Call of Duty
GameBy Infinity Ward · Released Oct 29, 2003
Documents about Call of Duty
Denied: FTC Loses Bid for Preliminary Injunction Against Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard
A federal judge has denied the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- A federal judge denied the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- The court ruled that the FTC failed to demonstrate that the merger would likely lead to a substantial lessening of competition, noting that evidence suggested the deal would increase consumer access to content.
- While the ruling removes a major U.S. legal barrier, Microsoft must still resolve regulatory concerns in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
Inside the Xbox Wars
The legal proceedings between the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft represent a pivotal moment in the gaming industry, centering on the proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- The $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft became the subject of antitrust litigation initiated by the Federal Trade Commission to assess potential anticompetitive impacts.
- A central concern of the proceedings is whether Microsoft would restrict access to major franchises like Call of Duty to favor the Xbox platform over competitors such as Sony’s PlayStation.
- The litigation serves as a critical regulatory test for large-scale technology mergers and could establish a legal precedent for how future industry acquisitions are evaluated.
PlayStation's Top First-Party Games Now Cost >$200 Million to Make
Internal documents from the legal proceedings between the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft have revealed significant financial data regarding Sony Interactive Entertainment’s first-party development costs and the commercial impact of the Call of Duty franchise on the PlayStation platform.
- Sony’s top-tier first-party titles now frequently exceed $200 million in development costs, with 'Horizon Forbidden West' costing $212 million and 'The Last of Us Part II' costing $220 million.
- The 'Call of Duty' franchise is a critical revenue pillar for PlayStation, generating $1.5 billion in worldwide consumer spending on the platform in 2021 alone.
- Over 43 million unique U.S. PlayStation users have played 'Call of Duty' since 2019, accounting for two-thirds of the platform's domestic user base.
What Are the Most Important Games on PlayStation
Analysis of a January 2023 YouGov survey commissioned by Microsoft provides insight into player behavior and brand loyalty within the European console market.
- Sony maintains a significant competitive advantage in brand loyalty, with 74% of PlayStation owners intending to stay with the brand for their next purchase compared to only 44% of Xbox owners.
- FIFA is the most influential title for console retention in Europe, with 6.4% of players stating they would switch platforms if the game were unavailable.
- Call of Duty and Fortnite are secondary drivers of platform loyalty, each influencing 3.1% of players to switch consoles if the titles were removed.
Console Title Activity Trends: June 2023
Console title activity in June 2023 reveals a market dominated by established live-service franchises, though major new releases successfully disrupted engagement patterns.
- Fortnite remains the dominant console title, leading the market with 36.1 million monthly active users and 612 million hours of total playtime in June 2023.
- Diablo IV emerged as the primary market disruptor, achieving 6.1 million monthly active users and leading in engagement depth with an average of 55 hours played per user.
- Established live-service franchises including Grand Theft Auto V, FIFA 23, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II continue to hold top market positions, demonstrating the difficulty new titles face in capturing player time.
2023 Half-year Review
The gaming industry in the first half of 2023 is defined by a strategic pivot toward operational austerity and the dominance of established franchises.
- The gaming industry is shifting toward operational austerity and budget discipline, moving away from the rapid, unsustainable growth models of previous years.
- Market demand is currently dominated by established franchises, with players favoring high-quality iterations of known intellectual properties like Street Fighter 6, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 over experimental titles.
- Artificial intelligence is currently utilized only for incremental production efficiency rather than transformative gameplay innovation, reflecting a broader industry skepticism toward AI hype.
Nadella's Endgame: Spending $1.3 Million to Obtain a $69 Billion Asset
The Federal Trade Commission’s legal challenge against Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard faces significant hurdles due to a failure to account for the modern gaming landscape.
- The FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is hindered by a narrow market definition that overlooks the mobile sector, where the acquisition of King Digital would increase Microsoft’s market share from 0.3 percent to 3.8 percent.
- Regulatory arguments regarding the exclusivity of franchises like Call of Duty are challenged by evidence from Nintendo and Steam, which demonstrate that hardware and software ecosystems can remain competitive without such titles.
- Modern gaming’s shift toward free-to-play, live-service models creates long-term social environments that render traditional antitrust frameworks, designed for one-time consumption media like film, largely inapplicable.
Tencent Becomes Top Mobile Publisher by Consumer Spend Globally
The mobile market analytics firm data.ai has released its annual Top Publisher Awards, identifying the leading global mobile publishers based on consumer spending throughout 2022.
- Tencent maintained its position as the top global mobile publisher by consumer spend for the sixth consecutive year in 2022, driven by titles like Honor of Kings and mobile versions of PUBG and Call of Duty.
- ByteDance rose to the second position in global mobile publisher rankings, reflecting significant growth in consumer spending.
- Industry consolidation is actively reshaping the market, highlighted by Take-Two Interactive’s debut at number 15 following its acquisition of Zynga.
Sony’s Confidential PlayStation Secrets Just Spilled Because of a Sharpie
The inadvertent public disclosure of sensitive Sony Interactive Entertainment business data during the Federal Trade Commission’s legal challenge against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has provided unprecedented insight into the financial mechanics of the modern gaming industry.
- Sony's confidential documents, unredacted due to a scanning error, revealed that "The Last of Us: Part II" and "Horizon Forbidden West" each cost over $200 million to develop.
- In 2021, approximately 1 million PlayStation users exclusively played "Call of Duty," while over 6 million spent more than 70% of their gaming time on the franchise.
- "Call of Duty" players spent an average of 116 hours per year on the game in 2021, with those dedicating over 70% of their time to it averaging 296 hours.
Who's Top of Steam Next Fest for June 2023?
Analysis of the June 2023 Steam Next Fest reveals a highly competitive landscape featuring approximately 1,000 PC game demos, representing over 6% of all unreleased titles tracked on the platform.
- The June 2023 Steam Next Fest featured approximately 1,000 demos, representing over 6% of all unreleased PC titles tracked on the platform.
- Core PC genres including colony sims, survival games, and roguelikes dominated the top-performing titles, with games like Viewfinder, Sea of Stars, Lies of P, and House Flipper 2 showing the strongest engagement.
- Diablo Immortal reached $500 million in cumulative mobile revenue, becoming the 15th fastest mobile title to achieve that milestone.
London Royal Ravens Considering Move to North America
The London Royal Ravens, a franchise within the Call of Duty League owned by Infinite Reality, is currently evaluating a potential relocation from Europe to North America.
- The London Royal Ravens, a Call of Duty League franchise owned by Infinite Reality, is considering a relocation from Europe to North America.
- Potential host cities for the team include Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as Washington, D.C., and Mexico City.
- A move to North America would result in the Call of Duty League having no remaining team presence in Europe.
Analysis: Which 'Not-E3' Games Hit It Big With Gamers?
This analysis evaluates the impact of various "not-E3" 2023 gaming showcases on consumer interest and provides a critical assessment of sales distribution across PC and console platforms.
- Independent and mid-market games should prioritize PC as their primary revenue driver, as Steam frequently outperforms all console platforms combined for titles like Dredge.
- The Xbox Games Showcase and Summer Game Fest were the most influential events of June 2023, generating the highest median follower increases and media volume.
- Steam breakout titles included Starfield, PayDay 3, and Cities Skylines 2, while Star Wars: Outlaws and Fable generated the most non-Steam press coverage.
Companies behind it
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