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[adamsapple]

I'll need to dust off that "not sure if serious" gif.

Activision is a first party studio, CoD is a first party franchise.

Off topic: Is it really good? I was thinking to get one. I enjoyed MW1 and MW2. Is it as good as those two OG? The gunship level on C130 gunship is always memorable to me.

No missions like the gunship, but definitely one of the best campaigns in *years*. There are segments involving helicopters tho. And there's even a couple of mini Hitman style missions.

Probably the best one since Infinite Warfare or MW 2019.

 

[yogaflame]

Activision is a first party studio, CoD is a first party franchise.

No missions like the gunship, but definitely one of the best campaigns in *years*. There are segments involving helicopters tho. And there's even a couple of mini Hitman style missions.

Probably the best one since Infinite Warfare or MW 2019.

I see. Those sound interesting. I might get one this year for my Ps5 slim. Me and my elder brothers, enjoyed COD MW 1-2, Warzone, Battlefield (1-3), and Medal of honor (I miss Medal of Honor) . I hope we will enjoy this one.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Just remember Sonybros,

Every dollar a PlayStation owner spends on CoD, is 70 cents that goes towards Microsoft porting more games to PlayStation, and 30 cents that goes towards Sony making more timed exclusives

According to leaked court documents

Thank u Phil

Ass of Can Whooping

 

[Clintizzle]

Just remember Sonybros,

Every dollar a PlayStation owners spends on CoD, is 70 cents that goes towards Microsoft porting more games to PlayStation, and 30 cents that goes towards Sony making more timed exclusives

According to leaked court documents

Thank u Phil

Ass of Can Whooping

 

[digoutyoursoul]

It's threads like these that remind us why MS/Xbox fans either don't exist here so much on GAF or just don't post. As usual well played fan boys and girls with shit takes.

A game releases across all platforms and performs well, but better yet is actually getting good player reception for a quality game, and it still gets shit on. Grow the fuck up.

Some of us are still here

 

[Jaybe]

Game pass must still be at or below 34 million or Microsoft would have announced it being at an all-high. Instead we a ‘new subs in a day’ metric.

 

[Mattyp]

Yep just needed 70B to do it, couldn’t do it themselves

Not sure why it’s “good to see” a series that’s already topped charts continue to do so just because MS bought them…?

Would rather see their in grown talent try and push the top of the charts instead

So Microsoft spent $70b of excess cash and now has the reward of generating more money than the interest was doing for them while also owning an appreciating asset?

Financial WIZARDS.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

So Microsoft spent $70b of excess cash and now has the reward of generating more money than the interest was doing for them while also owning an appreciating asset?

Financial WIZARDS.

If you’re going to compare a company acquisition to tbills, one comes with long term risks and the other one does not.

And right now, interest on cash is quite favorable as the equity risk premium is the smallest it’s been since the dot com bust

It is not guaranteed that their $70B pays off, long term. It is not a “privilege” that success is granted simply by having money to spend and buy up companies

 

[bender]

So Microsoft spent $70b of excess cash and now has the reward of generating more money than the interest was doing for them while also owning an appreciating asset?

Financial WIZARDS.

 

[adamsapple]

Our guy James out there doing some Scott Steiner maths on how Sony can earn 30 cents on the dollar to make the next Concord.

 

[Calico345]

It's all I'm playing and I don't care about this lol. Game has issues that it needs to resolve in the Multiplayer space. This is like those Accolades Trailers that games do. It is just dumb to me. I'm all for you being proud of your success and work. But no one cares about your metrics because your SBMM still stinks, the monetization is coming, and the technical problems with spawns and TTK still exist.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

It's not that good. In fact poor with the maps.

 

[ZehDon]

It's all I'm playing and I don't care about this lol. Game has issues that it needs to resolve in the Multiplayer space. This is like those Accolades Trailers that games do. It is just dumb to me. I'm all for you being proud of your success and work. But no one cares about your metrics because your SBMM still stinks, the monetization is coming, and the technical problems with spawns and TTK still exist.

