While analysts are estimating this year’s Call of Duty — Call of Duty: Advance Warfare — to sell considerably less than its predecessors, Activision isn’t as grim with Sledgehammer Games’ debut solo effort.
In an interview, Activision CEO of Publishing Eric Hirshberg mused that he’s “optimistic” with this year’s Call of Duty sales.
We see purchase intent well above last year and we see engagement with the brand in social media channels all being markedly up, so I’m still optimistic.
Hirshberg adds that analyst numbers are based on physical pre-orders, which doesn’t reflect the overall demand since some people opt to purchase games digitally.
Preorders are a good barometer for day one, but I don’t think they reflect the overall demand for the product…[They] don’t represent what they used to – because of the move to digital and all the ways people can buy the game.
Believe it or not, this year’s Call of Duty is actually worth playing, with our review lauding Advanced Warfare’s additions to multiplayer to make it feel fresh.
[Source: GamesIndustry]
