Call of Duty: Vanguard's Disappointing Sales Blamed on WW2 Setting by Activision

Call of Duty: Vanguard underperformed and it's partially due to the World War II setting according to Activision. Last year, Call of Duty: Vanguard released to a very mixed reception. Although it did attain some favorable reviews, many within the fanbase felt it was a WW2 rehash of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's gameplay and was extremely rushed. The game took heavy criticism for its zombies mode, which was extremely lacking compared to even the mode's debut in Call of Duty: World at War many years ago. It ditched the round-based horde mode for mini-objectives on smaller versions of maps from the game's multiplayer, making it feel cobbled together. Zombies developer Treyarch did confirm round-based zombies will be coming to Call of Duty: Vanguard soon, but it may be too little, too late.

Activision has confirmed that Call of Duty: Vanguard underperformed in an annual report to investors. The publisher noted that Call of Duty is still one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all-time, but chalks up the World War II setting and a lack of innovation as to why the game didn't meet the standards that fans have come to expect. The publisher also noted that it's addressing these issues in the 2022 title, which was recently announced as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. As of right now, there aren't many concrete details about the game.

"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 our own execution," Activision Blizzard wrote in its report. "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."  

Call of Duty: Vanguard is one of the few games in the long-running series to be acknowledged as a disappointment by Activision, something that may make some fans feel vindicated. Ahead of the game's release, there were many rumors of a troubled development. It's believed Call of Duty: Vanguard had a two year development, a year shorter than usual, as developer Sledgehammer Games was original expected to develop Call of Duty 2020, but was pulled off of the game in 2019, forcing them to make something new from scratch in less time. Whether Call of Duty: Vanguard will get a direct sequel remains to be seen, but it does seem unlikely.

What did you think of Call of Duty: Vanguard? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder. 

[H/T Kotaku]