Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has broken movie box office, book and game sales records for five day worldwide sell-through in dollars.
Modern Warfare 3 has also smashed two Xbox Live records since release. More than seven million multiplayer hours were logged playing the game by the end of launch day, while 3.3 million simultaneous users on November 8 represented a new record for concurrent players on the online service.
"Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for three consecutive years across all forms of entertainment," said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.
"Life-to-date retail sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded $6 billion worldwide, which makes Call of Duty one of the most valuable entertainment properties in the world."
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg added: "Most of all, I want to thank our fans. They are our toughest critics, and our biggest supporters, and none of this would be possible without them."
Activision said last Friday that Modern Warfare 3 enjoyed "the biggest entertainment launch ever" with an estimated sell-through of more than $400 million and more than 6.5 million units in the US and UK alone in its first 24 hours of availability.
Comments
29 comments so far...
MANYOO4EVA on 17 Nov '11 said:
TBH, couldn't care less.
Dumped this game after 3 days as the MP is atrocious, and have now gone back to Gears of War 3.
Waaaayyyy more fun, challenging and balanced, and now MW3 is out, better class of people online.
COD, along with BF as that was poo as well, will no longer be in my house again.
KK-Headcharge78 on 17 Nov '11 said:
Que the pathetic comparisons with pop music.....
Manyoo why you no likely the MP?
MANYOO4EVA on 17 Nov '11 said:
@ KK
The reason I hate the MP in MW3 is the map size. They are waaaayyyy too small even on free-for-all. I could not move two feet without being shot, and when I got all the perks and attachments to make me invisible to all radars and silenced my weapon, it was still the same.
Also, the campers were out in forece even more in this game, as they were scared of getting shot and losing their precious KDR. I've never been a camper, and never will, but it got so frustrating that I could not even get 2 or 3 kills in a row without dying.
And this is someone who has had and played all the COD's since COD4 and had an average KDR of 2.0 or above for all of them. If feels as though they've dumbed the map size down for the noobs.
And that is why I hate the MP in MW3.
megaphoenix2001 on 17 Nov '11 said:
i wish id never got the hardened ed was a waste of money game feels like it hasnt moved on since mw2 there was a huge diff between world at war and black ops so im trading it in for saints row 3
a3HeadedMonkey on 17 Nov '11 said:
The maps are very small, that is a legitimate complaint, but still a personal preference. Folks & strokes.
Headsrinker on 17 Nov '11 said:
I wonder if these sales figures are including ELITE subscription or not. Because as we know, MW3 did not sell as many copies as Black Ops in its first week in the UK. Perhaps they've included ELITE sales to break records.
(fan boys, dont get carried away)
a3HeadedMonkey on 17 Nov '11 said:
No, it's including US sales which were more than Blops & also the fact that the US is largely an Xbox 360 dominated user base, where Europe largely favour the PS3.
Tivan on 17 Nov '11 said:
Modern Warfare 3 didn’t outsell Black Ops in the UK in terms of actual copies, but it did gross more in terms of revenue, probably because more people picked up the Hardened edition of the game than they did the pricy Black Ops editions last year. The $775 million figure will include sales generated by the Hardened Edition (and therefore the included Elite too), but it’s very unlikely it accounts for standalone digital Elite sales over XBL and PSN.
ninja-key on 17 Nov '11 said:
I really enjoyed the campaign on it and I am enjoying the multiplayer too.
Budly Moore on 17 Nov '11 said:
I got the best of both worlds with MW3 and BF3, small maps and big maps. COD is like a modern day arcade game and I love it because of that.
You shlaaaag on 17 Nov '11 said:
These figures are completely meaningless. I'm sorry, I love videogames as much as the next person, but when cinema tickets cost $60/£40 I'll take these statistics seriously. Had The Deathly Hallows Part 2 or The Dark Knight been admitting punters for $60 rather than the average of $9, in the US alone they would have each taken about $1bn on their opening weekends. Don't get me wrong they are impressive numbers, but it's been scientifically proven that Call Of Duty is a gaming skidmark. Thus, the numbers are tainted with a sense of tragedy. This sums up CoD, its developers and its fans quite beautifully.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMKkQx_dTC4
a3HeadedMonkey on 17 Nov '11 said:
I hear that. It's Goldeneye 64 for the modern gen.
Drusus on 17 Nov '11 said:
Well I guess some people around here aren't very good at MW3, lol.
I'm loving it, it's faaaaaaaaaaaaabulous!
MrPirtniw on 17 Nov '11 said:
Yay! Big numbers will only encourage game devs to pump out even more genero-shooters that I won't buy. Fortunately the past 2 months have been gaming bliss.
KK-Headcharge78 on 17 Nov '11 said:
Your 2nd point (a very valid one) kinda undermines your original point non?
only_777 on 17 Nov '11 said:
I say well done Activision. It may not be my fav game but at least people saying the future is in mobile games can get their phone and dial
0121 do 1
mothbanquet on 17 Nov '11 said:
I didn't buy this after being disappointed by MW2 but this isn't the time for hatin'; it's time to look at the larger picture. This is a good thing for gaming as a medium of entertainment. It's proof that this isn't just a hobby for kids anymore, it's a serious form of entertainment that can be counted right up there with movies as a legitimate way for us to pass the time.
