It looks like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 had fewer active players at launch in the US compared to last year's Black Ops 7

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched with lower player engagement in the US compared to Black Ops 7 last year, according to data from market analysis firm Circana.

Circana's Player Engagement Tracker measured activity across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox. Modern Warfare 4 drew 19 percent engagement on PlayStation, 17 percent on Xbox, and 4.2 percent on Steam during the week ending October 24th. Black Ops 7 achieved 23 percent on PlayStation, 29 percent on Xbox, and 1.5 percent on Steam in its launch week.

The Xbox drop may stem from Modern Warfare 4's absence from Game Pass at launch. Black Ops 7 released on Game Pass day-and-date with its premium release. The PlayStation decline could relate to the successful Black Ops 1 & 2 ports released on PS4 and PS5 in the summer, which may have redirected lapsed players away from the new release.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella tracked the data, which covers the US on Steam and PlayStation, and worldwide on Xbox. Modern Warfare 4 placed in the top 10 on all three platforms, sitting just below Fortnite on PlayStation.

Activision's public response shifted between launches. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma issued a statement highlighting Call of Duty's 24-year history and $40 billion in lifetime franchise revenue without naming Modern Warfare 4. Black Ops 7's post-launch statement focused on gameplay quality rather than sales figures.