CoD still king: FPS was highest-selling US franchise in 2023 for 15th straight year

The rumors of Call of Duty’s downfall have been greatly exaggerated. For the 15th year in a row, CoD was the highest-selling franchise in the U.S. in 2023, according to a new report from NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella.

The report claims the killer combo of Modern Warfare 3 and 2022’s Modern Warfare 2 combined to make the franchise the biggest of the year, even though MW3 came in second in overall sales behind Hogwarts Legacy.

MW3 was also the top game of December, outselling other top games such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Madden NFL 24, Hogwarts Legacy, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and even new December title Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

It’s been an interesting few months for CoD after MW3’s launch. The new game became the lowest-rated in the series thanks in large part to a lackluster campaign and offering of rehashed multiplayer maps, but that hasn’t stopped fans of the series from hopping in and enjoying it.

MW3’s Zombies mode, an open-world take on the traditionally round-based experience, has also been a hit with players. And the new Warzone experience that was released in December has strengthened player interest, too.

But yesterday’s buggy, broken midseason update for MW3’s Season One Reloaded has been a low point for a game that’s otherwise been well-received by many players, at least when it comes to multiplayer.

MW3 players continue to wait for the anticipated Ranked Play mode, which was delayed out of yesterday’s scheduled launch date because of a “critical issue” with no new release date announced.

It’s worth noting that NPD’s listings don’t include all games, though, as it can only report on publishers that provide information to the group. As such, games like Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3 appear nowhere on the list despite selling well last year.