The latest entry in theCall of Dutyfranchise is now available, withCall of Duty: Vanguardofficially releasing on November 5.Call of Duty: Vanguardbrings theCall of Dutyseries back to World War 2, typically a popular setting for multiplayer shooters. However, it appears thatCall of Duty: Vanguardmay not have resounded with fans as much as Activision and Sledgehammer Games were hoping. A report out of the UK says that sales forCall of Duty: Vanguardare the worst for the franchise in over a decade.
The report comes from outlet VideoGameChronicle, which says a source provided information detailingCall of Duty: Vanguard’s launch sales for its opening week in the UK. While no specific sales numbers were provided, VGC explains thatCall of Duty: Vanguard’s UK sales numbers were some of the lowest in franchise history. Only a singleCall of Dutygame,Call of Duty: Modern Warfarein 2007, is described as having sold fewer copies in its launch week, givingVanguardthe worst sales numbers inCall of Dutyin 14 years.
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While its sales numbers may compare poorly to previousCall of Dutyentries, that doesn’t meanCall of Duty: Vanguardperformed poorly in general. The report also confirms thatCall of Duty: Vanguard’s week one sales make it the second most successful game launch in the UK market of 2021. The only game that had more impressive week one sales in the UK beingFIFA 22.
It deserves to be repeated that these reported numbers come from the UK and nowhere else. The UK remains one of the few regions to officially report video game sales numbers. Leaks are rare, but can happen. There are no comparable numbers for the US or other markets, and they’d likely be unreliable even if someone claimed to have them. As it stands, there’s little reason not to believe the report ofCall of Duty: Vanguard’sUK sales.
There are likely many contributing reasons forCall of Duty: Vanguard’s performance drop in the UK.Call of Duty: Warzone’s year-round availabilitycould be creating fatigue,Battlefield 2042andHalo Infinite’s approaching launches could be stealing players away, or even the WW2 setting not feeling as compelling anymore could all be reasons for the low numbers.
Regardless of the reasons why,Activisionis unlikely to be pleased withCall of Duty: Vanguard’s waning performance. What that means for the publisher’s plans for theCall of Dutyfranchise in the years to come is anyone’s guess, but changes are likely to occur behind closed doors as a result.
Call of Duty: Vanguardis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
