Sales will be good this year, but really bad by CoD standards. I dont think it is going to go the way of Guitar Hero anytime soon, but it is definity the past its prime, its like an aging athlete who is still good, but not what he used to be.
What they need to do. Simply recapture the magic that was COD4:MW and redifine what CoD is for Gen 8. CoD AW is essentially a 7th gen game on 8th gen consoles. I think UBI was brilliant for going all in with AC:Unity for gen 8, they are redefining what AC is for the new era, and they have my attention.
COD 2015 needs to be next gen exclusive, and built that way from the ground up. They need to rip a few things off from Destiny. A destiny styled story campain and community based missions. This with CoD4 type weapons and setting would be amazing. It does not have to be the same as Destiny but they need to use some of the concepts, maybe come up with some better ideas. The "tower" for CoD could be a massive military base where you can train at ranges, get gear, make friends, and used as a hub to get to battles (PvP) and missions (Story).
Yes it is a risk, but if they dont do something drastic and execute it well CoD will be irrellevant by the middle of this gen.
End of 2009 Predictions (Set, January 1st 2009)
Wii- 72 million 3rd Year Peak, better slate of releases
360- 37 million Should trend down slightly after 3rd year peak
PS3- 29 million Sales should pick up next year, 3rd year peak and price cut
