Call of Duty: Still the Same Game

The new Call of Duty game is appealing to a general gaming audience but some are worried it isn’t bringing anything new to the table.

The newest game release, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, is on track to have more than $1 billion in sales after reaching $550 million in just three days. The first Call of Duty game was released in 2003 and has since had 12 main franchise games and 10 games not connected to its main series line.

Bryan Holmes, a self-taught game programmer and designer from Windsor, said the appeal in Call of Duty is its accessibility and ability to make a single player carry an online match, unlike more technical games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

“Activision Blizzard has been successful by appealing to a non-competitive crowd,” said Holmes. “Call of Duty appeals to the ‘sit down, game a few hours and then move on’ crowd. Counter-strike targets the e-sports crowd who cares more about time put into the game equalling skill, not that Call of Duty doesn’t require skill but the easier learning curve means acquiring it is a much faster process.”

A combined 22 games is no small feat. The series and its publishing company, Activision Blizzard, has done very well with all of their games totalling a lifetime gross of $11 billion but some people think the series is getting old fast, such as Holmes, while other say it still has positive things to offer.

Local gamer Matthew French said he is neutral on the Call of Duty series and says often gamers who say they like it are considered casual gamers as opposed to having skill.

“At this point there’s such a strong stigma it seems counter intuitive to admit liking it,” said French.  “If I admit to liking it then people will perceive me as a casual gamer who doesn’t know anything about first person shooters.”

French said the game is considered watered-down but if you take it at face-value it can be a lot of fun, especially with friends.

According to Holmes, developers of the series know their formula and stick to it, but it comes with a risk.

“There is little inherent risk as a buyer in picking up a Call of Duty game because your expectations would easily be met,” said Holmes. “Publishers need to be careful with this because it can lead to fatigue which is why players mention ‘it’s just the same game with slightly different graphics.’”

Holmes said the general audience appeal will always be a main selling point but the fatigue-factor of having the same game with slightly better graphics is bound to get old unless they make some major changes.

One thing is for sure, as long as people keep buying, Activision Blizzard will keep selling and gamers can expect to see more games coming in the near future.