Activision reveals its expectations for Call of Duty 2020's launch revenue. The publisher confirmed that there will be a new Call of Duty game released in 2020 but it didn't say who would be developing it, something which fans found very unusual.

In its Q4 investor call, Activision said that it doesn't expect Call of Duty 2020 to make as much money at launch as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The company did say that the game has "generated high interest internally" and that it feels "great about the content it brings." A tweet from Call of Duty news site Charlie Intel revealed that Activision didn't expect Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to make as much money as it did, and that game became the most successful Call of Duty game of this console generation.

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There are suggestions that Activision is just being cautious about the game, underselling in the hopes that the latest game will overdeliver. However, it could be that Activision is trying not to get hopes high, as Call of Duty 2020 is rumored to have had a difficult development. The new Call of Duty game, which some rumors say will be Call of Duty: Black Ops 5, reportedly switched developers from Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software to Treyarch.

Gamers know how much rocky development can affect a game - it's a key reason why Mass Effect Andromeda was a critical and financial failure. If Call of Duty 2020 has had the same sort of issues with its development, it's little wonder why Activision thinks that the game may not perform as well at launch. Any bad previews of the game from critics and streamers could make fewer fans buy it as they wait to see if the game has become any better with updates.

Activision will likely be hoping that any launch hurdles will be overcome by post-launch revenue. The company also said during its investor call that Call of Duty players spent more money once loot boxes were removed. Adding season passes and removing premium content only made people spend more on the game. If Treyarch is also planning to put a season pass in Call of Duty 2020, it could make more than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare did in the same timeframe.

The publisher may have set expectations low, but it's difficult to say how the game will do before fans have seen it. Only a few official details have been confirmed and fans know that it won't have jetpacks, but that's all until Activision makes a bigger announcement.

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