Call of Duty has several active sagas; two of the most recognizable are Black Ops and Modern Warfare, both of which have achieved millions of sales over the years. Regrettably, particularly with BO, the recent releases have fallen short of expectations, leaving fans dissatisfied with the game’s direction.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War, Activision has a great chance to revive this IP to all of its former glory. This next game has almost no room to fail; fans will no longer trust this name if it doesn’t meet certain expectations.
To Make a Good Game, Activision and Treyarch Need to Listen to Fans
Back in 2008, when the success of Modern Warfare hit the gaming industry, Activision played all of its cards as best as possible, resulting in two sagas that were instant hits.
With Black Ops in 2009, Treyarch achieved the balance of an amazing multiplayer and one of the best stories in the whole franchise, mixing Hollywood talent with astonishing scriptwriting skills. This trend persisted in the following years, culminating in the release of the sequel to this saga in 2012.
With the release of BO3, the IP encountered its first significant challenge. Activision handled the storyline poorly, and the gameplay barely adhered to the original saga’s theme.
Years later, Activision decided to turn the entire thing into some kind of online multiplayer experience that went way beyond what a Call of Duty game is, resulting in a weird experience that only wanted to make a battle royale possible. Black Ops 4 was one of the worst CODs ever created.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War Needs to Be as Good as the Remake of MW Was
In 2020, Treyarch rebooted the franchise with Black Ops Cold War. This title tried to meet fans’ expectations with the same old characters with new voices and new stories. The reception was average, the story was not so linear, but it was short, and the script was lacking some more conviction.
After making this new attempt, Treyarch put the saga on hold until now, aiming to revive it with a new title and restore its glory.
The main problem with games like these is that Activision continues to produce one game after another every year without taking a break, despite their initial success with a perfect balance of content, a well-crafted story, and a variety of modes.
The Call of Duty machine needs to follow the example of Ubisoft and not release a new game every year. With the current industry standards, this makes no sense.
The MW3 Debacle Can’t Ever Happen Again
Activision set a new low with MW3, releasing an incomplete game and passing it off as a complete one, despite improvising the story and maintaining the same gameplay. Fans are very angry with the studio, hoping that things will change in the future. This company really needs to rest the franchise for a couple of years and take the time to make a good, well-developed game so fans can enjoy it again.
The money machine keeps running, but the quality is lower every time. With Warzone Activision hitting the jackpot, the player base is huge, but there are some signs that this is not enough.
To revive the franchise with an excellent game, the company must find a replacement, so it can really take the time to make great IPs again. Focusing only on COD is not enough, and the tear is visible. With every new title, the quality drops.
After more than 20 years of success, Activision appears to not have any alternative plan to not depend entirely on Call of Duty as the main AAA franchise. The studio heavily depends on players consistently returning to the game, a situation that could potentially change in the future. The number of games is huge, so the player can find a new title to play at any time. Activision is on the verge of realizing that luck could run out.
What are your thoughts on the Call of Duty franchise’s current record? Let us know in the comments!
