We’re at a point where no matter the reception, Call of Duty games still sell boundless amounts of copies. The long-running FPS franchise has released plenty of bangers over the years, but an equal share of duds too – including Call of Duty Vanguard. Now, a former Activision strategist clarifies that Sledgehammer Games’ shooter raked in an extraordinary level of sales, overtaking arguably the greatest COD game ever.
According to the LinkedIn profile of Brian Hong, an ex-Activision social media strategist, we have a better inclination of Call of Duty Vanguard‘s sales. Hong’s profile claims that Vanguard sold over 30 million copies, making it one of the highest-selling games in the FPS game franchise. Not that you need more affirmation on how popular Call of Duty is, but even one of the worst entries in the series is still a massive seller for Activision.
It contrasts reports from Activision in 2021, as an annual financial report at the time expresses dismay with Vanguard’s critical and commercial performance. “Our 2021 premium release didn’t meet our expectations, we believe primarily due to our own execution,” the studio clarifies. Furthermore, it believes the game’s World War 2 setting didn’t “resonate with some of our community.” Vanguard’s campaign was decent enough, but in our eyes, it hardly made a dent to stack up as one of the best multiplayer games available. Don’t even get us started on its excuse for a COD Zombies experience.
What is surprising is how it managed to overtake what is often cited as the best game in the Call of Duty franchise: 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. Modern Warfare 2 has sold over 25 million copies, according to data collected by Statista. An updated version of the chart is yet to reflect more sequels to the series, like last year’s Modern Warfare 3.
However, we know that Modern Warfare 3’s sales were 38% lower than 2022’s Modern Warfare 2 during its launch week.
Despite a similar reception to Vanguard, there are redeeming qualities to be found in Modern Warfare 3. Gunplay and movement are the slickest it has felt in years, accompanied by a great selection of arenas within the roster of MW3 maps. New additions like 6 Star are the kind of tight-knit, intense fun you’d find in classic maps like Shipment. While it’s a departure from the round-based thrills of old, MW3 Zombies‘ open world game approach is better than you’ve heard.
In related Call of Duty news, a rumored Xbox Showcase could give us our first look at Treyarch’s Black Ops Gulf War.