Call of Duty: Ghosts sales decline 'troubling', says analyst

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Call of Duty: Ghosts is displaying a 'troubling' decline in sales versus its predecessors, according to an industry analyst.

Activision has said previously that it expects Ghosts sales to be down on last year's Black Ops 2 due to the upset of the console transition and they were; November sales showed a drop of 19 per cent year-on-year. But Cowen analyst Doug Creutz has warned investors that the declines could be notably worse than the reported 19 per cent dip would suggest.

"Upon further reflection, we think the [Call of Duty] numbers are a bit more troubling than they first appeared," said Creutz, reports VentureBeat.

He went on to note that the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Ghosts released almost two weeks earlier in November than Black Ops 2 (November 3 versus November 12 respectively), offsetting a portion of the sales drop which would have otherwise been far worse.

"While the year-over-year gap is only 19 percent thus far, that includes two extra weeks of sales for the 360 and PS3 versions [versus Black Ops II]. Against 2011′s [Modern Warfare 3], where the difference is only one week, the title is down 32 percent life-to-date," said Creutz.

The PS4 and Xbox One versions arrived later in the month, but failed to make up the sales deficit.

"We don't think it is out of the question that the title could wind up comparing down 20 percent to 25 percent year-over-year [to Black Ops II], which is appreciably worse than the down 10 to 15 percent that we think is baked in to guidance," predicted Creutz.

Despite its declines, Activision's FPS series is still in good health; Call of Duty: Ghosts was still the top-selling game in North America in November, according to NPD Figures. It's main rival, EA's Battlefield 4, came in second in the all-format software charts.

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Related Forum: Call of Duty Forum

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/442762/call-of-duty-ghosts-sales-decline-troubling-says-analyst/

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"Call of Duty: Ghosts sales decline 'troubling', says analyst" :: Login/Create an Account :: 119 comments

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HonkPosted:

Craigyy Haha, ghosts was a complete flop.


Well I really like the game.

CraigPosted:

Haha, ghosts was a complete flop.

-SignedPosted:

That's what they get releasing it before they released it for xbox one. Should of waited to release it so they could release both versions at the same time. That way people didn't have time to decide whether if they wanted to buy it or not.

HonkPosted:

Luxe I dont think this is a very good game, I havent played it much but it didnt really interest me


I really like playing blitz in it if you have not tried it I would recommend it.

sotaPosted:

I dont think this is a very good game, I havent played it much but it didnt really interest me

TaigaAisakaPosted:

I originally wasn't going to get Ghosts until my friend said I could license transfer so I could play with him. It's not a bad game, yes there are a few things that irk me but I get over it. On the other hand, I have just gotten bored with CoD, now I'm not saying it's a bad game, just I have been with CoD since CoD3 and I have gotten bored with CoD as a game. I will game with people on that game if we all party up but that's about it.

MortarPosted:

I myself enjoy the game very much and can only say that the next-gen consoles are partly to blame on the drop in sales. Due to the addition of the next-gen consoles, players are debating on whether to upgrade and whether to purchase the game on current or next-gen. I feel that the negative reviews on the game are also to blame for the drop in sales.

GubbinsPosted:

Honk
Racist Well, im still enjoying the game.


I used to not like this game but for some reason I now love it.


I was really into this game, but then took an arrow to the knee :P

HonkPosted:

Aue
Lye Call of duty has been awful since Black ops 1.

Their is no surprise there.


No hold on there. MW3 and BO2 were great. Ghosts just isn't meant for past gen.


I agree about BO2 but not with MW3.

HonkPosted:

Racist Well, im still enjoying the game.


I used to not like this game but for some reason I now love it.