Call of Duty: Warson is a great game, I don’t mean just in terms of popularity. Activision CEO Bobby Gottick said in an interview Venturebeat Warson has now been downloaded 80 million times, and at 250 GB of installation, it works to an astonishing 20 billion GB of accumulated drive space.
That amount assumes that all Warson content is installed, of course (including modern Warfare – we’re going to get bigger here), and it has been volatile since the release of the free-to-play Battle Royale game, so the actual amount of downloaded data may be very small. But there are updates on top of the installations, which add up to a total – hey, we’re doing the pie-in-envelope math here, not counting the pie. The point is, this is shocking data.
If in any doubt, Warson is too big in the other sense of the word, and this could have an impact on how Activision deals with the Call of Duty player site in the future. CEO Bobby Gottick called the company’s quarterly revenue call today, adding that the number of “free playing experiences” has tripled compared to the same period last year, while playing time has increased sevenfold. As a result of the growth since the release of Warson, Activation’s marketing has undergone changes that “reflect the size and scope of our own proprietary network.”
“In August, millions of players unveiled the Black Ops – Cold War trailer by playing interactive content into Warson, creating a truly virtual watercolor moment, and expressing considerable interest in the new release,” Kotick said. “Going straight to our player network means more effective marketing than any paid media network.”
Activision wants to use that kind of broader strategy for its current and new games, citing the introduction of the World of Warcraft Classic last year: the free World of Warcraft starter version does not allow access to the classic characters, for example, but World of Warwick has had the same number of subscribers since the classic went live Kotik said the preludes to the Shadowlands expansion were “the highest we’ve seen at this point before any release”. I wonder how many shows work?
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is set to air live on November 23rd, while the next Call of Duty game, Black Ops – Cold War will be released on November 13th.
Beatrice Ashford is a contributor at Nintendo-power.com, covering a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and useful information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the world around them.