As someone who's been gaming since the NES, this is great news and a real show of how far things have come.
bazzatuk on 17 Nov '11 said:
It's not a good thing though. There are too many other great games that are failing because some people only buy COD and nothing else. I know several of these people and that is a terrible situation for the industry and any shifts to other mediums, because other developers are moving elsewhere or going out of business.
Call of Duty is the definition of too successful because it's stifling creativity in other genres as everyone tries to replicate its success, and that's why there are so many FPS games released every year.
mothbanquet on 17 Nov '11 said:
I understand what you're saying but CoD's popularity hasn't affected the terrific performance of games like Skyrim and Arkham City in terms of sales, and the employees of devs like Rocksteady, BioWare and Bethesda aren't going hungry any time soon.
People WILL tire of CoD eventually. I'm one of those people. But in the meantime, I can't agree with the claim that CoD's success has somehow slowed or stopped the release of great games. I know someone at Naughty Dog, a developer that has had their ups and downs but in the end, if a dev makes a great game, they will, more often than not, be successful.
I certainly don't see CoD bringing on a gaming apocalypse, that much is certain.
TheLastDodo on 17 Nov '11 said:
Camping is out of control in MW3. Honestly MW3's tagline should be "Where theres a corner, theres a camper".
Normally I just stick to TDM in CoD but it's infested with campers, so now I only play the fantastic new mode Kill Confirmed, Kill Confirmed when everyone plays as lonewolves is great fun.
Unfortunately MW3 is suffering from the same problems Blops did last year on PS3 (on the inferior version SHOCK
So it's the same ol' situation with CoD on PS3: Fun...........when it works.
Mmmmgrolsch on 17 Nov '11 said:
But these people that don't buy anything else probably aren't gamers in the first place! Ever think that some of these people wouldn't even had a console if it weren't the fact all the work mates, friends and family all play CoD for social reasons? I know s**t loads of casual CoD players. They can't be treated as a gamer or potential customer or be treated like it's their fault.
Anyone that only plays CoD simply ain't a gamer. But thanks to CoD they perhaps one day will. So yeah I'd say it's more of a good thing than bad.
sepewrath on 17 Nov '11 said:
Not really, there are many Call of Duty clones out there and with numbers like this, that will only increase. Doesn't mean other great games wont come out, but there will simply be many more would be CoD attempts.
KK-Headcharge78 on 17 Nov '11 said:
I personally can't buy the 'stifling' argument in gaming, an example if a little obvious is Mario for many years Mario delivered superstar games but until the Mario Kart/N64 3D Mario it didn't move on in leaps and bounds and yet at the same time the console game market grew and grew and grew with all manner of titles. This year has demonstrated an incredible variety of top games, some quite generic (COD included) but many also which push the technical power and the imagination of both the hardware and the developers.
For me there has to be room for all, big franchises, new IPs and the odd incredible bolt out of the blue.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 17 Nov '11 said:
'' But these people that don't buy anything else probably aren't gamers in the first place! Ever think that some of these people wouldn't even had a console if it weren't the fact all the work mates, friends and family all play CoD for social reasons? I know s**t loads of casual CoD players. ''
I think why CoD is so successful is because its so easy to pick up and play. All you need to know is that you kill anything that moves. That and most people don't have the time or money to dedicate to other games.
I know alot of my mates just play CoD and FIFA and nothing else because they are simple games they can play for hours.
I myself play other games as well as CoD but can understand why CoD is successful.
Some people will always hate on anything that is popular for the sake of it but why is that ?
CoD is a fun game isn't that all that matters ?
SpandexArmstrong on 17 Nov '11 said:
I hate COD so much that im gonna line up launch nite & play the f**k out of it, then come onto gaming forums & bitch about how much it sucks! Then i'll announce that this is the last COD game I ever buy, then line up next Nov for the next installment & repeat the process!
In other words, shut the f**k up already, some ppl carry on like the COD franchise is banging their girl (ha!) behind their backs!
I luv MW3, & so do every one of you!!
MrPirtniw on 17 Nov '11 said:
Hmm... Can't say I love it seeing as I haven't played it. But I haven't loved any of the CoD games. Cod 2 was good (the only one I own) and I borrowed and completed Modern Warfare. It was alright I suppose- though the only highlight was the sneaking/sniper mission.
Warrior24_7 on 18 Nov '11 said:
That's absolutely astonishing, there is no denying this game's worldwide appeal. The gameplay mechanics and style are now so familiar that anything else feels alien. The only question left is when is the movie coming out?
flyfletch on 18 Nov '11 said:
I agree, have both and love both, for different reasons. Although the campers in MW3 are starting to get on my tits! I have never been a camper and never will be! Would rather play a game than hide somewhere and ruin it for others!
veato on 18 Nov '11 said:
I wonder how many people bought it (out of a compulsion to have the latest COD) only to return/sell/trade it later?
This isn't trolling but a genuine question as I I know several people who have done just that (and gone back to BLOPS or picked up BF3) which must mean there are others.