Call of Duty hit new records in the past year as net bookings crossed $3 billion, according to Activision Blizzard. Meanwhile, the new Call of Duty: Black Ops — Cold War version of Warzone has been delayed from December 10 to December 16.
During the past year, Call of Duty evolved from a once-a-year release to a year-round pastime as Activision launched Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Mobile, and the battle royale mode Call of Duty: Warzone. In November, it launched Call of Duty: Black Ops — Cold War. The free-to-play Warzone has been downloaded 85 million times since March.
Activision said the combination of those launches put the franchise metrics and engagement at all-time highs. Year-to-date increases include net bookings up over 80% and units sold through up over 40% year over year. Over 200 million people have played Call of Duty this year.
On console and PC, Activision said the franchise has delivered the highest number of players in recorded history this year, as well as the biggest November ever for monthly players and hours played. The publisher didn’t say if Cold War surpassed sales of last year’s Modern Warfare.
Activision said additional free, post-release content for all Black: Ops Cold War players is on the way, as future seasons will continue to add new gameplay.
But the players will have to wait just a bit. Originally scheduled for December 10, the Cold War version of Warzone will now debut with Season One on December 16. That’s probably OK as it gives players more time to play Cyberpunk 2077, which debuts on December 10.
Season One is the largest free content drop ever for Black Ops. It will include comprehensive integration of operators, weapons, player progression, and Battle Pass rewards across Black Ops: Cold War and Warzone. Treyarch, the Activision studio leading Warzone, said it will have a Double XP and Double Weapon XP in Black Ops: Cold War from 10 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday, December 12 until the launch of Season One.
Two free bundles will also become available to all Black Ops: Cold War players through a new offer. Players simply need to log in between 10 a.m. on December 8 and 11 p.m. on December 15 to claim both bundles.
