Call Duty Promises Return as GTA 6 Nears Release
Activision is positioning Modern Warfare 4 as a return to form after Call of Duty’s 2025 release fell in US and UK sales rankings. The game arrives weeks…
Competition for players’ time is tightening as another major game prepares to arrive. Activision says Modern Warfare 4 is a return to form for Call of Duty, after the franchise’s 2025 release fell sharply in sales rankings and received poor reviews.
The new instalment is due to launch weeks before Grand Theft Auto 6, putting Activision’s strategy and the games’ different offerings under scrutiny. The company’s chief marketing officer, Tyler Bahl, says the rival release could help bring more people back to gaming.
It was a difficult year.
Black Ops 7, Call of Duty’s 2025 edition, ranked seventh in US sales, according to analytics firm Circana. It was the eighth best-selling game in the UK, BBC News reported. The franchise had held the top position or a close second place in US video game sales every year since 2009.
Activision is responding to complaints about the previous game, whose single-player campaign received poor reviews and whose novelty character skins drew criticism from players. The cosmetic items changed characters’ appearance during multiplayer matches and included cartoon and other pop-culture crossovers.
Players can now switch off those cosmetic changes. Bahl said the company had listened to its community after missing expectations.
“I think we missed expectations with our community last year,” Bahl told BBC Newsbeat. “So we took a step back, we listened to them.”
Activision’s pitch for a return to form
Bahl describes Modern Warfare 4 as a “return to form.” Activision is also promoting the game through high-profile partnerships and physical installations. In Shoreditch, London, the company created a replica of a South Korean street, with noodle bars and convenience stores. A similar installation was built in downtown Los Angeles.
The promotional campaign has included actor Inde Navaratte, who streamed Call of Duty on Twitch before becoming an actor, as well as a sponsorship deal with six-a-side football championship Baller League. Activision also worked with YouTuber Mr Beast to showcase the game’s new DMZ multiplayer mode.
Bahl said the events and collaborations are intended to show the series’ “stature, swagger and scale,” while acknowledging that such efforts come at a cost. He said Activision wants the franchise to reach as many people as possible by showing up in culture in a big and innovative way.
The sales decline has several pressures behind it. BBC News reported that the game’s inclusion on Xbox Game Pass, where this year’s release will not appear at launch, is thought to have affected sales. Competition from Battlefield 6 and Arc Raiders also challenged the series. The latter was described by the BBC as a surprise success for Swedish studio Embark.
For players, the changes mean they can turn off the cosmetics that prompted complaints, while Activision is seeking to make the next game feel distinct from its competitors. The company’s sales position matters because Call of Duty has long been a major presence in the US and UK games markets, but its latest release slipped well below its usual standing.
GTA 6 as an opportunity
Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected weeks after Modern Warfare 4. Bahl called the two games “the two biggest games of the year,” but said he does not see them as necessarily competing for the same players.
“More people dusting off their Xbox or their PlayStation, starting to play for the first time it gives an opportunity for more gamers to come in and play both of the games,” he said.
GTA 6 will initially be released only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles, and its multiplayer modes will not be available at launch, according to the BBC report. Bahl said those differences give Call of Duty room to stand out. He also said the new game costs about £70 in the UK and described Call of Duty as a year-round gathering place for many fans.
In the US, Black Ops 7 finished seventh in the 2025 video game sales rankings, according to Circana.
Source: bbc.co.uk
