Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward has suggested that the people most engaged with the franchise aren't really gamers at all, as they don't play any titles that aren't affiliated with the series.

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“ They aren't hardcore gamers, or even gamers.

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That's according to executive producer Mark Rubin, who told OXM that he didn't expect the imminent arrival of the next-gen consoles to have much of an impact on the make-up of COD's audience."Regardless of platform - people's gaming habits aren't going to change just because there's a new platform," he said. "We have an enormous amount of players who are more in the casual game space, but they play a lot.Last week, Call of Duty publisher Activision threw down the gauntlet , warning GTA dev Rockstar that Ghosts would be snatching back all the records GTA V has managed to accrue since it released . By the sounds of things, the franchise's fiercely loyal fanbase will be crucial if it's to succeed.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Junior Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter