Activision is touting Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as a financial success, according to its fourth quarter 2022 financial report.
The publisher said MW2 “delivered the highest opening-quarter sell-through in franchise history,” and that the company’s operating income grew about 60 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, compared to 2021’s Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Cumulative hours played at the end of 2022’s fourth quarter were also “the highest in franchise history for a premium title at this stage of its release,” according to the report.
Activision also said its 2023 plans for the franchise include “even more engaging live services across platforms and the next full annual premium release in the blockbuster series” but did not provide further details on what that might mean.
Previous reports have indicated a full-fledged CoD title was pushed out of 2023 and into 2024, likely the next Treyarch-developed title in the Black Ops series. Leakers have said that the 2023 “premium release” will be a paid DLC for MW2, featuring classic maps, single-player content, and more.
The company touted November’s launch of Warzone 2 and DMZ as contributors to “a strong year-over-year increase in franchise reach and engagement on console and PC” in the quarter, along with “record quarterly player investment.” Activision said it expects the growth to continue with new seasonal content drops.
The new season of MW2, Warzone 2, and DMZ is set to launch on Feb. 15.
