Friday, November 11th 2011
Modern Warfare 3 Sets Record for Biggest Entertainment Launch
Shattering its own day-one sales records, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, announced that its highly-anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has become the biggest entertainment launch ever with an estimated sell-through of more than $400 million and more than 6.5 million units in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information.
This marks the third consecutive year that the Call of Duty franchise has set day one launch records across all forms of entertainment, something no other entertainment franchise in any medium has ever accomplished. Last year, in North America and the United Kingdom , Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops had estimated day-one sell-through of $360 million and in 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, set day-one records with estimated sell through of $310 million, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information.
On November 8, 2011, millions of fans attended more than 13,000 midnight openings at retail stores worldwide. According to Microsoft, after just two days, the number of gamers playing simultaneously on Xbox Live set a new peak concurrency record.
"We believe the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium, and we achieved this record with sales from only two territories," said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, Inc. "Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row. Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office for "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings", two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time."
Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing added, "Call of Duty is more than a game. It's become a major part of the pop cultural landscape. It is a game that core enthusiasts love, but that also consistently draws new people into the medium. It is the most intense, adrenaline pumping entertainment experience anywhere. I would like to thank our incredible teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games for making a brilliant game. But most of all, I would like to thank our millions of passionate fans worldwide. We made this game for you."
Separately, Activision announced this morning that in support and gratitude for the efforts of American servicemen and women, this Veterans Day it donated $3 million to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit, public benefit corporation that seeks to provide job placement and training for veterans. This latest donation will be added to the $2 million that Activision has already donated to the Endowment, which has provided more than $1.5 million in grants and scholarships to veterans' organizations across the country since it was conceived by Bobby Kotick in November of 2009.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language and is available now for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC. For more information visit www.callofduty.com/mw3 and www.callofduty.com/elite
This marks the third consecutive year that the Call of Duty franchise has set day one launch records across all forms of entertainment, something no other entertainment franchise in any medium has ever accomplished. Last year, in North America and the United Kingdom , Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops had estimated day-one sell-through of $360 million and in 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, set day-one records with estimated sell through of $310 million, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information.
On November 8, 2011, millions of fans attended more than 13,000 midnight openings at retail stores worldwide. According to Microsoft, after just two days, the number of gamers playing simultaneously on Xbox Live set a new peak concurrency record.
"We believe the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium, and we achieved this record with sales from only two territories," said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, Inc. "Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row. Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office for "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings", two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time."
Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing added, "Call of Duty is more than a game. It's become a major part of the pop cultural landscape. It is a game that core enthusiasts love, but that also consistently draws new people into the medium. It is the most intense, adrenaline pumping entertainment experience anywhere. I would like to thank our incredible teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games for making a brilliant game. But most of all, I would like to thank our millions of passionate fans worldwide. We made this game for you."
Separately, Activision announced this morning that in support and gratitude for the efforts of American servicemen and women, this Veterans Day it donated $3 million to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit, public benefit corporation that seeks to provide job placement and training for veterans. This latest donation will be added to the $2 million that Activision has already donated to the Endowment, which has provided more than $1.5 million in grants and scholarships to veterans' organizations across the country since it was conceived by Bobby Kotick in November of 2009.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language and is available now for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC. For more information visit www.callofduty.com/mw3 and www.callofduty.com/elite
96 Comments on Modern Warfare 3 Sets Record for Biggest Entertainment Launch
I'd just rather have the dev's trying to push the boundaries and having some bugs slip through vs using a 5 year old engine and giving us nothing new.
I read that the "classic hits" the current generation knows from the 50s and 60s were almost always NOT the #1 songs at that time. This is what is happening with Call of Duty. After World at War (which has a Broken Base - what's a "Broken Base"? Check tvtropes.org) it all went downhill in a "games to remember" sense.
Bobby kotick has successfully found a way to make gamers eat their own shit over and over AND enjoy it.
try again. BF3 isnt any harder to play than CoD. it is just a different game so it has a different style of gameplay. sure the gfx are recycled and shame on Activision for that, but that doesnt make it a bad game
also, just because lots of kiddies play it doesnt make it a bad game- it only means it is very popular. it has gained so much popularity due to its' solid gameplay and the simple fact that it runs well on consoles
yes, Call of Duty is a GREAT game!
i have played them all since first Call of Duty launch waaaaaay back!
