Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is doing a better job of keeping players than its predecessor, WWII, according to Activision Blizzard’s Q1 financial report.
Black Ops 4 launched on October 12, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, about one year after Cal of Duty: WWII. Both games did similar numbers at launch, but Black Ops 4 is growing total hours played and daily time spent per player at double digits compared to WWII’s pace at the same after its release.
Activision Blizzard releases a new Call of Duty annually, and that title is always one of the most successful games of its year. Black Ops 4 momentum is a positive for the future health of the series.
It’s also good news for Activision Blizzard’s epsorts plans for the franchise. Following the Overwatch League model, Activision Blizzard is planning a city-based esports league for Call of Duty. Activision Blizzard announced today that it has sold teams in Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Paris, and Toronto.
While Call of Duty games don’t usually change much year to year, Black Ops 4 was notable for ditching a single-player campaign in favor of a battle royale mode and emphasis on the cooperative zombies experience. That change in direct seems to have paid off, as the focus on multiplayer could be a factor in making Black Ops 4 more popular than WWII.
