Lack of Call of Duty hype points to franchise fatigue

Yesterday marked the annual reveal of the latest Call of Duty title, and as usual we were promised new features, a new story and a new set of characters to wage war with. Nothing out of the ordinary here, but this year's reveal felt different somehow, as if COD fans throughout the world just watched the latest teaser trailer and let out one big sigh of, "What? More of the same? Again?"

[s8anicslayer]

Ya Think? lmao!

[Maddens Raiders]

a more divisive multiplat console series? It's like the virtual epicenter for casual vs. hardcore skirmishes and battles.

[shivvy24]

im done with modern shooters , btw the skull looks like resistance 3 box art

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Can you blame the gamers? Or the former hardcore Cod players?

The game not only has gotten stale, under performed and none innovative through out the years. But both IW and Treyarch have done nothing to fixed the glitches and unbalanced influences that plagued the game since COD 4.

The new COD crowd are the ones that are hyped for this. While the former core crowd probably buy just for there friends or just for cheap thrills.

Until IW can act like game developers *Key word "DEVELOPERS" and innovate change and fix the stupid problems COD will remain just a cheap thrill.

EDIT: @Below NYC gamer This isn't just the vocal small community of N4G. It's on all of the major game sites and even mainstream is starting to catch wind.

They're barely breaking sales record now. But their sales average is falling fast. It just shows peoples disinterest of the game in the long run. After launch its just simple word of mouth.

*Is the game worth it this year? "Nope." *Not buying it then.

[ZainabSaccal]

I prefer battlefield4 anytime of the day, I didn't like Call of Duty as they are becoming BORINGGGGG

[NYC_Gamer]

It's gonna sale millions of copies regardless of how us on N4G feel towards the franchise

[Minato-Namikaze]

Its not only n4g. Many people in the gaming communities i'm in are kinda just meh about it. But certainly there will be a bunch of people that buy it at launch, on the other hand i dont think it's gonna rake in 1 billion dollars in only 15 days this time.

[Root]

I think, in my opinion, that the people who are catching on are hardcore gamers and the reason why you see it more around the interet then in public is because most hardcore gamers actually have the time to sign up to a site like this one.

The casual crowd or those who have an Xbox to killtime (usualy because it's cheaper and because of the headset aka cross game chat) are the ones who always go on about it, you know those groups of friends who just do it because other friends are doing it. It's one big social gimmick and I think over the years the gaming community, the core gaming community are waking up to it. I mean we don't need social gimmicks like that because we know theres better games coming out this year.

GTAV, WatchDogs, Bioshock, Tomb Raider, Killzone SF, inFAMOUS SS, whatever the Nextbox has

Then we have the PS4 and Nextbox it's self....

Activision can trick people by putting that same old mouldly hotdog in a brand new fresh bun, aka a new engine, but we know it's still a mouldy hotdog inside.

[MikeMyers]

"The casual crowd or those who have an Xbox to killtime (usualy because it's cheaper and because of the headset aka cross game chat) are the ones who always go on about it, you know those groups of friends who just do it because other friends are doing it."

That makes absolutely no sense at all. Are we now claiming PS3 owners are hardcore gamers and Xbox 360 owners are casual? Did you forget that Call of Duty is also the number one franchise on the PS3?

This segregation between gamers really needs to stop. It serves no purpose other than to try and alienate communities and support fanboys.

Even if there is fatigue going on with the franchise it still outsells every other game doesn't it? Activision is likely to run the ip into the ground like they did with Guitar Hero. But until then they will keep making it because it sells on BOTH the PS3 and Xbox 360.

But this whole notion it's Xbox 360 owners who are going on about it is baseless claims. It is still hugely popular every year on the PS3 as well.

[torchic]

there's a definite growing consensus that the game is getting boring. I mean Ghosts will still sell bucket loads but won't replicate the successes of previous CoDs, even BLOPSII

even famous YouTube commentators who bulit their channels on CoD content are beginning to shy away from it.

I like CoD but I just can't bring myself to play it anymore.

btw I don't think that Battlefield will replace CoD (without changing itself) because they are two completely different games (one is very accessible and the other isn't). something else will come along and be that "IT" game, maybe Destiny? maybe another genre of game altogether? who knows

[hennessey86]

I give every game

[admiralvic]

Yet those 30 or so posts and seeing the same featured image on almost every article says otherwise...

