These days, it feels like every big release comes with an extra storage tax. Games aren’t just getting more expensive in dollars, they’re expensive in gigabytes, too. Out of them, Call of Duty has been the worst offender of all. For years, even hardcore fans have been asking Activision to compress the COD HQ and its dozens of games’ file size. Now, the company finally seems to be changing course — but maybe it’s not just about being nice.
According to a datamined leak from @PlayStationSize, Update 1.080 will slash COD‘s overall size to under 100GB. The original COD on PS5 was 126.224 GB, and version 01.080.000 will only take up 25.377 GB. On the PS4, the size was 81GB and will be reduced to 62GB. It makes it easier than ever to keep both Warzone and Black Ops 6 on your console without sacrifices.
Some could argue that this change is thanks to Black Ops 7‘s ‘no carry forward’ policy. A recent community blog post pointed out that the upcoming COD game will not carry over Black Ops 6‘s content to ensure ‘authenticity.’ Others speculate that not relying on the PS5’s dedicated encryption chip forced Activision to cut the app’s install size down. Whatever the actual reason is, if you zoom out, there might be a bigger strategy at play.
Have you heard of the thing called ‘attention economy’? Researcher Matthew Crawford once said, “Attention is a resource — a person has only so much of it.” Thus, in today’s economy, resources that players spend aren’t just simply money or time anymore. HDD or SSD is also becoming a part of the equation, as storage space also equals mindshare.
If a game takes up too much space, players are more likely to uninstall it. Which means fewer people logging in daily, and less money passes around the microtransactions and battle passes. And it works in the opposite ends too.
Call of Duty used to work that way; make the game too big, and people who have invested hours and money in it will have trouble installing another game. But now, by slimming stuff down, Activision also ensures its game will never become the one you need to clear out. This becomes especially crucial once highly touted rivals like Battlefield 6 — or the ever-hyped GTA 6 — arrive with their massive installs.
Surprisingly, however, EA has announced that Battlefield 6 will only require between 55GB and 80 GB of storage space. Meanwhile, Rockstar has yet to spill anything regarding GTA 6‘s install size. But let’s be real here; Red Dead Redemption 2 eats up 150GB and you need 105GB for the 12-year-old GTA 5. Having to clean up 200GB just for the next GTA wouldn’t come as a shock.
This move also helps shift the narrative around Call of Duty file size. For years, player frustration centered around COD‘s bloated file size that dwarfed other AAA titles. Now, Activision can flip the script and tout that it’s ‘listening to fans’ while simultaneously securing its foothold in the marketplace. It’s a win-win in PR: solving community’s complaints while quietly positioning the franchise to stay relevant against its most dangerous rivals.
