230°

Why Was Call Of Duty: Black Ops IIII Moved To October Vs. The Traditional November Release

When Activision and Treyarch formally announced the long-rumored next Call of Duty game would indeed be a fourth entry into the Black Ops series; it not only confirmed rumors but raised some interesting questions as well.   The core series has had annual releases in November since the console only Call of Duty 3; and in a new Opinion Piece, Skewed and Reviewed look at some of the reasons why the move may have happened.

Kribwalker2389d ago

Because they didn’t want to come out after Battlefield again as battlefield probably eats up some of their sales when it releases first

Garethvk2389d ago

I have always wondered how much it has affected them. With BF 3 and to a smaller extent 4; they were helped by launch issues that had gamers upset and having online issues. The Call of Duty titles each year outsold BF but I think the strong response and sales of BF1 may have them thinking exactly that. EA is considered down now and why give them a chance to come out first and strong.

Kribwalker2389d ago

yep I agree. Before BF1 it was never a huge threat to COD. But BF1 stole a lot of sales and i think they wanna prevent that again

Garethvk2389d ago

I also think that it helps that the Black Ops series have been some of the most popular in the series as well. But we saw that people did not like the futuristic settings so Advanced Warfare 2 was not made in favor of WW2. BO3 did have a futuristic setting so I would think they may focus on moving between eras as some of the past games in the series have done.

Garethvk2389d ago

@Rude-ro

Do you see this as Activision having diminished confidence in the game or brand? They pretty much were not scared off nor affected by anyone in the past decade. They released in November and did not seem to care what the others did as they knew in the end they would outsell them all. Mind you a release like Red Dead 2 is going to change things up. They did not seem to mind that GTA V came out on PS4 and Xbox One in Nov. Of course that had been out for the prior consoles since Sep of the previous year.

Rude-ro2389d ago

@garth
Yes. A lot of the youtubers have moved on, it hardly lists on twitch, and player base has dwindle with negative outlooks 3 months after release of cod:ww2.
So yes, I think confidence is way down... espically aftef d2 tanking in player count so fast as well.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2389d ago
combatcash2389d ago

Well red dead 2 is scheduled to release late October or first week of November, I don't think they want to compete for sales with them. I know which game if rather spend my money on lol

Garethvk2389d ago

Thank you. That is a very key point. I had been looking over what has been announced and what is coming and I could not find something that would worry them enough to make such a dynamic shift. I had figured it was a mix of the above factors plus perhaps something we do not know about yet but they do. So you may have just nailed it dead on if you pardon the pun.

Rude-ro2389d ago

And they do not want to release after rd2 because once people go into it, they will not log out until after the year ends most likely.
This, and ea was releasing their second shooter early like in October with titanfall.., so they may be playing chess with their competitor as well.

seanpitt232389d ago (Edited 2389d ago )

Haha its got nothing to do with battlefield but it's got everything to do with Red dead redemption 2

It's not just people can't afford them when 3 or 4 major games comes out with in a month or so it's just people havnt got the time to play them so people generally buy the first games that come out and big developers know this.
Obviously the hardcore gamer will buy RDR2 regardless but the casual gamer will buy whatever is out first.

CorndogBurglar2389d ago

I think the important question here is how they managed to mess up the roman numeral for 4.

Garethvk2389d ago

I think they would argue we are not using Roman Numerals and their are other ways of portraying four. Remember four hash marks and a line makes a five so they are taking that formula.

PhantomS422389d ago

True, but the logo still looks gross

Gaming_1st2389d ago (Edited 2389d ago )

They didn't manage to mess up roman numerals. Cause the number is not based off roman numerals.

Rachel_Alucard2389d ago

No its technically a correct way to write it and they did it on purpose for readability https://puu.sh/zEabs/eda4c3...

DaniMacYo2389d ago

It’s mainly to do with Red Dead Redemption 2, and the Battlefield coming so close to one another. Also what happened with BF1 sales.

chris2352389d ago

sorry, this franchise is beyond worn out. no matter when the release date, only the diehards are going to buy. there are no wonders to be expected and moving a release date for such a tired franchise reeks of desperation.

