Activision Blames World War II For Call Of Duty: Vanguard's Failure

It's not come as a massive surprise, but Call of Duty: Vanguard didn't exactly meet expectations. Of course, when it comes to Call of Duty, a lot of fans are much more likely to pounce at a new game in an already established series at this stage. Black Ops and Modern Warfare have done a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to the yearly CoD sales.

When Vanguard was revealed, players were sceptical - not only because it was a new property, but it was a new property that took on World War II as a setting we've seen many times before. Now, it looks like the reason for the game's failure is - according to developers - World War II itself. Sure, Jan.

Why Does Activision Blame World War II For Vanguard's Failures?

Click to enlarge

After Vanguard's miss in terms of expectations, sales numbers and concurrent players, Activision has claimed that it's a declining interest in World War II to blame for the lack of player interest. In a recent financial report, Activision made the suggestion that the title's setting didn't help it.

Still, it's accepted that Vanguard didn't do everything those at the top wanted it to internally either. "While Call of Duty remains one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time, our 2021 premium release didn't meet our expectations, we believe primarily due to execution," the report reads.

"The game's World War II setting didn't resonate with some of our community and we didn't deliver as much innovation in the premium game as we would have liked." We've been visiting the trenches of WWII since the OG Call of Duty back in 2003, so you can see why we might be a bit bored by this period of history.

Activision Report - Modern Warfare II Will be The "Most Ambitious" Yet

According to the report, the upcoming Modern Warfare 2 has a lot behind it, including one of the biggest plans for a Call of Duty game ever. Activision assured us: "We are working on the most ambitious plan in Call of Duty history, with over 3,000 people now working on the franchise and a return to the Modern Warfare setting that delivered our most successful Call of Duty title ever." 

It's clear that what Activision lacks in faith for Vanguard, it makes up for with Modern Warfare 2. It's a shame that the company seems to have already dismissed its last game, but given that players have done so too, it makes sense. Here's hoping that Modern Warfare 2 can make up the difference, otherwise Activision will be blaming the concept of war itself for poor sales.