2023-11-10 21:00:00
Hobbies. Since 2003, many have carried out military operations on the maps of the video game “Call of Duty”, thus making it an international success. The franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary with the release of a new opus on Friday.
Over the years, the Activision Blizzard franchise has become a phenomenon attracting millions of aficionados around the world. In 20 years, it generated more than $30 billion in revenue for the studio, establishing itself as one of the biggest hits in the industry.
When he was a teenager, James Spratt was a fan of “Call of Duty”. He is now 30 years old and, to the great astonishment of his father, the game now represents a source of income for him as he shares his games of “CoD” live on his YouTube channel, from the comfort of his living room in the United Kingdom . “When we came home from school, we would run home and form a team of six, because if you missed the opportunity to be with your friends, you would end up playing by yourself,” Mr. Spratt recalls.
“There’s something regarding this game that keeps me coming back to it every year. I was hooked,” he confides. The first opus, created by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, was released in October 2003. Since then, “Call of Duty” returns every fall with a new version: the next one, “Modern Warfare III”, was released this Friday, November 10.
Annual release
This annual rhythm has become “the secret ingredient” of the franchise “almost like a traditional festivity”, estimates Johanna Faries, general director of the game. According to Michael Pachter, entertainment software analyst at Wedbush, these annual releases are undoubtedly ” the main cause” of success, with the variety of content, which ranges from the Second World War to recent conflicts, including special operations.
The other driving force behind its success lies in the developers’ desire to constantly improve the experience, giving thousands of players on the Internet the opportunity to come together to have fun. “It’s not just the game but also what it represents, every year you have a community that continues to grow,” he recalls. “You can talk regarding it with anyone, on the street corner or on the Internet, everyone seems to know what ‘Call of Duty’ is.” His partner’s nephews and nieces play the game themselves, as does his brother-in-law.
“I thought it was a teenage thing when I started playing, but today you have gamers of all ages,” he emphasizes. “Call of Duty is one of the few games that can be considered “infinite” as it offers sufficiently compelling content and features for online play, which make it the default game for those who want to have a quick fun between friends or family,” underlines Mat Piscatella, video game analyst for Circana. And the results are there: in the United States, the franchise has been at the top of the sector’s sales for more than ten years and the new opus should be no exception to the rule, according to him.
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