Garethvk2389d ago (Edited 2389d ago )

WW2 was the best selling game of 2017 on all platforms so one could argue how can it be worn out yet still outsell all the others for the year time and time again and often with only 6 weeks of time compared to others.

dillydadally2389d ago

Haven't really liked a CoD since MW2 and somewhat MW3. As a result, I stopped playing CoD a while ago and have been playing a variety of other shooters and games.

I have to admit though, I've missed CoD a bit. I've found few games since as fun as chasing for nukes with friends in MW2. The problem for me is I don't think they've released a really good CoD in years, or at least not one that sparked my interest. If they released a really good CoD, I'd be willing to dip back into the series.

Show all comments (23)
290°

Cancelled Call of Duty Game "NX1" Gameplay Footage, Black Ops 4 "War" Mode" Surface

A cancelled Call of Duty game titled "NX1" had footage surface online, along with a Black Ops 4 unreleased mode called "War."

RaidenBlack238d ago

looks like the OG Infinite Warfare

Profchaos238d ago

Yeah it does look good wonder why it was canned

EvertonFC237d ago

Probably a proper game with no MT and they didn't see any profits 😂🤣

Name Last Name238d ago

That Neversoft logo took me back to Tony Hawk days. Sad to see this cancellation led to the studio closure.

Juancho51237d ago

It’s always sad to see great concepts destroyed so deep into development. They obviously had a lot of ideas and aren’t happy about it. Now withe layoffs even more videos like this will surface soon.

Show all comments (8)
70°

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Cancelled Campaign Details Leak, Four Years Later

Details of the cancelled campaign from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – the only game in the franchise without a dedicated single-player mode – have been leaked after four years.

370°

Xbox Fans Call Out 'Activision's Greed' Over Call Of Duty Digital Prices

This week's Deals with Gold selection on Xbox has rubbed certain Xbox fans the wrong way, as several Call of Duty titles are still ludicrously priced - despite being discounted by up to 67% off over the next few days.

Read Full Story >>
purexbox.com
VersusDMC1115d ago

How is 20 dollars for X360 call of duty games "ludicrously" overpriced?

And with Activision's lawer bills skyrocketing at the moment you are not going to be seeing deep discounts for a bit.

Chevalier1115d ago

Pretty sure that's the sale off that's 60% off. After the sale ends that 360 game is still listed at $49.99, right not its $19.99 because the 60% off.

VersusDMC1115d ago

I guess they can wait for the next sale then.

SullysCigar1115d ago

It's nice to see the Xbox community stand up for themselves though. That's been needed for a long time.

InUrFoxHole1114d ago

For a long time? Its the reason xbox is killing it this gen.

senorfartcushion1115d ago

Lawsuits don’t cost billions, they’re ALWAYS going to be fine for money.

They could stack their bills on the ground and fill half the continent of Africa at this point.

RaiderNation1114d ago

Because Xbox fans are so used to playing games on the Xbox EBT subscription service, the idea of paying anything for a game seems ludicrous to them.

MadLad1114d ago (Edited 1114d ago )

You pay for the service.

Do you have Amazon Video?
Hulu?
Netflix?

It's a subscription service. Not a charity. You're literally going at people over the idea of using a pro consumer service, and that's the real joke here.

thorstein1114d ago

When records were sold, they were eventually replaced by tapes, which cost less to manufacture, but more to buy. Then CDs came along and were cheaper to manufacture, but cost more at retail. Digital, of course, is the cheapest yet, but billion dollar corporations want to charge the same.

And no, that money is not going to the person sitting in the chair actually making the game.

It is pure and utter greed from people who don't need any more money.

InUrFoxHole1114d ago

Lol calm down Bobby. You crapped on thus franchise.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1114d ago
autobotdan1115d ago (Edited 1115d ago )

"Many have also noted how the multiplayer in several of these titles is either dead or filled with hackers, meaning players are paying a hefty sum for a short campaign and potentially some zombie modes."

