The Call of Duty franchise has hit major records this year. A press release from developer Activision shows the release of Call of Duty: Warzone has propelled the franchise forward — amassing more than 85 million players. However, the battle royale isn’t the only game keeping the franchise afloat; with releases like Black Ops Cold War pulling in players as well. It seems the long-running series is still kicking as they report 200 million players have played Call of Duty this year —  the most since the start of the franchise in 2003.

In the last year, the series has earned more than $3 billion dollars; Activision attributes the success to their new “shared ecosystem business model.” The model offers players the options of free-to-play games to console and PC, mobile-friendly games to connect with new players, and traditional games like Black Ops Cold War. The newest entry to the series, Black Ops Cold War, is a direct sequel to the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. Activision has no intentions of stopping its gained momentum, with plans  to add more free content through the upcoming Season 1 that will “transform both the scope and scale of gameplay.” 

According to Activision, “on console and PC, the franchise has delivered the highest number of players in recorded history this year, as well as the biggest November ever for monthly players and hours played.” The series’ battle royale, Call of Duty: Warzone, has brought in 85 million players since its launch earlier this year. The free-to-play game will soon integrate with Cold War, meaning progress through battle passes and levels will be shared between the two games. The official Call of Duty Twitter account shared some insight on what Season 1 will bring; the tweet listing new maps, weapons, zombie modes, and more. 

Launch is only the beginning for #BlackOpsColdWar.

✅ Nuketown ’84.
✅ New Zombies modes.
✅ 2v2 Gunfight comes to #BlackOpsColdWar.
✅ Epic free content.
✅ New maps, modes, weapons, secrets, and more. pic.twitter.com/9970FtYhmk

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) November 5, 2020

Since its beginning 17 years ago, The Call of Duty franchise continues to entertain longtime fans as well as entice new players into its ranks. Although the pandemic lockdown may have boosted some numbers, the data clearly shows how great of a year the team at Activision has had. Hopefully, the upcoming Season 1 will continue to deliver, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available on PS5/4, the Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.