Call of Duty
GameBy Infinity Ward · Released Oct 29, 2003
Documents about Call of Duty
TWIG #361 WB Games’ Fate, CoD’s Apology Tour & the UA Financing Trap
The global gaming industry is currently navigating a period of intense structural realignment, characterized by aggressive media consolidation, shifting advertising paradigms, and evolving hardware strategies.
- Large-scale media consolidation, exemplified by potential sales of Warner Bros. Discovery and PIF interest in Electronic Arts, is treating gaming assets as secondary to broader streaming and sports ecosystems, threatening the stability of studios like Avalanche and TT Games.
- The mobile gaming user acquisition landscape is shifting as e-commerce brands increasingly outbid game studios for ad inventory, forcing developers to contend with higher costs and more complex financial leverage.
- Platforms like AppLovin are fundamentally altering mobile monetization by displacing rival game studios in ad space, which paradoxically helps developers by reducing player cannibalization while simultaneously driving up acquisition costs.
PS5, EA Sports FC 26 and Hogwarts Legacy Top Europe’s Black Friday Sales
The European video game market experienced a significant surge in activity during the 2025 Black Friday sales week, characterized by strong hardware performance and consistent software demand despite a lack of new releases.
- During the Black Friday week in the UK, console revenue increased by 14% and unit sales by 7% compared to the previous year.
- The PS5 was the primary market driver with a 62% market share, achieving a 16% year-over-year increase in unit sales.
- Aggressive discounting fueled PS5 performance, with the PS5 Pro reaching an all-time low price of £586 and the average price of all PS5 models dropping to £340.
November 2025's Top New Steam Games Revealed
This analysis examines the performance of new video game releases on Steam and major console platforms during November 2025.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is underperforming significantly, with sales metrics showing a decline of more than 50% compared to its predecessor.
- The shooter genre is experiencing intense competition, as titles like ARC Raiders and Battlefield 6 draw player counts away from established franchises.
- November 2025 saw a cooling market trend characterized by a lack of high-volume breakout hits compared to the performance levels seen in October.
November's Best-Selling Steam Games
The November 2025 market analysis identifies the top-performing titles on Steam, highlighting a significant trend toward independent game dominance.
- ARC Raiders was the top-selling Steam game in November, moving 3.5 million copies and reaching 7.7 million total units sold across all platforms to date.
- The indie title RV There Yet? sold 1.1 million copies in November, bringing its total sales to over 4 million units, driven largely by streamer engagement and a low $7.99 price point.
- Escape from Duckov outperformed the Steam release of Escape from Tarkov, selling 3 million copies and generating $38 million in revenue in 17 days, compared to Tarkov's 400,000 units and $14 million in revenue over the same period.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Market Performance: Europe
The market performance of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in Europe indicates a challenging launch period, as the title fell to the number two position in unit sales during its second week on the market.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 dropped to No. 2 in European unit sales during its second week, signaling a disappointing launch performance.
- EA Sports FC 26 reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the European market for the week ending November 23, 2025.
- Battlefield 6 moved up to No. 3 in unit sales, contributing to a strong showing for Electronic Arts in the top three.
FECOD Secures Rights to Broadcast Call of Duty League Matches for 2025-2026 Season
The Spanish Call of Duty Federation (FECOD) has secured the broadcast rights for the 2025-2026 Call of Duty League season.
- The Spanish Call of Duty Federation (FECOD) has secured the rights to broadcast all Call of Duty League matches for the 2025-2026 season via its Twitch channel.
- The broadcast will feature a dedicated team of narrators, analysts, and producers to provide specialized Spanish-language coverage for the community.
- FECOD will provide focused coverage for teams with Spanish ties, specifically Miami Heretics and Toronto KOI, including dedicated live content and segments.
Shooter Monthly #2: Call of Duty Flops, Battlefield Hops, and Arc Raiders Pops
The shooter genre is currently undergoing a significant structural shift as established franchises face declining engagement while newer, innovative titles capture market share.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is underperforming significantly, with European sales dropping 63% compared to Battlefield 6 and falling over 50% below its predecessor.
- Arc Raiders has emerged as a market leader in the extraction shooter genre, generating over $300 million in gross revenue from 7.7 million units sold.
- Player fatigue with futuristic settings, ineffective marketing, and the lack of cosmetic carry-overs are identified as the primary drivers for the decline of established shooter franchises.
GMTK Digest: November 2025
The November 2025 industry digest serves as a curated overview of significant developments, critical discourse, and labor issues within the global video game sector.
- Rockstar Games faces accusations of union busting following the termination of staff prior to the completion of Grand Theft Auto 6, despite the company citing gross misconduct as the cause.
- The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has become a focal point for industry-wide criticism regarding the integration of artificial intelligence in major titles.
- Analysts suggest a shift in player expectations for major releases, noting that Hades 2 prioritizes repetitive maintenance over meaningful thematic narrative development.
GameSquare Teams With Clout for FaZe Esports Pass
GameSquare Holdings has launched the FaZe Esports Pass, an all-access digital membership initiative developed in partnership with the fan-engagement platform Clout.
- GameSquare Holdings (NASDAQ:GAME) has partnered with the fan-engagement platform Clout to launch the FaZe Esports Pass, an all-access digital membership for fans.
- The FaZe Esports Pass functions as a gamified marketplace that offers exclusive rewards, challenges, and unique drops to deepen fan engagement and generate recurring revenue.
- The initiative's first season is scheduled to run through February 18, 2026.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 European Launch Sales Performance
The launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in Europe has underperformed significantly, with opening week sales figures trailing behind major competitors.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 experienced a weak European launch, with opening week sales 63% lower than Battlefield 6's October debut and over 50% lower than last year's Black Ops 6.
- The sales data for Black Ops 7 excludes Game Pass subscriptions, meaning the actual player count is likely higher than the reported unit sales figures.
- Ubisoft's new release, Anno 117: Pax Romana, performed strongly, selling approximately 2.5 times more units at launch than the 2019 title Anno 1800.
TWIG #358 Steam Machine, the Future of PC Gaming?
The gaming industry is currently navigating a period of significant volatility, characterized by the decline of established blockbuster franchises and the emergence of new, highly targeted market segments.
- The mobile gaming market is shifting toward character-driven, intimacy-focused titles like 'Love and Deep Space' and 'Nikke: Goddess of Victory,' which are successfully capturing U.S. market share by targeting underserved player fantasies.
- Major developers like MiHoYo are pivoting away from combat-heavy squad RPGs toward low-stress, life-simulation mechanics such as farming and crafting to attract a younger, female-dominated demographic.
- The latest 'Call of Duty' launch serves as a bellwether for industry instability, evidenced by a 70 percent drop in concurrent users and record-low critical reception following a rushed development cycle.
Extraction Shooters Go Mainstream? Arc Raiders Says Yes
The extraction shooter genre has reached a significant milestone with the commercial success of Arc Raiders, developed by Embark Studios and published by Nexon.
- Arc Raiders has achieved significant commercial success, generating over $100 million in revenue and selling more than 4 million copies.
- The game’s strong performance, highlighted by an 84 Metacritic score, positions it as a direct competitor to major franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield.
- Nexon views the title as a critical win for its portfolio, particularly following the underwhelming market performance of Embark Studios' previous project, The Finals.
Companies behind it
Microsoftpublisher, owner, developer1,095- Activisionpublisher, developer524
Activision Blizzarddeveloper, owner, publisher418- Xbox Game Studiospublisher13
Nintendoowner1,407
Valvepublisher393
Overwolfowner25
Enad Global 7 (EG7)publisher7
As the documents state it.