Call of Duty
GameBy Infinity Ward · Released Oct 29, 2003
Documents about Call of Duty
Microsoft Q1 2025 Financial Results: Gaming Business Overview
Microsoft’s financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 highlight a period of significant growth in the gaming division, primarily fueled by the integration of Activision Blizzard.
- Microsoft’s total gaming revenue grew 43% year-over-year to $5.62 billion in Q1 2025, with the entirety of that growth attributed to the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- Xbox content and services revenue rose 61% year-over-year to over $5 billion, though this growth would have been limited to 8% without the contribution from Activision Blizzard.
- Activision Blizzard generated $1.69 billion in revenue during the quarter but recorded an operating loss of $440 million, partially due to ongoing integration costs.
Factorio and its DLC Break Into Top 5 Highest-Grossing Games on Steam
The gaming industry landscape on Steam for the week of October 22–29, 2024, was defined by the strong performance of major new releases and the resurgence of established titles.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the top-grossing product on Steam for the week of October 22–29, 2024, dethroning Counter-Strike 2.
- Factorio and its new Space Age DLC secured the second and third spots respectively among premium titles, with the DLC selling over 400,000 copies in its first four days.
- The success of the Space Age expansion helped the base game, Factorio, reach a peak of over 118,000 concurrent players.
Data Deep Dive: What Are the Zoomers Really Playing?
This analysis examines the gaming habits of Generation Z, defined here as individuals born between 1995 and 2009, to understand how their preferences are influencing the broader games industry.
- Gen Z gaming engagement is high, with 91% of 13–17-year-olds playing games weekly for an average of over 7 hours per week.
- Video game consumption is increasingly competitive with traditional media, as young consumers (13–39) spend an average of 6.5 hours weekly on games compared to 9.4 hours on streaming services.
- The 'new game seeker' demographic—those most likely to try new titles—is 42% Gen Z, with 79% of this group playing across multiple platforms, led by PC.
Game Companies Laid Off Over 1,000 Industry Professionals in September: September 2024
The global video game industry experienced a significant surge in workforce reductions during September 2024, with at least 1,009 professionals losing their jobs.
- The gaming industry saw over 1,000 job cuts in September 2024, marking the highest monthly layoff total since April.
- Microsoft accounted for the majority of September's losses with 650 layoffs impacting teams working on Warcraft Rumble and Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile.
- Total industry layoffs for 2024 have reached nearly 13,000, already surpassing the 10,500 total recorded for the entirety of 2023.
Are Old Games Killing New Games?
The video game industry is currently facing a significant structural challenge where consumer attention is increasingly dominated by legacy titles, leaving little room for new releases to gain traction.
- Legacy titles dominate the market, with 61% of total playtime in 2024 dedicated to games released more than six years ago.
- In 2023, just five older titles generated more aggregate playtime than all games released throughout the 2022 and 2023 calendar years combined.
- Excluding annualized franchises and top-tier megahits, all other new releases—including the 14,000+ games launched on Steam in 2023—compete for only 4.5% of total gaming hours.
Microsoft to Cut 650 More Gaming Jobs
Microsoft has announced the elimination of approximately 650 roles within its gaming division, marking the second major round of workforce reductions for the company in 2024.
- Microsoft is laying off approximately 650 employees from its gaming division, primarily impacting corporate and support roles following the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- This reduction marks the second major round of layoffs at Microsoft Gaming this year, following the 1,900 job cuts announced in January 2024.
- Phil Spencer stated that no games, devices, or experiences are being cancelled, and no studio leadership positions are affected by this latest round of cuts.
Destiny 2 Trials of Osiris Hits Lowest Player Count in History
The competitive player-versus-player mode Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2 has reached its lowest participation levels since its inception.
- Destiny 2's Trials of Osiris mode hit a record-low player count of 75,476 on September 3, 2024.
- Player engagement has declined significantly from 2023 peaks, such as the 542,874 players recorded on March 21, 2023, following the Lightfall expansion.
- Community sentiment is negatively impacted by the conclusion of the 'Light and Darkness' saga and a lack of clear communication from Bungie regarding the franchise's future.
Layoffs Hit Oxygen Esports
Oxygen Esports, a Boston-based organization with interests in the Call of Duty League, Valorant, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six Siege, has initiated significant layoffs across its divisions.
- Oxygen Esports has initiated layoffs across multiple divisions, following reports that its primary funding partner, the Kraft Group, planned to cease financial support for the organization's esports operations.
- The company has officially exited the Valorant competitive scene, with multiple employees confirming their departure from the organization on August 29, 2024.
- Helix eSports, the LAN center subsidiary owned by Oxygen, has shuttered its locations in North Bergen, New Jersey, and Patriot’s Place in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
Fortnite’s Season Launch History on Live Streaming
Fortnite maintains its position as the dominant force in the battle royale genre through a consistent live-service model that leverages high-profile intellectual property collaborations and frequent seasonal updates.
- Fortnite remains the leading battle royale game on live streaming, generating 490 million hours watched in 2024, which is 159 million hours more than the second-place Call of Duty: Warzone.
- The Chapter 5 Season 4 'Absolute Doom' launch generated 15.9 million hours watched and 463,000 peak viewers in its first week.
- Historical performance shows that 'Fortnite OG' (Chapter 4 Season 5) remains the strongest seasonal launch, reaching 50.6 million hours watched, significantly outperforming the recent Marvel-themed release.
The Esports World Cup’s Spectacular Opening Week
The inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh represents a significant shift in the global competitive gaming landscape, functioning as an Olympics-style, multi-genre tournament backed by a substantial $60 million prize pool.
- The Esports World Cup (EWC) generated 27 million hours watched and a peak viewership of 1.3 million during its first five days of competition.
- Co-streaming was a critical driver of engagement, accounting for exactly 50% (13.5 million hours) of the total viewership.
- League of Legends dominated the opening week with 11 million hours watched, significantly outperforming Call of Duty: Warzone, which generated 964,000 hours.
BP Awards
The media platform Breaking Point, in collaboration with the commentary channel The Flank, has announced the inaugural BP Awards to recognize excellence within the 2024 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 competitive scene.
- Breaking Point and The Flank have partnered to launch the BP Awards, a community-led initiative honoring top talent in the 2024 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 competitive scene.
- The awards ceremony will be streamed on Twitch and YouTube on August 2, 2024, following a preview event scheduled for July 26.
- Award winners will be determined through a combination of community voting and a panel consisting of Call of Duty League coaches, professional players, and media representatives.
Unilever Brings Top Brands to Esports World Cup
The Esports World Cup Foundation has secured a sponsorship agreement with Unilever, featuring the company’s CLEAR MEN Shampoo and AXE Body Spray brands.
- Unilever brands CLEAR MEN Shampoo and AXE Body Spray have signed on as official partners for the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The Esports World Cup is a multi-week, multi-discipline event running from July 3 to August 25, 2024.
- While financial terms were not disclosed, the partnership aims to reach the 18-24 male demographic in the region through venue branding, broadcast presence, and on-site product activations.
Companies behind it
Microsoftpublisher, owner, developer1,109- Activisionpublisher, developer526
Activision Blizzarddeveloper, owner, publisher425- Xbox Game Studiospublisher13
Nintendoowner1,423
Valvepublisher403
Overwolfowner28
Enad Global 7 (EG7)publisher7
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