Activision Discusses Call of Duty Fatigue "All the Time"

[Brian Albert]

Activision Discusses Call of Duty Fatigue "All the Time"

Call of Duty's developers don't think the franchise is heading the way of Guitar Hero.

In a recent interview with GamerZines, Sledgehammer Games CEO Glen Schofield said Activision is wary of fatiguing Call of Duty players.

Regarding the current one-per-year release schedule, Schofield said it's an often-discussed issue.

"Absolutely, we talk about it all the time," he said. "That's why it's all about innovation. We're fans, so we know where we want to take it, we know what would make us happy, and we are listening to other fans out there."

Whether you buy the innovation line or not, there's no denying the fans want more. A new Call of Duty game has been released each November for the last five years, with each release outselling the one before it.

It's certainly no Guitar Hero, where the lack of interest became utterly palpable.

"But you know what, it's not [losing momentum] right now, it's growing. You can see it out there. It's so big, people love it and I get so many tweets from the community. It's the biggest thing in entertainment. You stay paranoid because things can happen, but staying paranoid actually makes your game better."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 releases on November 8 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Perhaps you've heard of it?

Source: VG24/7

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[Frostbite3789]

Why is this news? What were they going to say? Who thought this was a good question to ask the people developing the game?

"Yeah, we really think people are getting tired of this franchise, and sales are going to decline and it will die in the near future."

Just...I don't even know what kind of response people expect from the developer of the game.

 

[imnot]

It's full of innovation?
-___-
Are you even trying to not look like dicks Activision?

 

[Magnalian]

"That's why it's all about innovation."

Best joke I've heard all day.

 

[Sharkeyboi]

I like that they're wary of fatigue. Keeps them from running the franchise off a cliff. Maybe they will eventually kill it. But this article has me feeling like it'll come later rather than sooner.

 

[Eiv]

"That's why it's all about innovation."

urm....sure, and Scotland is a superpower.....

 

[jakko12345]

Innovation in Call of Duty? Cool story, bro.

 

[bfgmetalhead]

inovation? They are talking about call of duty right?

 

[EvilChameleon]

The difference between the two series is the fact that in order to play Guitar Hero, you need special equipment (mics, guitars, drums, etc). COD is a pick-up and play game that requires just a system and a controller.

And the game, of course.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Well, they are correct in the sales figures being massive, and the games are obscenely popular, but I think they need to relearn what innovation means.

I always say that when you see an authority figure going out of their way to say that a certain concern is not a problem, then you should start looking deeper into what they're trying to cover up. If Cod developers are having interviews specifically about how releasing a game every year isn't stagnating their growth and saturating the market, then they obviously believe that is what is happening, and are trying to stop it (not by innovating their games, but through press releases)

If someone was able to come up with a truly innovative and fast-paced balanced multiplayer game, similar in gameplay to Cod, but with all the extra stuff they lack (destructable terrain, more teamwork etc.) And actually design the game ground up to be enjoyable and give the players the best possible experience, then it would probably blow Cod away in a couple of months. Unfortunately the closest competitor is Battlefield, and EA are doing their best to make themselves as obnoxious and asshole-y as possible (It's EA after all).

 

[MiracleOfSound]

They'll only innovate when people demand it with their wallets.

Right now each game outsells the previous one and breaks every entertainment record going, so why would they change it?

I'm quite happy for COD not to innovate anyway. 60 quid a year for new campaign, maps and weapons (and hopefully some balance fixing) is fine with me considering the amount of time most people put into the game.

 

[ultimateownage]

"Hey, think we should stop milking these stupid teenagers?"
"Nah, keep going. We can get a few billion quid more."

 

[Frostbite3789]

I like that they're wary of fatigue. Keeps them from running the franchise off a cliff. Maybe they will eventually kill it. But this article has me feeling like it'll come later rather than sooner.

Why? Because the people who make a ton of money off it said things are going great? This happened right before the financial crisis too. Companies that collapsed had AAA ratings the day before from every agency.

If a question is asked often enough, you're going to have to address it and they weren't going to say, "Yeah, we think this is going just like Guitar Hero. ActiBlizzard is overly milking another franchise to death."'

What response other than what they said would've made PR sense?

 

[Scizophrenic Llama]

There is a massive difference between Guitar Hero and Call of Duty on many different fronts.

Call of Duty can use the exact same engine and still seem different if they do it right, whereas Guitar Hero could be on a completely different engine and it'd still seem exactly the same.

Call of Duty costs $60. Guitar Hero has the game, and usually bundles of instruments. It costs both the developer and new players alike more money to do the ladder than the former.

You have Guitar Hero coming out yearly with bundles and of course it's going to crash. This is why it's on the backburner and Rock Band is sitting back enjoying itself and having just celebrated it's 200th straight week of DLC released.

So of course Call of Duty is going to be fine, it's made to be picked up and played. It'll only really change when sales start to decline, not increase with each title. You don't fix something that isn't broken.

 

[ViciousTide]

Unforunately, MW3 is jumping off the cliff with it's $110 True price tag. Most gamers are getting sick of $10 for 2.5 maps rehashed and refurbished, every month. Now making it exclusive to the rich will get more gamers pissed off. Especially if they start limiting off Single Campaign to New owners only via a code..

Everyone will convert to BF3/Skyrim/SW:OR this November. Good luck, and sorry that your CEO's walk away with all your hard earned bonuses and stocks options as you all lose your jobs and created ideas for future game tech.

 

[Trishbot]

"Innovation in Call of Duty".

I... can't... stop... laughing...

My sides... they hurt!

 

[Baresark]

It's interesting they mention innovation, because at this point, the series is not known for it. As I recall, they haven't really changed much about the gameplay itself since CoD1. I loved the shit out of that game, and the second one, then I took some time off and loved Modern Warfare, then MW2, not so much... and well, I didn't like Blops at all.... and here is why, I am tired of playing this game with new skins on it. They haven't innovated since CoD1. I'm not saying, "oh, I'm cooler for liking it before it was cool" or any such thing, I'm simply saying that I got tired of the same old shit that has come along with the CoD franchise.... and at this point, I can safely say they haven't innovated in quite a long time. Sure, they really went crazy with Modern Warfare and online play. They have new modes from iteration to iteration and such, but who really fucking cares when all your doing is the same thing you did in Doom, namely shoot everything that isn't on your side. Then, on top of that, because of the leveling system you get people who are significantly more powerful than yourself shooting you dead without much of a chance to kill them beyond pure luck.