Activision’s Marketing Chief: Modern Warfare 4 Confronts a ‘Call of Duty Tax’
A new installment in the Call of Duty series has dropped every fall for over two decades. While it continues to be a top seller, the franchise’s cultural significance has evolved in the past decade. With the emergence of live-service games, Call of Duty has carved out its own substantial niche in the online multiplayer landscape. What used to be seen as groundbreaking releases now resemble the arrival of new entries in sports franchises like Madden or NBA 2K. Activision’s chief marketing officer, Tyler Bahl, refers to this phenomenon as the “Call of Duty tax.”
“We get the coverage,” he mentioned in a recent interview. “But we call it the Call of Duty tax when we think about the reviews or the reception. There’s a lot of enthusiasm around indie games and excitement for new titles launching daily on platforms. Call of Duty has been around for a long time, and sometimes people overlook the immense effort that goes into creating these games. We have 4,500 employees dedicated to delivering the best experience possible.”
Similar to annual sports game releases that often receive lukewarm reviews yet achieve impressive sales, Call of Duty titles have struggled to earn high scores from critics lately. Once consistently rated in the high 70s and low 80s on Metacritic, the series now frequently lands in the mid-60s, a range that signals “bad game” in a market filled with outstanding titles. The 2024 release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, broke this trend with an 83 rating, while last year’s Black Ops 7 scored a 65. The 2023 entry, Modern Warfare 3, hit a franchise low with a Metacritic score of 56 on PS5.
“We have 100 million free-to-play players, we’ve sold 500 million units, and it’s one of the biggest franchises ever, with a billion downloads on mobile,” Bahl stated. “This vast audience sometimes gets overlooked or taken for granted. There’s a lot of craftsmanship involved in these games, and we wanted to highlight the dedication of our teams in this year’s marketing.”
However, the “Call of Duty tax” isn’t just about perception. Despite critics’ indifference and the shifting media landscape surrounding live-service games, Call of Duty’s challenges are reflected in player numbers as well. Data from Ampere Analysis indicates a significant drop in monthly active users since the launch of Black Ops 7. Over the summer, player counts plummeted to an estimated 20 million, half of what they had been. The unexpected release of ports for Black Ops 1 and 2 provided a nostalgic boost, reminding players of the franchise’s former glory.
“It wasn’t what our community was looking for,” Bahl said regarding Black Ops 7. “They wanted something new, and even with different time settings and gameplay features, the tonal shift wasn’t what they expected. We’ve already announced that a future title will be a new sub-franchise, and we’re excited about Modern Warfare 4, which will address some of that feedback.”
The new Modern Warfare campaign will be available to players who purchase the early access edition starting October 16.