(yes, i am THAT old lol)
However, it is sad to see them beating out Battlefield.
Battlefield offers larger maps, better graphics, distructable environments,
realistic physx, 4x the unlockables, vehicles (land, sea, and air),
better classes, better weapon variation, and FAR better squad/team play!
again, Call of Duty is good... but it is not even half the game of Battlefield.
You might not like it (I know I'm not a big fan) but the games are pretty solid (especially in MP) and that is pretty danged hard to ignore.
- In game VOIP build into Battlelog site. Works just fine. As it is independent of servers, it doesn't affect their lag which makes it better than BF2.
- No sure what you need in game ping for, but ok. And there is no commander. got to give you those two.
- location of markers and the chat box do need to be adjusted and resized
- Blue tint? That is your monitor. Do you remember the sun? It is suppose to be bright. Its the SUN. Just like glare and dust should get in your eyes. While it is a game it is trying to be a realistic shooter.
- We didn't have to fight anyone. They did not work in a BETA. IT WAS A BETA. I can request ammo and stuff without the comma rose. I still find it to be too slow to use in active combat. And the squad system works fine. So what you can't name the squads. You can't do that in the real military either. And you can kick people out of your squad, though you can't send invites.
- We are getting mod tools later on. nothing stopping them from adding battle recorder later. Spectator mod will likely be added for the first tournaments.
- The chat messages are different colors based on everyone (white), Team (blue), and squad (green).
Did you play this game? It sounds like you are basing your "opinion" off of stuff you read online by bad reviewers.
I agree that BF3 brings a lot to the table that CoD doesnt but it is fucking retarded for people to bash CoD just because it is so popular and/or they dont like it. again, shame on Activision for not spending more money to accomplish so much more possibilities in greatness. but, just because they are raking in on their cash cow doesnt take away from the fact that CoD has some really fun gameplay. when I say this I am referring to PC gameplay because I havent owned a console since 2003
As for pushing the boundaries for some bugs...I'm sure you wouldn't want that in a vehicle you may purchase or the medicine you need. Because in those examples safety, reliability and it's ability to actually work as intended are a priority. It's just that many view games the same way. I understand that you don't care as that's what your post implies. However, there are others who do and they obviously are voting with their wallet to let you know. Your post isn't reflective of what you are trying to imply. Squad leader functionality is broken. You can't effectively community with your squad via voip and you can't set way points to let people know what you want to do. You can't invite or kick people from your squad. Furthermore, the 1st one to create the squad should be squad leader. Heck, you can't even join an empty squad as you are auto joined. These are basic features.
As for voip itself this title needs it in game. Something that console gamer currently enjoy using. So that's also broken.
Ok, I get it you don't care for in game ping but it's essential to let you know how well you are doing in game. It's part of that information that will tell you if your lagging, if your hits will register as it should, etc.
The blue tint is from the game not the monitor LOL. It's obvious you don't know much and it shows in your reply. Here, have a look at their final color grading. That is what Dice calls it :p.
It's the SUN, LOL really? For a game it's not suppose to blind you while you are not directly looking at it. Compound that with the amount of contrast it makes it hard to see. You have a blinding sunlight and pitch black shadows and other dark places. It needs to be fixed and I believe they are adjusting it in the patch. And to further solidify the point Crysis did the same thing without blinding you vs BF3! Or will you say that they somehow did it wrong, LOL. Yeah, your point is moot.
Your beta point is whimsical at best. Why? Because those points were fought before the beta. You get it now, LOL.
There has been no announcement of a release date for mod tools/spectator mod, battle recorder, etc. Have you been paying attention to current events? Where have you been all this time?
The chat message box can only be fixed properly when the blue tint or final color grading is removed. Have you been playing the game? Have you research any of the wrong points you posted? I take it you haven't. Have a look at the difference between BC2's chat box vs BF3's chat box.
BC2
BF3
Do you see the blue tint now? LOL, and that's just a portion of the chat box. BC2 color coding for chat is better then BF3 and should use what BF2/BC2 used. Not only the color coding but the organization of the chat box for BF2/BC2 is better then BF3.