With these clear truths the decades older COD games should be permanently 19.99 regular price and sale prices 7.99 minimum

autobotdan1115d ago

Typo sale prices 2.99 minimum and 9.99 maximum. Older COD tiles seven years old or older should never be over 20 dollars regular price

senorfartcushion1115d ago

I have paid less than 3 dollars for some AAA PS4 games, old 360 CoD games should not be $20

FanboysKiller1115d ago

Any fps game runs by the quirk engine follows this logic
Eat
Sleep
Die instantly
Repeat
As if the main purpose of the game more of "repeat" than the actual gameplay experience , any noob in this game will tell you his mind stucked in repeating the sequence number of deaths than the gameplay itself , what a complete pile of #.

EvertonFC1115d ago

It's why I don't play cod anymore, my 45yr old hands can't compete with these kids 😂 🤣
1 kill to every 10 deaths is not fun

John_McClane1114d ago

Don't let that stop you if you enjoy the game, it's actually pretty good for hand/eye coordination.

lipton1011114d ago

Try Escape from Tarkov. It forces you to slow down and think. I’m not a fan of the ADD speed of CoD

Father__Merrin1115d ago

All the back compat titles are cheap listing when you scroll through them u till you come to black ops it's a complete rip off

Rhythmattic1115d ago (Edited 1115d ago )

Well... Don't buy it..... Is it really that hard to comprehend?
Everything else you choose to purchase with your hard earned cash , so should games be held to the same reasoning....
Just don't give em the cash....

Entitlement that's bizarre, from the publisher and from the consumer.... Thats pretty fkd up if you think about it...

GhostofHorizon1115d ago

It's hilarious that some people don't see this as an option.

MadLad1114d ago

Bananas now cost $30 a pound. There's no good reason for it, but if you want bananas, there you go.

You don't have to buy them.

It's about their constant greed when handling the franchise. Nobody has to buy anything, but when a company doesn't follow corporate norms when selling their product; overpricing their old wares just because they can, the consumer is allowed to call that out.

GhostofHorizon1114d ago

Consumer can call them out, but I think they are going about it the wrong way.

The reason they get away with everything they do is simply because they can. They can charge $20 for a skin pack because people will gladly buy it. There is plenty of competition for FPS games, it's not like it's a niche market.

I know it's easier to blame and demand better from Activision than people that keep buying these overpriced items. If they weren't being bought, Activision would lower the price though. People like to pretend to take the high road but wouldn't you rather sell the banana for $30 than $3 if people are willing to buy it?

franwex1114d ago

@therealtedcruz

I think there’s a virus destroying the banana and may even go extinct. So maybe that’s why.

I think it’s happen before too.

MadLad1114d ago

A small subset buys those skins and whatnot. Most players don't. The "whale" mindset is pretty accurate across the board, where there's a small handful who buy a lot, and most who don't buy any. Either way, that means they're imposed on the majority either way.

That's different from overpricing your game though. Activision easily makes their money off every release, then milks it until the next release, then throws it away. They never put significant sales on even a release from several cycles ago. Whether it sells or not.

And I mean, yeah; if I were a business, I'd probably want to make as much money as possible.
But I'm not a business; I'm a consumer, thus I find many businesses to be complete assholes.

Rhythmattic1108d ago

And people are still blaming the high prices but suggest they're still wiling to buy it... Not too smart are you peoples....

Its a non regulated pricing structure, sure , many play by the status-quo , but to actually complain by complaining, instead of standing your ground and not buying it, by buying it , you are the reason its happening....

Idiots, Idiots everywhere.... What? So those that are complaining don't want to pay the money, but cant do without it?

FFS. Entitlement level 5000...
Drink some cement and harden the Fk up!

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1108d ago
Sitdown1114d ago

The article and title isn't saying that people are buying it, its simply saying that they are calling them out for greed. I guess you had a problem with people calling out Microsoft for trying to increase the price of Live, and don't understand how voicing concern led to them backing away from the decision.

Teflon021114d ago

People need to put that energy into Nintendo's Pricing over Activisions tbh. They're focused on the wrong things

Rhythmattic1108d ago (Edited 1108d ago )

Greed? Ok... Dont buy it and prove that by being greedy , they got it wrong... Not that hard to understand is it?
To Add... I haven't bought Cod since MW2.... Because of these exact practices.... Fact.

Show all comments (54)