Activision has had an incredibly eventful year. In addition to being bought by Microsoft for almost $70 billion, Call of Duty: Vanguard has struggled and lawsuits have been occurring. These events have resulted in Activision losing 50 million monthly active users within the last year. In March of 2021, Activision reported roughly 150 million monthly active users. Many of these users were drawn in by the Call of Duty fan base as the franchise added Call of Duty: Warzone. This battle-royale-style game was released in 2020 but really took off in 2021 and drew in a large group of players to the franchise.
As of Activision’s Q1 2022 financial report, the company has seen a significant drop as they are drawing in roughly 100 million monthly active users. In the report, Activision insinuates that the drop in players is due to Vanguard struggling and decreasing Warzone interest. The report specifically states that “Call of Duty net bookings on console and PC declined year-over-year in the first quarter, reflecting lower premium sales for Call of Duty: Vanguard versus the year ago title and lower engagement in Call of Duty: Warzone.”
This statement clearly indicates how Activision believes the two games are doing at the moment as they each struggle for their own reasons. Vanguard has struggled since it was released and players may be losing interest in Warzone due to how long it has been available. While the company believes those are the biggest reasons for the decline, they did offer some higher expectations for the future. The report continues by saying “The Call of Duty teams delivered substantial gameplay improvements for Vanguard and Warzone in the first quarter. Development on this year’s premium and Warzone experiences, led by Infinity Ward, is proceeding very well.”
Although the two games may have been one of the larger reasons for a decline in users, fans can look forward to the future of each game and the company as a whole.