If there was any concern that all the corporate shenanigans that left developer Infinity Ward a shell of its former self might slow sales of the newest Call of Duty game, a quick look at the pre-orders should alleviate that.
According to Gamasutra, pre-orders for developer Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops are outpacing its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2, and analysts are suggesting that Black Ops could sell around 12 million copies this holiday season.
Despite the increased pre-orders, Modern Warfare 2 is still expected to be the best selling Call of Duty game, with 16 million units sold during last year’s holiday season. Each subsequent annually released Call of Duty game that has been released over the last seven years has set a new sales record, but analysts see that trend ending with Modern Warfare 2. “Competition, weaker marketing, and the Infinity Ward situation” are being cited as factors in the lower sales expectations.
Still, 12 million units sold would still put Black Ops among the best selling games of the year, and still place it among the top 20 best selling games of all time.
Call of Duty: Black Ops is due out on November 9.
