Modern Warfare 4 trails Black Ops 7 in US launch-week player activity

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 drew a lower share of active players in the United States during its launch week than Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 did a year earlier, according to figures from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella.

During the week of October 24, 19% of US PlayStation players and 17% of Xbox players played Modern Warfare 4. On Steam, the figure was 4.2%. By comparison, Black Ops 7 reached 23% on PlayStation and 29% on Xbox during its launch week, while 1.5% of Steam players played the game.

Modern Warfare 4 therefore posted a higher share on Steam, but lower figures on the other two platforms. It also ranked among the 10 most-played games across all platforms during the week of October 24, placing just behind Fortnite on PlayStation.

The report suggests Game Pass availability may help explain the Xbox comparison: Black Ops 7 was available on the service at launch, while Modern Warfare 4 was not. The difference on PlayStation is less readily explained by that factor, though the figures alone do not establish why participation was lower.

Sources: Vandal.