Activision has acknowledged that the studio’s “own execution” caused a disappointing reception to Call Of Duty: Vanguard, and admitted the title “didn’t deliver as much innovation” as it would have liked.
Shortly after Vanguard launched, it was reported that launch sales were down 40 per cent compared to the last Call Of Duty title, Black Ops Cold War.
In Activision’s 2021 annual report, the company has now reflected on what it thinks went wrong for Vanguard.
“[Vanguard] didn’t meet our expectations, we believe primarily due to our own execution,” said Activision. “The game’s World War 2 setting didn’t resonate with some of our community and we didn’t deliver as much innovation in [Vanguard] as we would have liked.”
Looking ahead, Activision has said that it is “certainly addressing both of these issues with the 2022 launch,” which has been revealed to be Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
While details are light, it’s been confirmed that Modern Warfare 2 will bring back fan-favourite character Ghost, and “will be the most advanced experience in franchise history.”
Developed by Infinity Ward, it’s been reported that Modern Warfare 2 may include a new morale system and weapon malfunctions.
Though Activision may be looking forward to the next Call Of Duty title, the annual report’s risk factors reflect a year that’s seen the company riddled with lawsuits and workplace misconduct allegations.
Some of the risks outlined by Activision include “our ability to attract, retain, and motivate skilled personnel,” as well as “negative impacts from unionisation or attempts to unionise by our workforce.”
The company also identified “negative impacts on our business resulting from concerns regarding our workplace, including associated legal proceedings.”
Back in March, Activision said that it is struggling with “increased difficulty in attracting and retaining skilled personnel,” for which it blamed high-profile workplace misconduct allegations.
The company’s Raven Software studio is also currently voting on unionisation, after Activision Blizzard fired more than a third of its quality assurance workers.
In other gaming news, Ubisoft has changed the developer for Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time Remake.
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