Call of Duty Black Ops 7 has had a rough start in the UK. According to Christopher Dring from The Game Business, the game’s physical sales are down 61% compared to Black Ops 6. It also launched smaller than Battlefield 6 in the region.
There are several reasons for the weak start. More players are using Game Pass instead of buying physical copies, and boxed games in general are declining in popularity. Call of Duty fatigue is another factor, with fans growing tired of the annual releases, heavy monetization, and attempts to mimic Fortnite-style pop culture crossovers.
Competition also plays a big role. Battlefield 6 had a massive launch, reaching record player counts on Steam and selling over 10 million copies. Many disappointed CoD fans may have switched over and haven’t returned yet.
Other challenges for BO7 include its lowest-ever Metacritic user rating for the franchise, AI-related launch-day controversies, and a lackluster campaign. Despite this, history shows that even underwhelming Call of Duty games often sell well over time.
Still, this year raises the real possibility that a Battlefield game could outsell a Call of Duty release, at least in the UK.
