Story Highlights
  • It has been said that nearly 50% of Call of Duty PlayStation players are still on PlayStation 4.
  • According to Sony, millions of monthly active users still use this console.
  • This shows why Call of Duty is still releasing cross-generation games five years into the current hardware’s lifespan.

Call of Duty is among the biggest IPs in the gaming industry. The latest in the franchise, the upcoming Black Ops 6, marks yet another uninterrupted annual launch in nearly two decades, leading to the same buzz cycle for fans worldwide.

However, this entry is expected to be a cross-gen release. While this has lowered the excitement for some, Activision’s decision seems to be based on the fact that about 48% of all active Call of Duty players on PlayStation are still on the PlayStation 4.

Why it matters: Most major franchises have left last-gen consoles behind, but Activision has shown no intentions of doing the same. Fans have even begun to expect 2025’s release to be a cross-gen title.

Call-of-Duty-Warzone-2.0
Call of Duty is among the best-selling games on current and last-gen consoles.

According to insider Tom Henderson, this is the main reason last-gen support for Call of Duty isn’t going away from the Call of Duty franchise. Since millions of people are still playing the game on older consoles, Activision is not interested in leaving this player base behind.

The insider also argues that Call of Duty HQ, the central hub connecting all modern experiences from the franchise, is already supported on older consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One.

Therefore, Activision may not fully embrace current-gen gaming until the second iteration of Call of Duty HQ is released.

Call of Duty Xbox Game Pass
Call of Duty is expected to join Game Pass with Black Ops 6.

However, the upcoming titles, especially in terms of visuals, will substantially lag behind the competition because of this limitation. This will also mean the game won’t be able to utilize the full potential of modern hardware and will stick to the basics without bringing much new to the table.

Call of Duty has always managed to top charts across all platforms and last year’s release was no different.

This is precisely why Activision sees nothing wrong with continuing to release ports for last-gen hardware. The fact that these games have earned a reputation for being very similar each year makes it even easier to port them to a wide range of hardware.

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Abdullah Waseem
[How-To Guides Expert] Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city's aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity! Get In Touch: Laiba@hidgt.com Google IT Certificate Shehryar Khan