MW2 players say increased microtransaction sales are why COD won’t improve

Between Vanguard and MW2, Call of Duty’s microtransaction sales increased considerably; players say this is why the series will never improve.

For many players across genres, microtransactions remain somewhat of a dirty word. This particularly holds true for those who remember a time when players could unlock what now counts as paid content via in-game progression.

The likes of Call of Duty have especially come under fire for this in recent years, with the occasional accusation of pay-to-win MTX making the rounds every so often.

But some argue the real issue is that the success of in-game purchases gives developers and publishers license to continue bad practices. The latest news about Modern Warfare 2’s paid offerings has instigated such discourse yet again.

MW2 helped grow Call of Duty’s microtransaction sales

As noted by CharlieIntel, Activision’s quarterly earnings report reveals that in-game microtransactions sales grew year-over-year. Between the releases of Vanguard and Modern Warfare 2, then, in-game purchases for the Call of Duty brand received a noticeable uptick.

This hardly comes as a surprise given that premium game sales were also on the rise, with MW2 outselling Call of Duty’s 2021 iteration.

However, many fans maintain that such growth is the reason why the brand has yet to see marked improvements. Wrote one Twitter user in response to the CharlieIntel post, “And this is why cod will never improve.”

Of course, the discussion also made its way to various Call of Duty-dedicated Reddit pages. One comment on the CODWarzone subreddit reads, “Alright, final proof I won’t expect any improvements in next seasons / next year title(s). People keep spending even if the game is barely playable.”

As others have put it, the year-on-year growth ultimately comes down to a hard-to-ignore point, some folks are indeed enjoying what MW2 has on offer – warts and all.

“It’s because us casuals enjoy the game. And I buy a bundle every once in a while. Because I enjoy the game,” said a user in the aforementioned Reddit thread.

This time next year, it should be interesting to see how 2023’s Call of Duty compares to MW2 microtransactions sales.