[MilkMan]

There's another call of booty??
So what's the issue?

[venom06]

as long as they have that site IGN with all the reviewers that are pathetic CoD fanboys giving it 9 no matter how garbage it is, it will ALWAYS be the highest selling game around..... BF4 is in a no win situation..

[Npugz7]

They haven't shown anything to get hyped about!!!! Maybe if there was some footage of next gen graphics in action people would get more excited! Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out!

[Iltapalanyymi]

hue hue. i wish this series would die already.

[famoussasjohn]

Perhaps they're waiting for gameplay?
Nothing can really be said about the teaser trailer because it doesn't show a second of gameplay, you know, the stuff that matters when it comes to a game. I'll wait until they show it on the 21st with the new Xbox and go from there.

[jdktech2010]

Hey, at least there is someone halfway intelligent and unbiased in this comment space. It's a teaser trailer that I was convinced was for deadliest warrior before the end.

Wait until they reveal the new engine, pretty graphics and gunplay and everyone will be hyped again. I still don't understand why people put so much energy into hating something they don't like.

You don't see me going on American Idol boards or Madden boards saying it's the same thing every year and people are stupid for liking it. I'm cautiously not curious for this one as I'm not planning on getting it but I'll have a shiny new console and if it looks cool and like they've added some new features, I might get pulled in again.

[Wingsfan24]

Don really care what anyone thinks about CoD. One of the games that I can always go back to and enjoy playing with friends so that's why I buy em. I still plays tons of other games like Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Bioshock, sports games and so on.

People who hate on Call of Duty just like to have people read their words, which ironically, happen to be just about the same each and every time..

[KontryBoy706]

Finally! I swear Activision is going to kill their own game. Just keep it up

[MilkMan]

..going to??

[abzdine]

i'm only hyped for Killzone: Shadow Fall

[shivvy24]

resistance and killzone are my fav shooters , hope sony announces something for resistance

[abzdine]

Yeah, but at least we are sure to have a new episode of Killzone on PS4 with outstanding graphics and ANOTHER episode on Vita with KZ3 graphics!!! it's gonna be insane i'm telling ya!

We should organise a N4G Killzone team :) if some of you are still playing please feel free to add me

[VsAssassin]

I love Killzone and Shadow Fall is a dream come true.

About the topic: Never had the chance to play a CoD game; however, Activisions 1 CoD game every year might bite them back if no real changes from the previous games are applied to this one.

Furthermore, I guess this is the wonder of trilogies. After the third installment, developers think of new things lest another sequel to the same game past the third one would be received poorly.

[Parasyte]

Sure franchise fatigue is a factor, but the reduced amount of hype could also stem from the fact that that reveal teaser was not very good.

[ifritAlkhemyst]

Wait till there's actual footage and the marketing campaign picks up, then we can talk about the hype.

[jetlian]

once that Next gen footage hits on may 21st hype there will be!!!

All cod needs is dedicated servers

[andreasx]

AAAND a new engine.

[jetlian]

Yea... there will be a new engine for next gen consoles. I'm certain they showed a new one during GDC

[KillrateOmega]

You can only participate in the same experience for so long until you begin to grow bored of it.

Yearly releases with few real changes between each iteration was destined to create fatigue.

[ZBlacktt]

Milk it dry boys!

[Heisenburger]

Twss...

[Swiggins]

....A one minute live action trailer (well produced trailer in my opinion, a little silly but definitely good looking) that shows no gameplay comes out to just announce that the game is real, and all of the sudden, everybody is already willing to write it off.

I know plenty of people that were genuinely excited by the announcement.

[Braid]

They rely on "da grafix" now?

Battlefield 4 is a game that looks stunning to say the least, and yet it's the same old bland gameplay that fails to amaze. I can bet my sock that Ghosts will bring nothing new to the table as well, even though it might look good.

[Hufandpuf]

yeah sure, it's the same old bland gameplay. However, I'll be able to take down jets and bomb the ground from the sky, parachute out and take an enemy tank, destroy a building with enemy inside, then proceed to get on a diirtbike with C4 and sacrifice myself by blowing the enemy team sky high.

