The videogame industry lacks any single, reliable sales tracker, particularly when accounting for digital sales, which is absolutely crucial for getting a full picture of the industry. Despite this, Call of Duty is widely accepted as the dominant franchise, at least as far as traditional videogame releases go. Year after year, the series tops sales charts and sets various records that publisher Activision is happy to tout in press releases and in front of investors. This year after year growth can’t continue forever, and so it becomes a matter of when that sales peak is reached. Some indications suggest we may have finally hit that point, though even if that is the case, those who can’t wait for the series’ demise likely still have a long wait ahead before seeing what it is that they want.
It’s important to make clear the sort of drop we’re potentially talking about here. It’s likewise important to realize we’re talking about potential here — Black Ops II has not even been out for a full month, and so plenty of time remains for it to blow past lifetime sales figures for previous Call of Duty iterations. But, videogame sales are more highly concentrated in the period immediately following launch. And with Black Ops II’s launch coming just as the holiday shopping season kicked off, this game’s biggest days are without a doubt behind it.
