies for the Xbox 360, with the PS3 version sitting at 2.9 million. Sales numbers for the Wii U version and even for the PS Vita's Black Ops: Declassified, were unfortunately, not divugled.

In comparison, last year's Call of Duty, which was Modern Warfare 3, sold a record-setting 8.8 million units on Microsoft and Sony's platforms combined in its debut month; which was a healthy 10% increase over the eight million units the original Black Ops did in 2010.

Of course, it's also worth noting that the launch month for Black Ops 2 was shorter. In total, it had seven fewer days compared to Modern Warfare 3's launch month. However, even taking this into account, Doug Creutz of Cowen and Company estimated that Black Ops 2 would total 7.9 million units across all platforms, which would be a decline of 11 percent — though he cautioned against drawing any conclusion until the end of this year.

Here are the official sales numbers broken down in a graph.

In related news, Longbow Research's James Hardiman also noticed a significant drop in Call of Duty's sales. Using that 7.4 million units figure, Hardiman points out a 17% drop compared to MW3's sales last year. Of course, this might seem a little off since Activision has announced that Black Ops 2 has reached $1 billion in the quickest amount of time. but Hardiman points out that Black Ops 2 capitalized on the Thanksgiving sales week compared to MW3 (via GamesIndustry).

We do not believe that Activision did itself any favors by putting out a press release on Wednesday touting that Black Ops II had crossed $1 billion in just 15 days, faster than the 16 days required for Modern Warfare 3 to reach the $1 billion mark…What management did not mention is the fact that with an earlier release date, Modern Warfare 3 was able to reach $1 billion a day before Thanksgiving, whereas Black Ops II was not able to get there until after Cyber Monday.

So, what does all mean? While Call of Duty's sales are still massive, the numbers do tell that there is a decline — regardless if CoD fans admit it or not. Should Activision be worried? Maybe not right now, but seeing as next year will see the release of Battlefield 4, and possibly the announcement of Respawn's new shooter, Kotick might be keeping a closer look at it more so than usual.

Do you think Call of Duty is on the decline? If so, are you happy that it is or should people stop hating on the franchise?

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest

Recent Videos

10 Upcoming SUPERHERO Games That EXCITE US

10 Upcoming SUPERHERO Games That EXCITE US

10 HUGE Things We FOUND AFTER 100 HRS. OF PLAYING

10 HUGE Things We FOUND AFTER 100 HRS. OF PLAYING

DOOM: The Dark Ages - Before You Buy

DOOM: The Dark Ages - Before You Buy

HALF-LIFE 3 PLAYABLE LEAKED? NEW MAFIA GAMEPLAY LOOKS INSANE & MORE

HALF-LIFE 3 PLAYABLE LEAKED? NEW MAFIA GAMEPLAY LOOKS INSANE & MORE

GTA 6: 50 NEW Fan Discoveries You SHOULD KNOW

GTA 6: 50 NEW Fan Discoveries You SHOULD KNOW

THIS Game Could Change Single-Player Games FOREVER

THIS Game Could Change Single-Player Games FOREVER

DOOM The Dark Ages: 10 Things You NEED TO KNOW

DOOM The Dark Ages: 10 Things You NEED TO KNOW

GTA 6 Trailer 2: 10 NEW Things WE DISCOVERED

GTA 6 Trailer 2: 10 NEW Things WE DISCOVERED

20 NEW SMALLER Games of 2025 That Excite Us

20 NEW SMALLER Games of 2025 That Excite Us

Category: Updates

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • The Best Trains In Roblox Dead Rails
  • Grand Theft Auto VI Had To Be Delayed According To Leaker
  • Fortnite Boss Wants To Make Skins That Can Crossover Into Games Like Roblox
  • Roblox Team Unveils New Study About Player Reception To Ads
  • Mario Kart World Does NOT Have Any AI Images Within It

Copyright © 2025 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme