- Early UK sales figures indicate that Black Ops 7 had a smaller physical release when compared to Battlefield 6.
- BO7's physical launch is also down 61% as compared to Black Ops 6.
- Factors such as Game Pass availability, strong competition, and poor audience reception are major reasons behind the poor figures.
The subject of Call of Duty Black Ops 7’s sales feels like a broken record at this point, especially as experts still predict that the game will eventually be a commercial success. With that said, early signs aren’t looking all that positive for Activision as BO7 has gotten off to a rough start in the UK.
Reporting on the matter comes from Christopher Dring of The Game Business, who confirmed that Treyarch’s latest release has struggled to move physical copies in the United Kingdom. Dring also drew comparisons with Battlefield 6 and 2024’s Black Ops 6, with BO7 coming up short in both those matchups.
Black Ops 7 Physical Sales Down by 61% as Compared to BO6
According to the data shared by Dring, Call of Duty Black Ops 7 had a smaller UK retail launch than Battlefield 6. On top of this, the game’s physical sales were also down by 61% when compared to its predecessor.
There are frankly a multitude of reasons behind these results, some of which can’t be chalked up to the quality of the title. For starters, it’d be reasonable to argue that physical, or all unit sales, are likely to see a decline given the adoption of Game Pass as a day one Call of Duty subscription. Physical media in general is also losing relevance at a rapid rate, as upsetting as that may be, leading to a documented drop in boxed game sales.
Then there’s the notion of Call of Duty fatigue, brought on by the franchise’s repetitive annual cycle, aggressive monetisation, and misguided attempts to morph into Fortnite by hitching its wagon to pop culture crossovers. All these factors are important reasons why Black Ops 7 is likely to miss Activision’s lofty revenue targets, but the biggest is easily the competition.
Battlefield 6 was nothing less than a tsunami at release, as EA’s marquee title swept over the multiplayer scene with aplomb. It gathered one of the largest concurrent player counts in Steam history, and is said to have sold over 10 million copies. It’s safe to argue that a significant portion of disillusioned CoD buyers took their business to EA’s shores this year, and many of them are yet to return.
Any chances of BO7 retaining players are also hampered by the fact that it currently holds the lowest Metacritic user rating of any Call of Duty title in franchise history. Drizzle on top the launch-day controversy tied to AI tools, along with the lackluster campaign, and you have a recipe for disaster.
This isn’t to say that Black Ops 7 won’t sell well. Time and time again, we’ve seen half-baked CoD releases manage to put up numbers on the sales charts, and its latest entry will likely be no different. However, it does seem like there’s a genuine possibility that a Battlefield title could outsell a Call of Duty release.
Do you think Battlefield 6 will outsell Black Ops 7? Let us know in the comments.
