Former Call of Duty director fears Microsoft will ruin the future of the series
By ForGeeks Shofield added that when a studio becomes part of a large corporation, it inevitably adopts its internal principles. «I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure Call of Duty now has a different bonus system — under Microsoft’s rules. And I think a lot of people aren»t going to like that, — he noted. Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, and with it the Call of Duty franchise, in 2023 for $69 billion. The latest installment in the series, Black Ops 6, was the first game to be released simultaneously on Xbox Game Pass. Despite a successful launch and a record number of players, interest in the game plummeted a short time after release. Shofield also attributed his concerns to the departure of key employees. In addition to him, co-founder Michael Condry left Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch — series veteran David Vonderhaar. «I hate to say it, but games have gotten worse since I left Sledgehammer. The latest Modern Warfare 3 (2023) only got about 50 points. Yes, the sales are there, but the quality isn»t the same anymore, — he admitted. «Modern Warfare 3 (2011) was the last Call of Duty installment to win the «Action Game of the Year» award, and my other two games were at least nominated. You don’t see that anymore». The next game in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, will be released on Nov. Meanwhile, rival EA released Battlefield 6, which sold 7 million copies in just three days. ,%20Advanced%20Warfare%20(2014)%20and%20WWII%20(2017).%20He%20left%20the%20studio%20he%20founded%20in%202019%20and%20later%20went%20on%20to%20develop%20the%20horror%20game%20The%20Callisto%20Protocol%20with%20Krafton./ppSchofield%20is%20now%20the%20head%20of%20Sledgehammer%20Games,%20having%20worked%20on%20Modern%20Warfare%203%20(2011),%20Advanced%20Warfare%20(2014),%20and%20WWII%20(2017)./ppIn%20an%20interview%20with%20VGC%20at%20Gamescom%20Asia,%20Schofield%20questioned%20whether%20the%20Call%20of%20Duty%20series%20could%20remain%20as%20successful%20under%20Microsoft.%20He%20noted%20that%20the%20company%20has%20already%20allowed%20interest%20in%20its%20other%20major%20franchises,%20including%20Halo%20and%20Gears%20of%20War,%20to%20wane./ppSchofield%20said%20that%20the%20company%20has%20already%20let%20interest%20in%20its%20other%20major%20franchises,%20including%20Halo%20and%20Gears%20of%20War,%20wane./pp«I’m%20very%20worried%20about%20this,%20I%20really%20am.%20Look%20at%20what’s%20become%20of%20Gears%20of%20War,%20where%20Halo…And%20it’s%20not%20just%20Microsoft%20—it’s%20the%20same%20with%20EA.%20So%20many%20iconic%20series%20just%20disappeared»,%20—%20he%20said./pfigure%20class=)
