Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is continuing to rake in loads of cash for Activision, the company revealed in its quarterly earnings report today.
The new CoD title, supplemented by additional modes like Warzone 2 and DMZ, is selling and performing better than last year’s entry, Call of Duty: Vanguard. The company said its revenue grew 28 percent in Q1 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022.
“Building on the record-setting launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 last October, premium Call of Duty game sales in the first quarter were significantly higher than in the year-ago quarter,” Activision said. “Activision’s expanded teams are delivering substantial post-launch content for both the premium game and the free-to-play Warzone 2.0 experience. New content, modes and gameplay enhancements have had a positive impact on engagement, and Activision is planning more compelling live services for the coming months.”
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And while many fans have been quite vocal about their disappointment with MW2 and Warzone 2 in recent months, it appears just as many players have been purchasing microtransactions in the games.
As part of that 28 percent growth, CoD gamers seem to be buying way more from the in-game store, with the company reporting revenue of $1.29 billion, up from $1.01 billion in Q1 2022.
Interestingly, though, Activision’s monthly active users dropped from 111 million at the end of 2022 to 98 million in the first few months of 2023, perhaps illustrating some of the player frustrations with the current CoD offerings.
That number is similar to the MAU count that held throughout most of 2022. With several seasons of MW2 still left on the schedule throughout the year, the company will be trying to retain players while also making some of those who’ve moved on return for more CoD action.
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And more CoD action they will get. Activision reiterated this year will see a “full annual premium release” in the FPS franchise.
