Call of Duty franchise has biggest year ever as Warzone tops 85 million players

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2020 has been the biggest year yet for the Call of Duty franchise

Call of Duty Warzone
(Image credit: Activision)

Call of Duty: Warzone and the Call of Duty franchise are having a banner year, with the battle royale topping 85 million players, according to an Activision press release. 

The entire franchise has sold over $3 billion worth of product this year, with over 200 million people playing a Call of Duty game in 2020. Activision believes that's in large part due to it's "shared ecosystem business model," which offers free-to-play games like Warzone for console and PC players, a mobile version to reach new players, and traditional premium games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.

The press release reports that there over 85 million people have played Call of Duty: Warzone since its March launch, and expects that number to increase when Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare integrate in Warzone later this month. According to the report, the entire Call of Duty franchise "has delivered the highest number of players in recorded history this year, as well as the biggest November ever for monthly players and hours played. The year-to-date increases "include net bookings over 80% and units sold through up over 40% year on year." In short, that's a lot of Call of Duty.

It's likely that the global pandemic has somewhat bolstered these numbers, especially with a free-to-play battle royale option dropping just before lockdowns began in the US. Either way, however, these numbers can't be denied - Call of Duty is more popular than ever before.

If you're interested in nabbing the latest Call of Duty game, check out our Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign review and our Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War multiplayer review. 

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante
Former Features Writer

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.