Ben-DutkaCall of Duty: Black Ops II , despite being clearly the biggest video game launch of 2012, didn't manage to top its predecessor out of the gate.
And according to Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia, this means the hugely popular mainstream franchise is starting to slow down .
Right now, the analyst believes unit sales of the recently released Black Ops II are "tracking down double digits against last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ." Based on retailer evidence, it seems some stores were down as much as 20% and Bhatia's predication is that first-year sales for Black Ops II will fall 10-15% from those of MW3. Interestingly enough, this isn't the first example of a decline. Although MW3 beat Black Ops early, it never outsold it in terms of lifespan sales. Bhatia's conclusion:
"It goes without saying that weakness in this franchise is a cause for concern."
But why has this happened? Well, the analyst believes it's due to three factors: Firstly, the review scores for Black Ops II are lower than the scores pulled down by MW3. Secondly, Halo 4 , which launched the week prior, may have had an adverse effect on BOII sales. Thirdly and finally, releasing BOII a week before Thanksgiving may have caused gamers to hold off on purchasing the game, hoping for some Black Friday sales.
But whatever the reason(s), it's an interesting situation, isn't it?
Related Game(s): Call of Duty: Black Ops II