10 Jul 2012
Posted by Judit 
Black Ops 2 created a great buzz when it was officially announced back in May and we even reported that Black Ops 2 pre-orders are surpassing that of MW3 by as much as 10 times on the first day. However that momentum may have come to an end according to the latest US pre-orders charts published by VGChartz.
Comparing pre-order numbers for MW3 and Black Ops 2, Modern Warfare 3 was ahead by about 175,000 pre-orders at this time last year( with 20 weeks prior to release MW3 Total: 509,427 vs Black Ops 2 Total: 334,757). This may be a reason of the recent announcement of the Nuketown 2025 bonus map for all Black Ops 2 pre-orders. Additionally Treyarch has yet to announce any Black Ops 2 special editions, which will drive sales among the hardcore fans.
These numbers may also be a sign of trouble ahead for Activision. There are many disappointed Call of Duty fans out there. With the launch of Modern Warfare 3 expectation were high and don’t get us wrong, we love the game, however it did come with its own set of problems. The initial lag compensation issues, which are still present for some, spawn issues, matchmaking, lack of support for PC & Wii, just to name a few.
And let’s not forget the famous Elite service, which added a great source of extra revenue for Activision and at first a great source of confusion for gamers. Most PS3 players when they purchased the service were under the impression that it will eliminate the Xbox DLC 30-day exclusivity deal, which it did not and PC players never even got the Elite service. In all fairness the DLC exclusivity deal with Microsoft does treat PS3 and PC players as 2nd rank gamers. Why would a PS3 or PC player need to switch to Xbox 360 to enjoy DLC’s in a timely manner? Activision should let Microsoft and Sony battle it out amongst each other and not take sides according to who pays more. Oh yes did I forgot to mention that they have announced at this year’s E3 that the Xbox DLC deal has been renewed for Black Ops 2.
Another factor to consider is Halo 4, which will be launching a week before Black Ops 2 and is leading pre-orders by a large margin. Considering the state of the economy and the decline of sales in the gaming industry overall, Halo 4 may cause a serious problem for Black Ops 2. There is also a number of gamers who are quite skeptic about the futuristic setting of Black Ops 2.
It would be impossible and unrealistic for Activision to cater to everybody’s wishes however they should pay more attention to the Call of Duty community and have them feel more appreciated for their business, not only considering their profits and catering to shareholders. What do you think may be the cause of decline of Black Ops 2 pre-orders compared to MW3?
2 Comments
is shameful policy of activision, if advance sales thanks to some DLCs elite service which unfortunately in my day I became a member, in which at no time was I notified that the delay would bring maps with other platforms, I see a raw deal and insulting, I pay the same money as in 360, because we sold some privileges anticipated that we lack, at present not yet ps3 user I have the dlc pack 3 and xbox has 5.Muy pack makes bad days and this will not make me buy the xbox so if it shows you if you can afford to call of duty, the fans realize that we are only money and not people,thanks.
They renewed the DLC deal with Microsoft? Activision just killed CoD.