In a departure from the norm, Activision hasn’t been boasting about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sales, choosing instead to talk about player engagement. The publisher has announced that 2023’s outing has set “engagement records” in the new Modern Warfare trilogy.
Modern Warfare 3 engagement is a better metric than sales, says dev
Modern Warfare 3 didn’t have a strong start in terms of its reception, garnering poor critic reviews. A handful of unhappy gamers embarked on a review bombing campaign, whereas PS5 players specifically criticized the lack of a Platinum trophy as the game is listed as Modern Warfare II’s DLC (despite Activision’s claims to the contrary). DLC or not, the Sledgehammer Games-developed title has had a “historic launch.”
In response to a Twitter user who pointed out that Activision hasn’t been talking about player count, revenue, or units sold, unlike previous years, Ubisoft data analyst Sean Lama chimed in to say that engagement is a “better metric for measuring medium and long-term health after you’ve gotten a lot of players in the door.” “Most multiplayer games can’t survive on a small group of highly engaged players (see MultiVersus),” he added.
Sony’s marketing deal with Call of Duty ends with 2023’s Modern Warfare III.
