ActivisionWatch out, Hollywood! There's a new game in town.
The latest Call of Duty video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, set a first-day sales record this week, generating $400 million dollars in only 24 hours—a figure which beats any entertainment product release ever!
Perhaps even more astounding: All that cash came from only two markets—the U.S. and the U.K.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 takes up where Modern Warfare 2 left off, with special forces soldiers chasing Russian terrorist Vladimir Makarov through London, Paris and New York. This installment also continues the series' tradition of raking in huge wads of cash (with the franchise reportedly earning well over $3 billion to date).
The Daily Mirror quotes Activision Blizzard honcho Bobby Kotick as saying: "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. Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row."
The CEO adds the total sales for the shoot-'em-up franchise exceed worldwide box office numbers for both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Not too shabby!