In 2020, at least 250 million people played Call of Duty, according to Bobby Kotick, the longtime CEO of Southern California-based Activision Blizzard. In 2022, the video game company released four new games: Overwatch 2, World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Diablo Immortal, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. That new title in the Call of Duty franchise shattered all previous franchise sales records when it surpassed $1 billion in sales in the first 10 days.
In honor of that achievement, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick stated, “Our developers, along with our entire Activision Blizzard team, are the backbone of our unwavering commitment to serve our hundreds of millions of players around the world. I am so proud of the extraordinary efforts of our Call of Duty teams and the records they have achieved with Modern Warfare II. Connecting the world through joy, fun, and the thrill of competition is the key to our success. Modern Warfare II has provided this to millions of players faster and with greater satisfaction than ever before.”
The record-breaking Call of Duty game is available worldwide on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Gamers can also experience the first-person game on battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment’s online gaming service, and Steam. And gamers can’t get enough of it.
“Bobby Kotick and all of the talent at Activision Blizzard really knocked it out of the park with this one,” says Kyle Johnson, a Los Angeles-area gamer. “I have been playing Call of Duty for over a decade and cannot believe the quality of this installment.”
Matt Herman, a Reno, Nevada-based video game player, doubted the game would be a better experience than 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. “It had huge shoes to fill,” he says. “But, I must admit that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is way better than all of its predecessors. Everyone I know that has played it has enjoyed it. I’ve already spent countless hours playing the iconic first-person shooter game.”
“Traditionally, the biggest selling point for Call of Duty is the graphics. The explosions, backgrounds, and characters have always been amazing. However, the writing is incredible, and the characters and storylines are more fleshed out than any other installment in the franchise,” agrees Ava Ferry, a longtime fan of the franchise in New Jersey.
Activision Blizzard Committed to Combating Toxicity in the Call of Duty Franchise
It seems that the original Call of Duty revolutionized the first-person shooter game genre with its refined controls, improved heads-up display or status bar, enhanced character development, and storytelling. Now, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is the first game in the Call of Duty franchise to include the ability to restrict the communications of toxic players.
The new reporting system is the result of the combined efforts of Activision Player Support, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, High Moon Studios, Demonware, and Treyarch. According to a statement from Bobby Kotick’s Activision Blizzard, it “provides players with more ways to report offensive behavior and new features for our moderation teams to combat toxicity. The upgraded system also allows our moderation teams to restrict player features in response to confirmed player reports as part of our security and enforcement policy.”
The updated features allow the games moderation team to mute the offending player globally from all in-game chat features. “As a woman who has experienced harassment from other gamers in the heat of battle, the changes that Bobby Kotick and Activision Blizzard initiated have already made the Call of Duty experience a lot more enjoyable for me,” says Ferry. “I appreciate that the video game company’s new reporting system allows players like me to add an explanation to any reports we file.”
According to Activision Blizzard, “This optional dialog box allows players to tell us more about the situation. This, along with the entire overhaul, is foundational to the third pillar of the Call of Duty universe Code of Conduct to ‘Stay Vigilant,’ providing players with more tools to help report anything offensive or inappropriate they encounter.”
The video game developer and publisher stated, “Working together, we can push to make our games a more positive experience for all.”
Bobby Kotick Taking Significant Actions To Better the Video Game Company
Since 2021, Kotick has been focused on making Activision Blizzard an extraordinarily inclusive and welcoming work environment. “We have taken meaningful actions to improve our company and our culture,” stated Kotick in a message to the entire company. “But there is more to do. To become the model workplace we aspire to be, more change is required. But I am so confident that we will get there.”
Kotick continued, “We are incredibly fortunate to have the most talented people in our industry committed to constant improvement. And I share this commitment.” He also stated, “Creativity and inspiration thrive best in a safe, welcoming, respectful environment. There is no substitute for that. And staying true to our values, without exceptions, is the best way to retain our talent and attract new talent we need to achieve our great potential.”
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