Activision may have its Call of Duty franchise back on track.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III sold better at physical retailers in the United States last month than Advanced Warfare did in November 2014, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. And it’s not just outperforming its predecessors. The futuristic military shooter is one of the fastest-selling releases of this generation. With console and PC gaming worth around $50 billion, Activision’s already rich franchise, which has made more than $11 billion even before Black Ops III came out, looks like it is on its way to getting richer.
“Call of Duty: Black Ops III was the top title in November 2015 with sales exceeding that of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” NPD analyst Liam Callahan said in a statement provided to GamesBeat.
We reached out to Activision for a comment, and the publisher was happy to confirm that not only did the new Call of Duty outsell Fallout 4 and Star Wars: Battlefront, it apparently demolished them.
“Black Ops III was the largest release in North America in November by a wide-margin in both units and dollars sold-thru,” Call of Duty general manager Rob Kostich said in a comment provided to GamesBeat. “According to NPD, Call of Duty also was the largest release of any title in North America since 2013, based on physical units sold at retail in its launch month.”
Clearly, the Call of Duty crowd hasn’t moved on. They want more from this series, and if that audience is happy with Black Ops III, this franchise’s momentum could carry on throughout the remainder of this generation.
For now, Black Ops III is a step in the right direction for Activision’s bottom line.
“There’s tremendous momentum for Call of Duty this holiday,” said Kostich. “Both retail and digital sales are up significantly versus the same time last year. And our community has responded enthusiastically, driving engagement to new franchise highs on current-gen consoles in its first month of release.”