Anecdotally, their SBMM hasn't created the usual "Win 1 game, face off against eSport vets" wall I've smashed into in prior years. Not sure what they changed, but it's not been issue for me at all this year. Are you still finding it too extreme?

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Anecdotally, their SBMM hasn't created the usual "Win 1 game, face off against eSport vets" wall I've smashed into in prior years. Not sure what they changed, but it's not been issue for me at all this year. Are you still finding it too extreme?

I feel they tweaked their SBMM as well as I don’t have near the wild swings either.

Interestingly enough I watch Faze Jev at times and he is convinced SBMM this time might take account last few games like MW2 and MW3 as he is stuck with super sweats all the time even when he has terrible maps grinding camos

 

[ZehDon]

I feel they tweaked their SBMM as well as I don’t have near the wild swings either.

Interestingly enough I watch Faze Jev at times and he is convinced SBMM this time might take account last few games like MW2 and MW3 as he is stuck with super sweats all the time even when he has terrible maps grinding camos

Ah, that makes sense. If that's indeed how it works, it would settle into a "you're X skilled" that persists across a couple of good or bad matches. The average would still shift as you played, allowing for skill increases or decreases to manifest, but easing the gradient from the spikes we've seen. I actually wouldn't mind that approach, in theory.

 

[baphomet]

So how many games are we counting now? 6?

Cold War, Vanguard, MWII, MWII, Black Ops 6, and Warzone?

Black Ops 6 launch had the largest 3 day CoD period which also counts numbers from all these completely unrelated (or tangentially related) games?

 

[ZehDon]

So how many games are we counting now? 6?

Cold War, Vanguard, MWII, MWII, Black Ops 6, and Warzone?

Black Ops 6 launch had the largest 3 day CoD period which also counts numbers from all these completely unrelated (or tangentially related) games?

... what?

 

[EverydayBeast]

Black ops 6 is good but please bring back the basic menus!!

 

[Calico345]

It's all I'm playing and I don't care about this lol. Game has issues that it needs to resolve in the Multiplayer space.

Anecdotally, their SBMM hasn't created the usual "Win 1 game, face off against eSport vets" wall I've smashed into in prior years. Not sure what they changed, but it's not been issue for me at all this year. Are you still finding it too extreme?

Not as bad as past and recent entries, no, but it is still very noticeably there for me. I never feel like I am in lobbies with players in my skill range. I am not some super player or high level player. I am average at best. There isn't the wild and extreme swing of recent games based on my performance, however I still never feel properly placed in lobbies of similarly skilled players. I haven't been doing well in BO6 and the lobbies aren't changing in any meaningful way, one way or the other. I fully acknowledge and own up to my own poor play, and yet it doesn't send me into trash lobbies where I mop up a few rounds and then get sent off to feed the 360noscope poop buckets. That's a good thing, sure, but it also doesn't seat me in places where I belong when I am playing fine. It's very weird.

 

[baphomet]

... what?

All these games are launched through CoD HQ, which as far as I can tell, is loading up the BO6 multiplayer client since it's loads immediately when selected, unlike selecting MWII or anything else.

 

[ZehDon]

All these games are launched through CoD HQ, which as far as I can tell, is loading up the BO6 multiplayer client since it's loads immediately when selected, unlike selecting MWII or anything else.

No, that only really applies to PC. Xbox and PlayStation are still launched independently. Within Steam and Xbox app, although not exposed, Activision's backend still tracks who's in what game, and so they can determine these kinds of metrics pretty easily.

The idea that, somehow, Microsoft's CEO is openly lying to its investors and Activision is actually collating six separate COD titles into Black Ops 6's numbers is a little silly. Heck, I'm pretty sure that constitutes investor fraud. For you to be correct, it would require the series has actually seen a catastrophic year-on-year decline, with each title shifting under than 50% of the prior year's game for six straight years. Given ABK's profits don't show a complete collapse, leaving them with just 3.12% of their annual profits compared to six years ago, that's impossible.

