Everyone knows by now how theCall of Dutycycle works. Three development studios (Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games) under Activision, cycle every year to push out a newCall of Dutyin early November. Most of the time, the game gets solid reviews among critics, and then goes on to be the best-selling title of the year despite releasing so late. It’s a cycle that has been repeated almost to perfection for the last 15 years, and coming into 2022, shows no signs of slowing down. However, one formerInfinity Warddeveloper sees the series in a different light, claiming it needs a major “revitalization.”
Former Creative Strategist at Infinity Ward Robert Bowling helped develop thehighly-acclaimed and groundbreakingModern Warfaretrilogyfrom 2006-2012. Even as someone who has participated in one of, if not the, highest highs of the long-standing series, Bowling admits that it is finally time for the series to go back to the drawing board. Over on Twitter, Bowling responded to a post from ModernWarzone that said the wholeCall of Dutyseries was currently in shambles fromWarzone, toVanguard, to its pro leagues.
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Bowling responded by saying thatCall of Dutyneeded to build once again from the ground up, with a focus back on the rock-solid core gameplay that helped to define the series in the mid-2000s. He says that thecurrent business model ofCall of Dutyis focused on content gatewaysand sucking as much money as it can from consumers. Bowling claims that the developers used to treat their players like a community, where they would go to them for map feedback. These days, Bowling says, the community is more treated as consumers with which to glean market feedback from.
Call of Duty: Vanguardhas already reached the top of the sales charts for November and will likely continue to stay there through most of 2022. While reviews were solid for the title, fans are a little more mixed than normal on the title with some saying it doesn’t do much to stand out. On theWarzoneside of things, many streamers have already claimed theydislike the new map that coincides withVanguard’s launchand may stop playing the game altogether because of it.
Currently,Activision is embroiled in numerous scandalsand it is no doubtCall of Dutywas effected by them in some way. With management fluctuating at all times, it’ll be interesting to see where everything lands once the dust settles. While not likely, maybe huge management shakeups will be enough to give Bowling his wish of the “revitalization” to theCall of Dutyseries.
Call of Duty: Vanguardis available now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
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