Asha Sharma, the XBOX CEO with just north of 100 days in office, has offered up one heck of a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. The publication put out a massive spread on XBOX in the first all-gaming cover in two decades, and it features an in-depth run-through of Asha Sharma’s takes on gaming, active projects, and forward-thinking thought pieces on the space.
In one segment, Sharma and her leadership team were talking about the recent growth of live-action adaptations, which have seen some franchises hit the big screen (or small screen, depending on how you watch them) and skyrocket up the charts.
Sharma ended up dropping one heck of a claim about Call of Duty during that segment.
Is Call of Duty Bigger Than The MCU?
In the report from Entertainment Weekly, the likes of Todd Howard, Matt Booty, and Asha Sharma spoke about the success and scope of live-action adaptations, which have blossomed in recent years. The concept of games becoming television shows or movies is fast becoming a wildfire trend in Hollywood and beyond.
Matt Booty was talking about the live-action Gears of War movie with adoration, and Infinity Ward’s Mark Grigsby was gushing over the incoming Call of Duty production:
I love movies. I love video games. The fact that I’m working on a franchise that is working on a movie now is one of my greatest dreams.
Todd Howard took the time to explain that the Fallout television show is about to head to new territory, taking players far beyond the games for the first time, and it was then confirmed that Sea of Thieves is getting the movie treatment, too. It’s being pieced together by a Marvel filmmaker, which seems incredible.
- RELATED: A Sea of Thieves Movie is Being Made
Booty suggested that we could see more Halo adaptations: ‘Halo, first and foremost, is one of our biggest franchises. It’s iconic to Xbox, and we’re certainly going to invest going forward.’
But the real kicker came when Asha Sharma addressed the future, suggesting that XBOX isn’t about to go all-in on film and television, but what has landed thus far is immensely promising. She then made a banger claim about Call of Duty:
If you think about it, we’ve got the number two show of all time on Amazon (Fallout), Minecraft was top five 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.
Call of Duty is bigger than the MCU, but Sharma didn’t back up that claim with any clarification or numbers.
I did a bit of poking around, and it has been suggested that the MCU has grossed over $31.5 billion at the box office, and that Call of Duty has made just north of $32 billion in the two decades it has been on the market, which is cutting it close.
If those numbers are accurate, then I guess Call of Duty is bigger than the MCU, but it entirely depends on how you define ‘bigger’.
Do you agree with Asha Sharma that Call of Duty is bigger than the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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