It appears that interest in Call of Duty has finally reached its threshold, as current projections estimate that first-year sales of Black Ops II will be down 15% for the franchise when compared to last year.
According to analyst Arvind Bhatia from Sterne Agee:
Our checks show initial sales of CoD: Black Ops 2 at some retailers were down as much as 20%. Subsequently, it appears sales of CoD did pick up a bit over the Thanksgiving holiday. We think the current sales curve suggests unit sales in its first year could ultimately be down 10 to 15% year-over-year.
If we are right, this would be the second year in a row this critical franchise will have seen units decline. We estimate CoD generates 40 to 45% of the company’s EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) on an annual basis and it goes without saying that weakness in this franchise is a cause for concern.
Do you think the release of Halo 4 impacted the initial sales of Black Ops II, or are gamers just getting tired of the Call of Duty formula? I'm guessing it's a bit of both, but mainly the latter. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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