Every year for what seems to be an eternity by now, Activision and a partnering dev releases a new entry in the Call of Duty franchise and every year, people claim that it will be the last entry in the juggernaut franchise. Granted, sales for the series are beginning to plateau, particularly after the middling Ghosts, but data provided by NPD has revealed that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was the best-selling video game at retail for the year of 2014.
In an official statement, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg reflected back on the last twelve months, all the while hinting at some the new, “exciting” games to come in 2015.
We’d like to thank our fans for making Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare the #1 top-selling video game in the world, Skylanders Trap Team the top-selling kids game in the world and Destiny the #1 new video game IP of 2014. As much fun as we had making these games, we’ve had even more fun playing alongside you. Stay tuned. We have more exciting games in store for fans this year.
All in all, it proved to be an overly successful year for the publisher. As Hirshberg alluded to in the post, Skylanders Trap Team sold like gangbusters when it hit the market, and Activision revealed that the franchise is now 30% ahead of its nearest competitor in terms of sale. Moreover, Bungie’s shared-world shooter Destiny proved to be the best-selling new IP of the year, and looks to have successfully established itself a reliable franchise for the publisher going forward.
Circling back to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, though, and like it or lump it, the market demands a new entry into the Call of Duty franchise with each passing year. The only question is, will 2015 be the year that another shooter (i.e. Destiny) takes it place on the top? Time will tell.