Modern Warfare 3 Earned $1 Billion in Record Time
By Yannick LeJacq | December 13, 2011 | News | No comments | Share
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 had a record-shattering opening week, and continued its strong lead in sales through its first month on the shelves. Now, the industry giant has clocked in with yet another sales record, becoming the fastest piece of entertainment to ever generate $1 billion in sales. Modern Warfare 3 passed the billion-dollar mark in just sixteen days, finishing some 24 hours ahead of the previous title-holder, James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster Avatar.
So, continuing in our tradition of highlighting just how enormous Modern Warfare 3‘s success is, here are some new numbers to consider:
The latest Call of Duty game now has some 30 million players.
That’s more than the populations of New York, London, Tokyo, Paris and Madrid combined.
The game sold 6.5 million copies in the UK and US within its first 24 hours on sale, meaning it sold about 75 copies per second.
Over 6 million of those gamers are using the Call of Duty Elite service that structures online play across the globe.
And over 1 million of those users are paying for premium subscriptions.
The Economist even expressed awe over Call of Duty’s sales figures in a ten-page special report on videogames in their latest print magazine, ending their initial report with a statement that, with figures like that, videogames are now the “as the newest and fastest-growing form of mass media,” and thus “deserve to be taken seriously.”
The game’s developers and publishers, in a recent press release, were eager to highlight the significance of this success. “Call of Duty has become that rare entertainment franchise that transcends its own genre,” said Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg.
“Core gamers love it, as our stellar reviews show,” he continued. “But every year, new people are drawn into Call of Duty. And while the franchise continues to set records, our fans still seem to want more, demonstrated by our record setting start on Call of Duty Elite.”
“We are committed to helping everyone connect, compete and improve their game, Call of Duty style.”
We have been speculating here at DeltaGamer about the future of this classic shooter franchise now that the main story arch of Modern Warfare came to a close. My guess is the IP is here to stay. At least for a few more years.