 

[baphomet]

No, that only really applies to PC. Xbox and PlayStation are still launched independently. Within Steam and Xbox app, although not exposed, Activision's backend still tracks who's in what game, and so they can determine these kinds of metrics pretty easily.

The idea that, somehow, Microsoft's CEO is openly lying to its investors and Activision is actually collating six separate COD titles into Black Ops 6's numbers is a little silly. Heck, I'm pretty sure that constitutes investor fraud. For you to be correct, it would require the series has actually seen a catastrophic year-on-year decline, with each title shifting under than 50% of the prior year's game for six straight years. Given ABK's profits don't show a complete collapse, leaving them with just 3.12% of their annual profits compared to six years ago, that's impossible.

No, that's also how consoles launch.

 

[ZehDon]

No, that's also how consoles launch.

Fair enough, I've obviously missed that change. Everything else still stands.

 

[adamsapple]

Black Ops 6 launch had the largest 3 day CoD period which also counts numbers from all these completely unrelated (or tangentially related) games?

I don't know why you'd think that.

Nadella specifically called Blops 6 sales as being 60% more year over year from last year's MW3 and a 'new record for GP subs'. The HQ app doesn't just give you access to all 6 games, you still have to pay for them, unless you have game pass where you only get 2 of the games (MW3 and now Blops), or it's the free Warzone.

 

[Ozriel]

Yep just needed 70B to do it, couldn’t do it themselves

Not sure why it’s “good to see” a series that’s already topped charts continue to do so just because MS bought them…?

Would rather see their in grown talent try and push the top of the charts instead

Irrelevant. It’s their IP now. And you’re still in full downplay mode even when it’s their grown IP, from their own studios.

Isn’t it the same basic game that’s been made for over a decade? Is there any innovation going on?

There’s a reason you’ve stayed out of this year’s review thread, unlike last year’s COD

It’s widely considered to be a very solid entry in the franchise.

Eh.....we had Xbox fans shitting up Astro Bot threads not too long ago. It goes both ways.

We did?

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Irrelevant. It’s their IP now. And you’re still in full downplay mode even when it’s their grown IP, from their own studios.

It's not irrelevant. CoD was not their creation. They did absolutely nothing to birth it into existence. They just bought it.

We were already getting CoD games, so nothing has changed. If MS delivers PD, Fable, etc. at high quality that will actually be a big difference because we didn't have those games before (well, not for a long time at least)

 

[Ozriel]

It's not irrelevant. CoD was not their creation. They did absolutely nothing to birth it into existence. They just bought it.

We were already getting CoD games, so nothing has changed. If MS delivers PD, Fable, etc. at high quality that will actually be a big difference because we didn't have those games before (well, not for a long time at least)

I mean, i remember you criticizing Microsoft for Redfall and Starfield, two titles they also bought up along with the Bethesda acquisition.

COD is now an MS first party franchise. It’s as simple as that.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I mean, i remember you criticizing Microsoft for Redfall and Starfield, two titles they also bought up along with the Bethesda acquisition.

COD is now an MS first party franchise. It’s as simple as that.

And how is that a conflicting viewpoint, exactly? Not really sure what you're trying to say here

 

[baphomet]

I don't know why you'd think that.

Nadella specifically called Blops 6 sales as being 60% more year over year from last year's MW3 and a 'new record for GP subs'. The HQ app doesn't just give you access to all 6 games, you still have to pay for them, unless you have game pass where you only get 2 of the games (MW3 and now Blops), or it's the free Warzone.

Because all someone has to do is look at every previous launch and see that they're massaging the numbers any way possible. MWIII sales were down nearly 40% at launch, and yet still had record setting engagement numbers and the highest amount of time played. That coming off the fastest selling CoD ever which sold ~10million copies over its first 3 day weekend.

You seem to be missing the point of what I said. Even people booting up CoD HQ to play Vanguard right now are technically loading the BO6 client, and from there having to select Vanguard to load. They don't own BO6, but they still have to load CoD HQ to play Vanguard. Same goes for anyone loading up any of the last 7 games released.

