Does the next Call of Duty story have the juice to produce $1B in sales?

Call of Duty games always have the pyrotechnics and weaponry to satisfy gamers. But to generate more than a billion dollars in sales in less than a month after launch, the main story has to be good. Forced by leaks to reveal its Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare game early, Activision has clearly recognized that it needs Hollywood production values to pull in wider audiences.

Call of Duty games are perennial best-sellers, generating $1 billion in revenue in a couple of weeks after launching in November every year. The tale in last year’s Call of Duty: Ghosts wasn’t a hit with players, and it didn’t sell as much as anticipated. Part of the reason for that was the hesitancy of gamers who had delayed their purchase of next-generation consoles. With that console transition out of the way, Call of Duty will likely have a better shot at growing sales — so long as Activision’s Sledgehammer Games studio has created an intriguing and believable story.