Activision: 'New COD won't eclipse MW2'

Activision has moved to play down expectation that 2010's Call Of Duty game will eclipse the record breaking success of Modern Warfare 2.

Developed by Infinity Ward, the sequel to 2007's Modern Warfare smashed all previous game sales records by racking up over $1bn (641m) in revenue following its release in November 2009.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, Activision publishing boss Mike Griffith revealed that the firm is not expecting to repeat the "same level of success" for the as-yet-untitled new game, which is being developed by Treyarch.

However, Griffith said in an investor call that Activision remains "bullish" about the game's prospects for financial and critical success.

"We've consistently grown the Call Of Duty franchise revenues year-on-year for the past seven years. We expect to continue our strategy of annualising this franchise opportunity," he said.

"At the same time, we recognise that Modern Warfare 2 was an unprecedented success, driven in part by the game quality, our retail and marketing execution, and by the relatively friendly competitive environment [at Christmas].

"We expect to have a more difficult competitive environment this year, and therefore we've not planned on the same level of success [with 2010's COD title] as we enjoyed in 2009.

"That said, we're still bullish on this year's title, and we do see upside potential if we execute well by engaging the much larger set of consumers who were introduced to the Call Of Duty franchise in 2009."

Activision also plans to release new Guitar Hero and DJ Hero titles this year, along with further instalments in the James Bond and Spider-Man franchises.