 

[adamsapple]

You seem to be missing the point of what I said. Even people booting up CoD HQ to play Vanguard right now are technically loading the BO6 client, and from there having to select Vanguard to load. They don't own BO6, but they still have to load CoD HQ to play Vanguard. Same goes for anyone loading up any of the last 7 games released.

The CEO specifically cited Blops 6 sales and related metrics in the investor call. Not sure people logging into Vanguard now would impact that much.

MW3's 'record breaking engagement' that compared it with MW2 and Cold War was announced almost two weeks after launch, this is after 3 days. Obviously game pass has a big part on it, but it's also selling quite a bit more compared to last years game.

 

[Little Chicken]

Just remember Sonybros,

Every dollar a PlayStation owner spends on CoD, is 70 cents that goes towards Microsoft porting more games to PlayStation, and 30 cents that goes towards Sony making more timed exclusives

According to leaked court documents

Thank u Phil

Ass of Can Whooping

 

[Topher]

We did?

lol......yes. It is the same for every first party game.

 

[pasterpl]

So basically Sony and Steam won big here over Xbox because isn’t this game like $69 on PS5 and Steam while it’s zero for existing game pass members lol.

People could sign up to game pass for like $5-$15 beat the game or play MP for a month and cancel.

Game pass really screwed them up IMO. They should have gated the content early and not have the day one thing so Xbox gamers would have continued to buy games full price in their ecosystem.

I would say that Sony revenue reliance on single game, now owned by another platform holder increased even more. Remember Sony gets up to 30% on these sales, Steam I think it is 20%, rest is going to Microsoft. So the real winner here is Microsoft. CoD games are being played for months across all platforms, same will be with big chunk of these new gamepass subscribers, on PC you can stay couple more months and you will get Flight Sim 2024, Indie, Stalker 2, Avowed etc and some other 3rd party games as well as huge backlog for the price of buying 1 copy of CoD on steam (which is equivalent of 6 months of gamepass).

 

[pasterpl]

Isn’t it the same basic game that’s been made for over a decade? Is there any innovation going on?

Nope. But if you want to argue, You can say that about most any sequel to any game that it is basically same game with some graphical improvements (sometimes without) and different story and maybe couple new gameplay elements.

 

[Heisenberg007]

clarky - as we were talking in that other thread ... Some of extas1s numbers didn't make sense. I'm not surprised that Satya didn't mention any of those numbers, i.e., over 50% PC players coming from Game Pass, etc.

I'm not surprised that this will have more players than MW3 because (1) MW3 absolutely sucked and people were put-off by poor reviews, while BO6 is reviewing very well, and (2) Millions of players on Game Pass can try BO6 at no additional cost.

But the other numbers by extas1, I still doubt they are true. We'd have heard something in this statement by Satya if they were.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Gaf: " if this was performing well microsoft would be shouting it from the rooftops"

MS: " it's the best performing cod"

Gaf: " what does this mean! I need exact granular detail right now...this can't be true...it grew game pass? By what percentage of people signing up between the hours of 9 am and 12pm bought ultimate game pass....how many trials....hope is this possible! I don't believe it....what's the profit of gun skins vs tampons?"

 

[Sintoid]

And Forza Motorsport is rebuilt from the scratch...

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Eh, gameplay-wise, it's the best COD to date, so it's deserved, whatever the metric they're using might be.

 

[Mattyp]

If you’re going to compare a company acquisition to tbills, one comes with long term risks and the other one does not.

And right now, interest on cash is quite favorable as the equity risk premium is the smallest it’s been since the dot com bust

It is not guaranteed that their $70B pays off, long term. It is not a “privilege” that success is granted simply by having money to spend and buy up companies

Right now interest is favourable and the drops are going to start coming strong and fast but still no where near favourable as owning the most successful video game franchise of the last decade. CoD is eternal.

WIZARDS.

