Microsoft wants to reduce investment in the Call of Duty series after Black Ops 7 underperformed, according to a new rumor.
Known Call of Duty insider TheGhostOfHope took to Twitter/X to share that while Microsoft believes Black Ops 7 is a “good” game, its financial performance is below the company’s expectations, which were already lowered last year after Black Ops 6 “fell off a cliff”.
The insider further stated that, with the state of the franchise overall, the pressure is now on Call of Duty to change its model. Microsoft wants to see Call of Duty move towards a smoother revenue stream and a reduced expenditure pattern. The company has apparently told higher ups within at Activision that changes are very much required and nothing is off the table, including studio mergers and a complete rethink of monetization models for the series.
The same insider recently mentioned hearing from their sources during recent weeks that a lot of the budget for the post-launch seasons (at least the later ones) for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been pulled back, given the performance of launch sales. Though, they’re currently unaware which specific components of the game have been impacted.
Activision recently announced major changes to the Call of Duty franchise’s long term release strategy, revealing that it will move away from releasing Modern Warfare and Black Ops titles in immediate succession. According to the company, the decision is intended to allow development teams more time to create distinct gameplay experiences rather than incremental variations between yearly releases. The development team acknowledged that portions of the player base felt the franchise had not consistently met expectations, stating that feedback received over recent months is influencing current and future decisions.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC. Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
