Arvind Bhatia, an analyst with Sterne Agee, has predicted that the upcoming Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare won’t sell as strongly as its predecessor, Call of Duty: Ghosts.
In fact, Bhatia suggests that the hotly anticipated, futuristic military shooter will ship three million fewer copies than Ghosts—that’s a decline of 15 percent.
According to the analyst, the decline can be attributed to the fact that software sales for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 hardware have slumped rapidly, and many consumers have yet to snap up new-generation consoles.
As a result, he believes many potential buyers will delay purchasing their annual Call of Duty title until a later date.
On the flip side, Bhatia notes the lack of a competing Battlefield title and the positive pre-release hype could work in Advanced Warfare’s favor and overcome any possible decline in sales.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is scheduled for release in early November.