Modern Warfare 2 sets five-day sales record
PHYSICAL: Videogame generates $550 million worldwide
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 11/18/2009
NOV. 18 | PHYSICAL: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has set a new five-day worldwide videogame sales record of $550 million, according to publisher Activision.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 set a first-day usage record on Microsoft’s Xbox Live, with 2.2 million unique users.
Grand Theft Auto IV was the previous top-ranking five-day seller, generating $500 million in that frame. Activision also trumpeted the fact that Modern Warfare 2 topped the record five-day global revenue for a theatrical movie, the $394 million that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince grossed at the box office. However, Modern Warfare 2’s unit price tag is about six times more than a typical big-screen movie ticket.
Microsoft is likewise declaring Modern Warfare 2 a hit. The game set a new first-day usage record for the company’s online Xbox Live network, with 2.2 million unique users signing on to play on Nov. 10. Additionally, more than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were logged on the game via Xbox Live.
“In just five days of sell-through, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become the largest entertainment launch in history and a pop culture phenomenon,” said Robert Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “The title’s success redefines entertainment as millions of consumers have chosen to play Modern Warfare 2 at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media.”
