CoD: Ghosts pre-orders 'well below' Black Ops 2 due to platform uncertainty

Pre-orders for Call of Duty: Ghosts are "well below" that of last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 owing to 'hesitation' caused by the looming console transition.
Activision Publishing president Epic Hirshberg said in an earnings call today, "As one might expect in this console transition year, pre-orders for Call of Duty: Ghosts are well below the record-setting pace set by Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 last year."
http://cdn.medialib.computerandvideo...302589_460.jpgWhile no figures were disclosed, Hirshberg went on to say the company's "quantitative consumer research" indicates that "hesitation amongst past CoD pre-orderers is primarily due to not knowing which platform they'll be playing on, which is natural at this time in the console transition."
On the positive side, Hirshberg note, "Ghosts pre-orders are over double those of Call of Duty: Black Ops, which is the last time we launched a new sub-brand for the franchise."
He went on to assure that the company has in place "the most aggressive marketing, retail, and digital programs in the history of the franchise" for this year's entry, which is set to arrive on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PC and Wii U.
Despite the dip in pre-orders for the next CoD, momentum for the franchise appears as strong as ever, with Hirshberg highlighting that Call of Duty's digital sales in Q2 2013 (ended June 30) broke records, growing "over 100 per cent year-on-year".
Black ops 2 sales during the quarter also exceeded Modern Warfare 3 sales during the same period the prior year.
Activision has confirmed a Call of Duty: Ghosts release date of November 5 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The game will be a launch title for Xbox One and PS4.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...m-uncertainty/