Activision believes a “Call of Duty tax” now shapes how games media covers its flagship shooter. Chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl said the series still gets press, but its long run means people overlook the work behind each new entry.
Bahl made the comments in an interview with The Game Business. The outlet asked whether traditional media still covers Call of Duty the way it once did, and whether most coverage now comes from influencers and the community. The interview lands a week before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23.
What Activision means by the Call of Duty tax
Bahl said the series gets coverage, but not the same attention that newer games receive. “I think we get the coverage, but we call it the ‘Call of Duty tax’,” he said. He contrasted that with the fandom around indie games and the excitement around new releases that appear on Steam every day.
According to Bahl, the age of the franchise is the problem. “Call of Duty has been here for a very long time. And with that, you know, people sometimes forget that there’s so much work that goes into making these games,” he said. He added that 4,500 Activision employees work on the series.
An audience that has become “status quo”
Bahl also argued that the size of the player base gets ignored because it has become normal over time. He cited 100 million free-to-play players, 500 million units sold and a billion downloads for the mobile game. In his words, that audience “sometimes gets overlooked, or just becomes status quo.”
That thinking shaped this year’s marketing. Instead of a “bombastic spot” like earlier campaigns, Activision focused on behind-the-scenes material about how the games are made. Bahl said the goal was to show the craft and dedication of the development teams.
Circana data points to weaker interest in Modern Warfare 4
Not everyone accepts the Call of Duty tax explanation. Circana senior director Mat Piscatella posted on Bluesky that purchase intent for Modern Warfare 4 stood at 15% among US console and PC players as of August. At the same point last year, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 sat at 21%.
Piscatella also pointed to a pattern in how Activision explains soft results. “Last year, disappointing performance was blamed on Game Pass inclusion,” he wrote. “Now, it’s media. When MW4 disappoints it’ll be GTA’s fault.” Meanwhile, he noted that ports of Black Ops and Black Ops II were among the biggest new releases of the year.
Modern Warfare 4 release details
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC. It follows Black Ops 7, which launched on Game Pass last year and is the release Piscatella used as the comparison point for the Call of Duty tax debate.