Fashionable Warfare 3’s Metacritic rating is a brand new low for the Name of Responsibility sequence

Briefly: Name of Responsibility: Fashionable Warfare 3 is just not making the kind of headlines Activision Blizzard hoped for: probably the bottom rated sport of the complete sequence, UK boxed gross sales down 25%, certainly one of Metacritic’s worst video games of 2023, and experiences that it was made in half the time as different entries within the franchise.

The most recent entry within the Name of Responsibility sequence was alleged to be a “premium enlargement” for final yr’s Fashionable Warfare 2 earlier than it became a full standalone product. Judging from its reception, Activision is perhaps wishing it had caught to the unique plan.

COD: Fashionable Warfare 3 at the moment has a Metacritic score of simply 50, a good distance off the sequence’ earlier lowest-scoring entry – 2021’s Name of Responsibility: Vanguard, which has a rating of 73. A number of extra optimistic incoming scores might push this larger, however with the final three critics score the sport at 40, 55, and 40, issues aren’t wanting good. The person rating, in the meantime is an abysmal 1.5.

It is value noting that quite a few the Metacritic scores are from in-progress critiques that primarily take a look at the closely criticized marketing campaign, which may be very quick (it may be completed in three to 5 hours) and makes use of belongings from earlier video games, so there’s an opportunity the multiplayer mode will assist increase MW3’s general rating.

A part of the issue might be that the newest CoD sport was developed in lower than a yr and a half, whereas most entries within the sequence take about three years from begin to end, in line with Bloomberg. Maybe uncoincidentally, low-scoring Vanguard was additionally made with a a lot shorter growth time than traditional.

Along with the stress of a decreased 16-month growth time, there was reportedly preliminary confusion amongst a few of the Sledgehammer Video games growth crew about whether or not they have been engaged on a MW 2 enlargement or a standalone sequel.

Even with all the problems and bad critiques, Name of Responsibility: Fashionable Warfare 3 continues to be primary within the UK Boxed Sport charts, regardless of gross sales being down 25% YoY. It is also a prime vendor on Steam, the place it has a Largely Unfavourable score.