20 Stupid Decisions That Destroyed Their Franchise
18. Any Activision IP That Isn't Call of Duty - Activision Switches All Studios to Call of Duty
Speaking of Activision moving developers to Call of Duty, High Moon are one of numerous studios who’re now forced to help keep Activision’s main cash cow going.
For instance, Raven Software – who worked on the Soldier of Fortune, Star Wars: Jedi Knight, and X-Men Legends games – have been tied to Call of Duty since 2010’s Black Ops. Whether directly or indirectly, that might explain why those other properties haven’t resurfaced.
Similarly, Treyarch crafted several Spider-Man and extreme sports titles in the early 2000s before Activision put them on 2005’s Call of Duty: Big Red One. They were able to work on extra projects in the late 2000s, yet they too became permanently stuck to Call of Duty with 2010’s Black Ops.
More recently, Beenox took charge with Spider-Man and Skylanders in the 2010s but were moved to Call of Duty with 2016’s Modern Warfare Remastered.
Yes, they had a hand in 2019’s Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled and 2020’s Crash Bandicoot 4, but the latter title’s failure to meet Activision’s financial expectations is another reason why Activision and their studios – which also include Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games – aren’t straying from Call of Duty.
Ironically, the surprisingly low sales of Black Ops 7’s could suggest that Call of Duty is overstaying its welcome and Activision should pivot toward other IPs again.