Why Call of Duty: Vanguard Crashed and Burned: A Postmortem
Why was Call of Duty: Vanguard a flop? In short, it was a perfect storm of factors that culminated in a game that failed to resonate with the Call of Duty player base. The core reasons include a lack of innovation, a lukewarm reception to its World War II setting, a perceived rushed development cycle, poor integration with Warzone, and ultimately, a feeling that it didn’t offer enough to justify its price tag compared to previous entries in the franchise. Let’s delve deeper into each of these contributing factors.
The Core Issues Plaguing Vanguard
Familiar Territory, Stale Gameplay
The Call of Duty franchise has a long and storied history, with certain eras and settings proving more popular than others. Returning to World War II wasn’t inherently a bad idea, but Vanguard failed to execute it in a way that felt fresh or exciting. Many players felt like they had already “been there, done that” with numerous WWII-themed Call of Duty titles in the past.
Furthermore, the gameplay itself didn’t offer enough new mechanics or features to distinguish itself. The core gunplay and movement felt largely unchanged, and the new additions, such as destructible environments, weren’t impactful enough to drastically alter the experience. It felt like more of the same, and in a franchise that relies on innovation to stay relevant, this was a critical misstep. Our review echoed this sentiment, noting the campaign’s narrative and gameplay shortcomings and the multiplayer’s lack of innovation.
The Perceived Rushed Development
Rumors and reports suggested that Vanguard’s development was rushed, and this perception was readily adopted by the player base. The game launched with a noticeable lack of polish, with bugs, glitches, and performance issues that detracted from the overall experience. This lack of refinement further fueled the notion that the game was pushed out the door before it was truly ready. The feeling of being “rushed” permeates every aspect of the game, cutting corners in many aspects of the gaming experience.
Warzone Integration Woes
The integration with Warzone, Call of Duty’s hugely successful free-to-play battle royale mode, was also problematic. While new weapons and content were added to Warzone from Vanguard, the integration felt clunky and forced. Many players felt that the Vanguard weapons and operators didn’t fit well within Warzone’s existing meta, and the new map, Caldera, was met with mixed reception. It was viewed as a step back from the previous map, Verdansk, by many players. The game-breaking bugs found in Caldera upon its launch only worsened player perception.
Competition and Expectations
Finally, it’s important to consider the context in which Vanguard was released. The Call of Duty franchise faces increasing competition from other games in the shooter genre, such as Apex Legends and Battlefield. Players have more choices than ever before, and they expect a high level of quality and innovation from their games. Vanguard simply failed to meet these expectations, leading many players to choose other options.
The financial data speaks for itself. As Activision reported, Call of Duty: Vanguard’s lower revenue, compared to Black Ops Cold War, significantly impacted the company’s overall earnings. Despite being the best-selling new video game release of 2021, Vanguard’s sales were below expectations and ranked among the worst-selling Call of Duty games in recent years. This paints a clear picture of the game’s commercial struggles. The fact that Vanguard posted the worst franchise launch since 2007 in some regions underscores the severity of its underperformance.
Lack of Innovation
As Activision themselves admitted, a key factor in Vanguard’s underperformance was a “lack of innovation”. In a market saturated with shooters, each new Call of Duty title needs to bring something fresh to the table to justify its existence. Vanguard failed to do that, instead offering a familiar experience that didn’t resonate with players who were looking for something new and exciting. This lack of innovation, coupled with the other factors mentioned above, ultimately led to Vanguard’s downfall.
FAQs: Diving Deeper into the Vanguard Failure
Was Vanguard the worst Call of Duty game ever?
While opinions vary, many consider Vanguard to be among the lowest-rated and worst-selling Call of Duty games in the franchise’s history. Its lack of innovation and perceived rushed development contributed to its poor reception. Rankings frequently place it near the bottom of the list, reflecting the general disappointment surrounding its release.
Did Call of Duty: Vanguard lose money?
