Xbox CEO: Call of Duty Is Bigger Than the Marvel Cinematic Universe

There’s probably no video game franchise out there bigger than Call of Duty (except maybe Grand Theft Auto), but is it bigger than the Marvel movie machine?

I’m referring to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also known as the MCU, which is home to billion-dollar movies like Avengers: Endgame, the Spider-Man movies, and more.

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With the official reveal of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 now over, fans and pundits alike are all thinking the same thing: how will cosmetics be handled in this year's Call of Duty? Developers of the shooter have said previously that they are foregoing the goofy operator skins the franchise has been known for the past few years, but that's been a huge letdown, as celeb cameos, cartoon skins, and the like soon made their way into the franchise -- usually after the first season is over.

Even if the Marvel films have earned a ton in terms of revenue, and are considered to be one of the templates when it comes to cinematic universe-building, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma thinks it’s smaller compared to the Call of Duty brand.

Can Call of Duty Do MCU-Level Numbers?

In an Xbox feature by Entertainment Weekly, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma talks about Xbox extending beyond games and transcending into TV and movies, “You won’t see us try to become the biggest linear provider in the world or anything like that, but I think great games are culture, and culture is entertainment. If you think about it, we’ve got the number two show of all time on Amazon [Fallout], Minecraft was top 5 in 2025, Call of Duty is bigger than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So it all measures. [There’s] more appetite to work with us on titles than ever before.”

It’s hard to quantify everything down to specifics since Activision doesn’t really share life-to-date sales numbers of its games, but overall impact? I’d give the nod to the MCU. That said, every Call of Duty game does gangbusters, so there is a chance it could have earned more, though games cost a lot more than a movie ticket.

Speaking of Call of Duty, the next entry in the franchise is Modern Warfare 4, which will be released on October 23. Check out our first look at the game’s movement to see if it’s your cup of tea or not.

As for the MCU, the next movie releasing is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is being co-produced with Sony, and is set to swing its way out in July.

As part of the same Xbox feature, Hideo Kojima talked about the upcoming horror game OD, and how it’ll even feature a gameplay system for gamers too scared to play the game.

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