 

[Lukaku's First Touch]

DMZ was the best COD mode ever and they abandonded it. Fuck them. Zombies also gets boring real fast.

 

[clarky]

clarky - as we were talking in that other thread ... Some of extas1s numbers didn't make sense. I'm not surprised that Satya didn't mention any of those numbers, i.e., over 50% PC players coming from Game Pass, etc.

I'm not surprised that this will have more players than MW3 because (1) MW3 absolutely sucked and people were put-off by poor reviews, while BO6 is reviewing very well, and (2) Millions of players on Game Pass can try BO6 at no additional cost.

But the other numbers by extas1, I still doubt they are true. We'd have heard something in this statement by Satya if they were.

Good numbers on Steam though inspite of gamepass, I asume Bnet is way down or insignificant due to them not mentioning it at all. Again though is it that much of a stretch to say more people played it for £11 via gamepass rather than £70 via Steam?

Although reading that back as someone who has GP and bought the game on steam to avoid the store then yeah it does seem unlikely lol.

I expect we'll get more vague tweets off activision and MS over this next week to further muddy the waters. They wont give us any real numbers as per, which i suppose makes discussion a bit more lively at least.

Its going to take a good few months to see if what appears to me as a last throw of the gamepass dice has paid off or not.

 

[clarky]

DMZ was the best COD mode ever and they abandonded it. Fuck them. Zombies also gets boring real fast.

Delta Forces extraction mode certainly scratches the DMZ itch, or at least it did when i played the beta.

Shame about DMZ it was a ton of fun.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Gaf: " if this was performing well microsoft would be shouting it from the rooftops"

MS: " it's the best performing cod"

Gaf: " what does this mean! I need exact granular detail right now...this can't be true...it grew game pass? By what percentage of people signing up between the hours of 9 am and 12pm bought ultimate game pass....how many trials....hope is this possible! I don't believe it....what's the profit of gun skins vs tampons?"

Show me pictures of Nutella shouting on a rooftop

Oh you can't?

Thought so. Stfu rat

 

[Heisenberg007]

Good numbers on Steam though inspite of gamepass, I asume Bnet is way down or insignificant due to them not mentioning it at all. Again though is it that much of a stretch to say more people played it for £11 via gamepass rather than £70 via Steam?

Although reading that back as someone who has GP and bought the game on steam to avoid the store then yeah it does seem unlikely lol.

I expect we'll get more vague tweets off activision and MS over this next week to further muddy the waters. They wont give us any real numbers as per, which i suppose makes discussion a bit more lively at least.

Its going to take a good few months to see if what appears to me as a last throw of the gamepass dice has paid off or not.

For sure. Also, the real test is how long these new subscribers stay for. Because if they leave, say, after 1 month, then they got to play COD BO6 for $20, instead of $70. That's not what Xbox wants.

Regarding sales, I think we'll have some idea from UK / EU sales data by Chris Dring. But I'm sure, either way, the game will sell more then MW3, which was a travesty by COD standards.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Show me pictures of Nutella shouting on a rooftop

Oh you can't?

Thought so. Stfu rat

My source is ironclad, and they confirmed this meeting happened within confined walls.

No rooftops were involved!

 

[DenchDeckard]

Show me pictures of Nutella shouting on a rooftop

Oh you can't?

Thought so. Stfu rat

Shit!

 

[clarky]

For sure. Also, the real test is how long these new subscribers stay for. Because if they leave, say, after 1 month, then they got to play COD BO6 for $20, instead of $70. That's not what Xbox wants.

Regarding sales, I think we'll have some idea from UK / EU sales data by Chris Dring. But I'm sure, either way, the game will sell more then MW3, which was a travesty by COD standards.

Interesting to see how this all plays out.

I want to thank MS for conducting the biggest, most expensive experiment of recent times, and letting us all watch lol.

Doesn't look like its going to fuck COD just yet, though. Which as a regular player was my worst fear.
Hopefully this seemingly impressive start leads to a year 2 of the game and not another MWIII type deal, even if that did turn out great in the end.