The Vault Edition, which includes early access to the open beta starting October 2, is currently only in sixth place in the US pre-order charts. It is surpassed by various versions of NBA 2K26, EA Sports FC 26, Battlefield 6, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
Even the more affordable Cross-Gen Bundle is behind Borderlands 4, Gears of War Reloaded, and Ghost of Yotei. A similar picture is observed in the UK.
According to Charlie Intel, this is one of the first Call of Duty installments that has not topped the PS Store pre-order charts immediately after its announcement. It is difficult to say whether this is due to a decline in popularity or strong competition.
It was previously claimed that Activision considered CoD "too big to fail." Despite this, expectations remain high, but Battlefield 6 may take away some of the audience.
Public perception of the series is currently low. Guest characters like Beavis and Butt-Head have appeared in the game, which do not fit well with the theme, and the franchise looks tired.
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Cover art by: Treyarch. Cover art source: Steam