While you post misleading information MW3 doesn't share any of the concerns people have for BF3. Yes, it's a reused engine, yes, the graphics are similar and even the maps are similar but the game is playable and enjoyed by many. If Dice had refined, fixed, tweaked and used FB 1.5 for BF3, provided more elements of BF2, fine tune the game after the beta, had the beta much earlier, fixed the bugs, removed the blue tint, reduced the contrast, etc. Thus providing a much smoother bug free release without battlelog, origin, web browser plug ins, been available on Steam, etc I would assume it would have really competed against MW3. But that didn't happen.
I really think that one of the main reasons why people like MW is because after the game is released there is no major overhauling to nerf weapons. Sure they may have been some fine tuning here and there but what you initially bought will be the same game you play months after release. I call that reliability.
It sets it BESIDE other FPS genre's, like BF.
Criticism in fine words is still criticism.
Everybody needs to realize how the COD boundaries have changed, period. The game is marketed slightly one way, but now there philosophy and strategy is different.
COD is now in the realms, of NBA 2k, Fifa, and other sports games.
There going to pop them out like babies, there not going to change much, and there going to be decently developed games.
COD was fine tuned from mw1, and set for success as previous titles has made this ever more true.
Now its around the last 2 years or so, before a new console jumps out to slap them, so there going to try to take advantage of this series as much as possible, by releasing yearly titles like NBA 2k ect ect.. are known for.
Whats the deciding factor of COD franchise loosing this barrier, when the new consoles come out. Someone is going to have to engage in real development period. So we will either see an amazing increase and development in the COD series.
Or they release a title, that will not compete with anything else and crash and burn.
Right now they have the right to do yearly release, even if the prices are a little outrages. Its not really considering realism from the realms of any other FPS. Its more arcade and up to date. Consider it a NBA 2k series. Probably what there thinking right now.
Admitingly its not an arcade game like the Call of Duty franchise,and Battlefield would be such a better game without EA micromanaging its customers (origin) passed on it for that sole reason.
And You can't have played BF3. Once again, you can give orders. The first person in a squad is squad leader. You can move to an empty squad now. You can kick people from a squad. I know all this because I have done it. You are talking about stuff you don't know about. In game VOIP I have not tried to use so i don't know and way points are gone (I never really used them). So everything you just said there for the second time is based on the BETA and NOT the final release.
I didn't say I didn't care for in game ping. I said I don't need it. I saw my ping before i joined the server. I don't need to be kept up to date about it, but thats me. BF3 is a server based system and your ping will not change much during play. They have even tweaked this further to remove the auto ping adjustment BS from BC2. You do need in game ping for a direct connect system like Modern Warfare as the person you connected will have a far less stable connection than a dedicated server. Ping in game good for MW3, not important for BF3 what so ever.
And while you want to claim I don't know much, you don't know how to calibrate your monitor. That blue tint you are talking about does not exist in my game cause I corrected any odd colors. Whoever took those pictures is techincally savvy, but a bit of a tosser.
And as for misleading. MW1 and MW2 did get several rebalances for weapons and bug fixes. The difference is, you had to pay for the required update in MW2 and it still never fixed several major bugs and exploits. I don't hold this against either title because stuff happens. Every single game needs maintenance. It is the longest part of the software cycle for a reason.
As for the sun not blinding you because its a game??? Really, that is your defense? Once again, for the second time, BF3 was going for a realistic environment. The Sun can blind soldiers in real life, they have the tech now to do it in game, so they did it. Its not a plus or a minus, its just a fact. I personal think including those kinds of touches is what makes BF3 the game it is right now. The one you know nothing about apparently.
I recommend you stick to what you know in this matter, put the fanboy away, and have a simple forum discussion about MW3 breaking this record.
And you have to admit a lot of your points were rebuffed by the examples I've provided. The blue tint is there. The blinding sunlight is a problem when compared to crysis. The squad leader doesn't do much to promote team play, etc all point to what people don't like about the game and could possibly explain why they prefer MW3 even though it's dated (some believe it to be a rehash of MW2).
MW3 isn't about team play, it never was. It's pure run and gun/lone wolfing and that's what people like. BF3 on the other hand should be all about team play and some of the team play elements left out the game needs to be added back. You think those elements are fine but I tell you that people don't agree with you.
So it's clear we won't agree but what can't be argued are the results. MW3 sold over twice as much as BF3 and there is no denying that. Although the reason will vary it's clear that a bug free, fun game that caters to what people like goes a long way in making a game popular and profitable.