This hasn't been the best year for Call of Duty, with sales for Black Ops 7 faltering compared to 2024's Black Ops 6. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty touched on this year's installment of the military shooter series, and although he didn't address sales numbers directly, he did acknowledge the hardships of the franchise's annual model.
Speaking to Variety, Booty said that "shipping a major franchise like clockwork every year is a really difficult task, and I’m really proud of what the team did to move the franchise forward in that way."
A new Call of Duty game has been released every year since the franchise's beginning in 2003, and it doesn't appear that Xbox-owned publisher Activision will stop this pattern any time soon. The only change to the release model is that the series will no longer release back-to-back installments of the same subseries, as Modern Warfare and Black Ops have both done.
Even with Black Ops 7's shortcomings, Booty states that the title is "one of the most-played games on Xbox" and he remains "really proud of what the team did, in terms of feature innovation, moving the franchise forward."
The Xbox team also stated that Call of Duty was the top franchise on Xbox Game Pass in terms of player-count and hours played, although this applies to the series as a whole, not just Black Ops 7.
Booty also emphasized that, in regard to any Call of Duty title, it's "not just about the launch" but also about the ongoing seasonal content that follows. Black Ops 7 Season 1 launched earlier this month, adding new weapons, maps, and integration with Warzone.
In the same interview, Booty also touched on the upcoming Call of Duty movie, which he expressed confidence for.
Source
Speaking to Variety, Booty said that "shipping a major franchise like clockwork every year is a really difficult task, and I’m really proud of what the team did to move the franchise forward in that way."
A new Call of Duty game has been released every year since the franchise's beginning in 2003, and it doesn't appear that Xbox-owned publisher Activision will stop this pattern any time soon. The only change to the release model is that the series will no longer release back-to-back installments of the same subseries, as Modern Warfare and Black Ops have both done.
Even with Black Ops 7's shortcomings, Booty states that the title is "one of the most-played games on Xbox" and he remains "really proud of what the team did, in terms of feature innovation, moving the franchise forward."
The Xbox team also stated that Call of Duty was the top franchise on Xbox Game Pass in terms of player-count and hours played, although this applies to the series as a whole, not just Black Ops 7.
Booty also emphasized that, in regard to any Call of Duty title, it's "not just about the launch" but also about the ongoing seasonal content that follows. Black Ops 7 Season 1 launched earlier this month, adding new weapons, maps, and integration with Warzone.
In the same interview, Booty also touched on the upcoming Call of Duty movie, which he expressed confidence for.
Source