Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare preorders are still sluggish

Activision is one of the biggest video game publishers in the world thanks to a handful of gigantic properties. But as it unleashes its upcoming megahit, its most successful brand of the last 10 years looks like it’s starting to lose its sales luster.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare preorders continue to track more than 50 percent behind 2013’s Ghosts, according to Cowen and Company analyst Doug Cruetz. The industry-tracking expert notes that Advanced Warfare is tracking 80 percent behind 2012’s Black Ops II. Call of Duty game regularly generate $1 billion in revenue for Activision, but Ghosts didn’t perform as well as Black Ops II. If Advanced Warfare sells worse than Ghosts, this could signify that the franchise is on a permanent decline.