Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Might Not Sell That Many Copies, Analyst Believes

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the next installment in Activision’s blockbuster franchise, might not reach the sales records set by its predecessors, Modern Warfare 3 or Black Ops 1, at least according to games industry analyst Michael Pachter, who believes that it’s going to be hard for Activision to successfully market the shooter.

The Call of Duty franchise may have been established some time ago but, ever since the blockbuster Modern Warfare 1, the series has kept on breaking sales records with each iteration, becoming a behemoth and scaring away other types of games from its traditional November release window.

Things might not go so well for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, however, as analyst Michael Pachter believes the peak has already been set and that sales will decline this year for the shooter series.

"Annual sales at the 25 million level are unprecedented, so it's easy to say 'that's the peak.' I think that the growth in online multiplayer fueled CoD sales, since it was (and probably still is) the best multiplayer experience available,” he told GamesIndustry.

“However, last year, Battlefield multiplayer probably cannibalized it a little bit, and this year, Halo and Medal of Honor could cannibalize CoD a bit more. Next year, another Battlefield plus the Respawn and Bungie games probably cannibalize it a bit more.”

Even if the Black Ops II might not break sales records, it’s still going to sell very well, so Pachter isn’t worried about Activision’s profits, which are once again going to soar this November.

"There's nothing wrong with 22 million units sold, or with 19 million or 16 million. CoD will remain the best selling game (at least until GTA) and Activision shouldn't be concerned if it loses some players at the margin. They created a phenomenon, and others are emulating them," Pachter added.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is going to be released on November 13. Before that, other big shooters like Halo 4 or Medal of Honor: Warfighter will be launched.