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Now, isn't this interesting. Infinity Ward have announced that their upcoming shooter, will retain the Call of Duty moniker. It's been a few months since the decision to drop the (mostly) venerable CoD prefix from Modern Warfare 2, but the decision to bring it back can hardly be called surprising.
Would it shock you to know that the Call of Duty name effectively doubles the brand awareness of such title? Probably not. A recent study by OTX, and online-based consumer research company, has shown that with the prefix, approximately 40% of all gamers in the United States are aware of the title. Without, we see this figure halved to a paltry 20%.
Some suggested that removing the title would allow the series to take a greater step into establishing itself as a unique franchise, giving Activision something else to milk dry (Who's with me?). But with supposed "pre-order intent" higher than anything else being tracked, there's no need to worry.
It's likely that they'd be interested in looking at brand awareness as the indication for targeting impulse buyers, such as parents or those who don't research their games, even casual gamers looking to make the leap into the light.
In a query by Kotaku, the following response was given, “Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 is the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,”
“We have focused our attention on Modern Warfare in order to most effectively communicate the fact that this is the first true sequel in the Call of Duty series. Infinity Ward, the original creators of the Call of Duty franchise, has said from the beginning Modern Warfare 2 resides in the Call of Duty universe. This is reflected in the title’s package.”
By saying it's in the "universe" makes it obvious that there will be recurring characters. But you already knew that, didn't you?
Either way, it shouldn't affect the game in the slightest. And I'm certainly not one to be staring at my cover art whilst playing.
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