Call of Duty Faces European Struggles, While Naughty Dog's Next Project Keeps a Low Profile
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Recent analyst reports point to a rough European launch for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 compared to rivals, while Charlie Cox deflects Game Awards praise to his motion capture partner, and Naughty Dog's next game maintains a low profile.
Activision might be facing an uphill battle in Europe if recent market data is any indication. According to a report highlighted by IGN South Africa via The Game Business, the regional launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 saw physical and traditional sales drop by more than fifty percent compared to last year's release. The numbers also put the shooter significantly behind its main competitor, with Battlefield 6 pulling in sixty-three percent more sales during the same window. Of course, looking purely at retail and digital storefront purchases misses a massive part of the modern gaming landscape. Microsoft continues to route first party heavy hitters straight into Game Pass on day one, and without official subscription metrics from Xbox, traditional sales figures only tell part of the story for a franchise built heavily on active player counts and battle pass engagement.
In other industry highlights, Charlie Cox is making headlines for all the right reasons ahead of this year's Game Awards. The actor received a nomination for his performance as Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but he quickly deflected the praise. Cox publicly insisted that the accolades belong to movement capture artist Maxence Cazorla, who brought the physical performance to life. It is a refreshing perspective that highlights the complex collaboration behind modern digital acting, where voice talent and motion capture work together to create memorable characters for players to connect with.
Meanwhile, fans looking ahead to Naughty Dog's slate will need to exercise some patience. Despite rampant speculation across social media feeds and creator streams, industry chatter suggests that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will likely miss a 2026 release window. Insiders also point out that the title probably will not make an appearance at next month's Game Awards ceremony, meaning players will have to wait a bit longer for a real look at what the studio is building next. You can check out the original breakdown over at IGN South Africa.
Tags: Call of Duty, Gaming News, The Game Awards, Xbox, Industry Trends
Original article: IGN South Africa