Same bland gameplay, huh?

[Braid]

I was talking about the single player campaign, mate. MP will be fun in both games, sure. But in military shooters SP campaings have become so repetitive and redundant that it's not even funny anymore. I wish they could just lower the price, make it digital download only and leave out the SP section completely, like Battlefield 1943.

[Hufandpuf]

I wish you would've specified that.

[ironcreed]

Just in time for dat Destiny.

[JeffGUNZ]

HE could have said this last year and I could kind of see his point, but this year, no way. Even COD haters are going to chime in and see what this next gen engine is about.

[GraveLord]

It hasn't been revealed yet LMFAO.
All we got was a small teaser. Even that teaser looks NOTHING like previous COD games. It hints at a huge change for the series. New Setting, New Characters, New Engine. Now is the time for change. At least save your trolling until after they reveal it.

How can you say "more of the same"? Seriously people calm down. You're like a broken tape recorded repeating the same thing over and over again.

[josephayal]

i want more cod

[Jaqen_Hghar]

A man will skip it unless he plays it and it wows him with actual pacing in the campaign and a story that's about more than "shoot the Russian/Terrorist by tapping L1 and R1 then wait for the jelly to get off the screen."

A man has played every COD campaign but hasn't bought one since Modern Warfare 2 because the series lost a man's respect. MW1 had an excellent story with pacing and memorable missions like "All Ghillied (probably not spelled right) Up." WAW and every COD since has lacked this pacing and tried to wow you with its Michael Bay explosion filled romps for 6 hours. Let a man clear this up for you Activision. When you try to make the game one big high (constant absurd amounts of action and explosions) none of it feels like a high. A good story has peaks and valleys. It has quiet moments that both establish character and make the actiony parts more memorable and exciting because you build them up and give them some relevance. None of the recent CODs had a man excited because he was sighing with boredom as he can't even remember a specific mission from them.

[Braid]

I tip my hat to you good sir, your account is genuinely creative.

[Campy da Camper]

Lol I owe you a bubble, mate.I just got into game of thrones last week and binge watched the first 2 seasons. Prior to that, I thought you were just retarded for the "a man does this" thing. Anyway, my apologies and here's a bubble.

[00]

into the milked dry abyss.

[Supermax]

Plenty of people are looking forward to it I don't see it declining any time soon.i don't play it but am still looking forward to see what it's about.

[Jek_Porkins]

All we had was a teaser, the reveal isn't until May 21st at the Microsoft event. We get these types of articles every year though, talking about how COD is suffering from fatigue.

The main problem with that theory is that people assume it's the same people buying every COD game, and some might, but each year sees people buy into the franchise for the first time. When you played MW3 you saw just how many new players there were because it had all your prestiges from previous COD games. Now I haven't bought every COD game, but I have quite a few, eventually it'll level out, because it has to hit the ceiling sooner or later.

I just think people put too much emphasis on hate for a franchise that really isn't that bad, if it were a terrible franchise it wouldn't carry the fan base that it does.

Wait for the reveal and we'll see if people are tired of it, I think regardless of what the internet says, the game's going to sell like hot cakes, which is ironic because the hot cakes aren't really selling!

I was in Gamestop yesterday, and they are hitting hard with the pre-order mojo already for the game, so that is something to think about.

[Kran]

The internet is not excited.

Yet 9 year olds are.

Also, some of my friends are excited and they're in their 18-20's :/ WHY ARE THEY EXCITED? I just don't get it. All this game is doing is prowling on the idea that Ghost was almost everybody's favourite character in MW2, so they decided to build a game around that. Not around the character, around the ghosts. And it's gonna disappoint EVERYONE.

[Tales RPG addict]

DURRRRRRRRRRRR Herp a Derp.
DUH COD fatigue has been going on since last year. Finally COD fans are steadily waking up, and tired of this Crappy series.

[Cyfyxtfg]

ive been a hardcore cod player since MW1 and im too hype for this game. new engine is all i care about, better graphics on the already amazing gameplay. hope they fresh it up some though. And i cant wait to see what they replace spec ops with

[MikeyDucati1]

I prefer life in the dust...Dust 514 that is!!!