First-person shooter game, Call of Duty is celebrating its 20th anniversary in November 2023. The game was first released on November 16, 2003, and a new contender raked up a storm in the world of war simulation genre when video games were beginning to take on as a form of entertainment among the masses.
The game entered the markets as a new contender to dismiss the then-leading shooter game Medal of Honor and transformed into a cultural and financial attraction. Thanks to its immersive storylines and innovative gameplay, the game has managed to sell over 425 million copies worldwide, thus making it the fourth best-selling game franchise in history.
When the initial Call of Duty game was first released in 2003, it was met with a lot of skepticism. In no time, it managed to gain a lot of traction and went on to surpass Medal of Honor, becoming the premier military shooter franchise. One of the most interesting features of the game was that it offered immersive World War II narratives narrated from diverse Allied Forces perspectives, which added depth to the gameplay and also a realistic war simulation experience.
With the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007, the game series revolutionized the online multiplayer gaming experience. by introducing fast-paced gameplay, easy matchmaking, and a reward system that incentivized infinite replayability. These features established new standards for the gaming industry.
Published by Activision, CoD has had four different developers who continue to develop titles for the franchise from time to time. While Infinity Ward developed its initial games and continues to develop some even today, over the years Raven Softwares, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games have also joined the CoD universe.
Evolution of Call Of Duty
Call of Duty has maintained a pattern of releasing one game each year ever since its first release. The very first 2003 Call of Duty Game developed by Infinity Ward was released on Windows, macOS, N-Gage, PS3, and X360. Followed by Call of Duty 2 in 2005 and 2006 by Infinity Ward and Treyarch, respectively. All these three initial games were focused on the World War II setting. Infinity Ward and Raven Software then launched Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007, creating the Modern Warfare sub-series which introduced a modern war setting.
Treyarch then made one last game based on World War II named World at War in 2008. This was followed by another entry to the Modern Warfare sub-series, namely, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2009. 2010 saw the launch of another sub-series Black Ops by Treyarch, followed by the thirst entry into the Modern Warfare sub-series, Modern Warfare 3 in 2011.
In 2012, Treyarch came back with a second Black Ops entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops II. In the following year, 2013, Infinity Ward launched a third sub-series to the franchise, named Call of Duty: Ghosts. Sledgehammer Games, which had co-developed 2011’s CoD: Modern Warfare 3 with Infinity Ward, developed its first CoD title, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in 2014.
The third installment to Black Ops, Black Ops III, by Treyarch, made its way to the game in 2015. In 2016, Infinity Ward launched its third sub-series called Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Sledgehammer came with Call of Duty WWII in 2017. While 2018 saw Treyarch introduce the fourth installment, CoD: Black Ops 4.
A reboot of 2007 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was released in 2019 by Infinity Ward by the same name. Then came Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the fifth installment of the Black Ops Sub-series from Treyarch in 2020. Sledgehammer then released Call of Duty: Vanguard in 2021. The latest CoD game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, launched in 2022, and it was a sequel to the 2019 reboot.
Similarly another sequel to the title, Modern Warfare III is all set to be released on November 10, 2023. In recent years, the game franchise has also branched out beyond traditional gaming platforms. In 2019, it launched Call of Duty Mobile which brought the game to the rapidly smartphone gaming market.
CoD Total Earnings
A recent report published in July this year revealed that the game had earned $31 billion from over 450 Million units sold from 2003 till this year. Some reports suggest CoD made around $300 million in 2020, followed by $390 million in 2021. While in 2022 it touched the $30 billion mark.
CoD’s success has also resulted in collaborations with celebrities, to reach more masses. Artists like Kit Harington, Snoop Dogg, Jason Statham, and Nicki Minaj among others have made appearances in the games.
Apart from the great success, CoD game has had its own share of controversies and legal battles. These include the level “No Russian” which had the players experience a massacre of civilians at a Russian airport, Fallout with Infinity Ward leadership in 2007, as well as trademark infringement accusation by AM General.
Nonetheless, CoD’s two decade long journey has been a testament to what a successful game looks like. Despite the highs and lows, the game has managed to become a cultural and financial phenomenon in the gaming industry. The series’ innovation and ability to evolve to new platforms has played a significant role in its success. It enjoys a loyal fan base and shows no signs of slowing down.