Call of Duty: Vanguard, which is regarded as one of the worst COD games ever, was found to have sold over 30 million copies. Considering the terrible reviews Vanguard received at release, it places it among the best-selling Call of Duty titles ever. Activision had high hopes for this 2021 release, but it fell short of its mark. Call of Duty: WWII, which was the last main WWII experience, was the first this year.
Although Vanguard appeared to have excellent visuals, the game’s flaws and vulnerabilities were still visible. The multiplayer component seemed poor and out of balance from away, and the tale was a fire-and-forget affair that ended abruptly. However, Call of Duty: Vanguard is said to have sold a staggering 30 million copies, placing it at the top of the Call of Duty series in terms of total sales.
Mixed Reception and Internal Struggles: The Case of Call of Duty: Vanguard
According to Brian Hong, a former Activision social media manager on CoD Vanguard, the game was successful in selling 30 million copies. His LinkedIn profile mentions the information. This is exactly what Activision’s description of Brian’s employment experience with Vanguard says:
“Acted as Social Media Strategist for Activision helping to co-develop strategy designed to acquire new players for FPS game Call of Duty Vanguard, selling 30 million copies.”
Call of Duty: Vanguard is a difficult game to forget because it offers very nothing to alter the game’s paradigm. Vanguard accomplished something right, as seen by the 30 million copies it sold, yet the game is still getting generally bad reviews. Vanguard’s greatest Metacritic rating is 74 out of 100. However, it’s hardly the worst Call of Duty game ever made. The 2012 game “Black Ops Declassified,” which was only available for the PS Vita, is given that title. Despite having a low Metacritic rating of 33/100.
Activision officials issued a statement some months after Vanguard’s release, confirming that the game fell short of internal goals. It was said that the game lacked innovation and that players didn’t connect with the World War II theme. The excitement among fans persisted, even if it wasn’t for Vanguard when Activision released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II a year later. This game went on to become the fastest-selling Call of Duty title ever.
About Vanguard
Activision published Call of Duty: Vanguard, a first-person shooter game by Sledgehammer Games, in 2021. On November 5, it was made available for Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the eighteenth game in the whole Call of Duty franchise. Vanguard sets up a plot in which, near the close of the war, special troops are formed to combat a new danger in several theaters of World War II. Reviews of the game were divided; some praised its visuals and the campaign and multiplayer modes for their entertainment value, while others criticized it for its lack of creativity, scripting, and zombie mode. Activision’s hopes for sales were not fulfilled.
In Japan, the PlayStation 4 edition of Call of Duty: Vanguard became the fourteenth best-selling retail game of the week after selling 28,321 units in its first week of availability. Over the same week, the PlayStation 5 edition sold 12,754 copies in Japan, ranking it as the country’s fifth-best retail game of the week. Vanguard’s sales fell short of Activision’s estimates, which were attributed to the World War II setting and a “lack of innovation” in May 2022.