While it’s unlikely that Vanguard lost money outright (given the Call of Duty brand’s strength), it significantly underperformed in sales compared to previous entries. This translated to a decrease in revenue for Activision, as highlighted in their earnings reports. This underperformance makes it likely that the game missed internal sales targets by a wide margin, and it could be considered a failure.
Why did so many players leave Call of Duty after Vanguard’s release?
The decline in Call of Duty’s player base after Vanguard’s release is attributed to several factors, including Vanguard’s poor reception, underwhelming Warzone integration, and competition from other games. Many players simply lost interest in the franchise due to the perceived lack of quality and innovation. The disappointment in Vanguard and the initial performance of Warzone led to a significant drop in players, with the platform bleeding out over 60 million players within a year.
Was Vanguard rushed?
Many believe that Vanguard’s development was rushed, contributing to its lack of polish and numerous bugs at launch. This perception is supported by reports suggesting a shorter development cycle and the game’s overall feeling of being unfinished. The rushed nature of the game is often cited as a major reason for its negative reception.
Was the World War II setting to blame for Vanguard’s failure?
While the World War II setting might have played a role, it wasn’t the sole reason for Vanguard’s failure. The lack of innovation, rushed development, and poor Warzone integration were equally significant factors. It’s more accurate to say that the WWII setting, combined with these other issues, created a perfect storm of negativity. The WWII setting contributed to the sense of “been there, done that” for many players.
What made Black Ops Cold War more successful than Vanguard?
Black Ops Cold War benefited from a more well-received setting, a stronger narrative campaign, and a more seamless integration with Warzone. It also launched in a less competitive market, allowing it to capture a larger share of the player base. Ultimately, Cold War delivered a more polished and engaging experience than Vanguard.
Did anyone actually enjoy playing Call of Duty: Vanguard?
Despite the overall negative reception, some players did enjoy Vanguard, particularly its multiplayer aspect. The game launched with a large number of maps and offered a diverse range of gameplay options. However, these positives were overshadowed by the game’s more significant flaws. There remains a small community that continues to play the game.
How historically accurate was Call of Duty: Vanguard?
While Vanguard was set in World War II, it took significant liberties with historical accuracy. The game featured fictional characters, events, and weapons that deviated from real-world history. This lack of historical accuracy further alienated some players who were looking for a more authentic WWII experience. While Task Force Vanguard’s members are based on real WW2 soldiers, there was no real Task Force Vanguard.
What is the most popular Call of Duty game of all time?
Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) is widely considered the most popular and best-selling Call of Duty game of all time, with over 31 million copies sold. Its compelling narrative, engaging multiplayer, and strong community support contributed to its enduring success.
What can Activision learn from Vanguard’s failure?
Activision can learn several valuable lessons from Vanguard’s failure, including the importance of innovation, polish, and careful integration with Warzone. They also need to be mindful of player expectations and avoid rushing development cycles. Most importantly, they need to ensure that each new Call of Duty title offers a unique and compelling experience that justifies its price tag.
Why did 50 million people quit Warzone?
The 50 million drop reflects what has been a disappointing year of updates to the game, including boring seasonal additions, disruptive balancing problems, and a new map that launched with game-breaking bugs that wouldn’t be fixed for weeks. This led to mass player abandonment of the game.
What is the most violent Call of Duty game?
Call of Duty: World at War is generally considered the most violent game in the Call of Duty franchise, featuring graphic dismemberment and gore that surpassed previous entries.
Was Call of Duty skipping 2023?
While initially speculated that Call of Duty would skip 2023, Activision confirmed a new standalone title for 2023. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III was eventually released on November 10, 2023.
What is the most played CoD 2023?
As of June 2023, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II & Warzone 2.0 averaged about 65 thousand average concurrent players on PC gaming platform Steam. This shows that the recent Call of Duty titles are still very popular.
Is studying video games a real subject?
Yes! The field of game studies is a growing area of academic inquiry. For example, you can check out the Games Learning Society, where scholars and educators investigate the educational and social impact of video games, at GamesLearningSociety.org.