The latest iteration in the Call of Duty franchise hit over $800 million in sales in the three days since releasing on Oct. 28.
Activision’s decade of video game dominance continued this past weekend with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 having the biggest opening weekend in franchise history. The highly anticipated game — released on Friday, Oct. 28 — grossed over $800 million worldwide in sales in just three days.
The $800 million mark topped the franchise’s previous record of $775 million held by Modern Warfare 3 in the first five days of its release in 2011. For further reference, it also raked in more than every Hollywood film except Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, surpassing the likes of recent box-office hits in Top Gun: Maverick and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
“Thank you, Call of Duty players, for making Modern Warfare II’s launch one for the record books as well as the highest grossing entertainment opening of the year,” said Johanna Faries, general manager of Call of Duty in a release.
“It is our honor and privilege to deliver such a historic launch weekend for the best fans in the world. As amazing as this opening has been, Call of Duty has much more in store. An unprecedented level of support for the Modern Warfare universe is on the horizon and Warzone 2.0’s launch is right around the corner. It’s an incredible time for the franchise.”
Warzone to Boost Sales
As Faries alluded to, Warzone, a battle royale free-for-all mode, is arguably the franchise’s most popular feature. The newest edition has yet to release, so the $800 million mark means even more. When the mode debuted in 2019 on Modern Warfare 1, it made $500 million in microtransactions in three months. With Modern Warfare 2 likely being the only Call of Duty release until 2024, the shelf life potential the game has could be higher than any other previous edition in franchise history.
Warzone carried on to the previous Activision release, Call of Duty: Vanguard, and activated around the game through a number of collaborations such as the manga series and anime show Attack on Titan, the Terminator franchise, Netflix’s Umbrella Academy, and Godzilla. Tyler Bahl, head of marketing at Call of Duty told Boardroom in a phone interview, “we are always looking at the cultural timeline and we do a lot of research. It all comes down to what is going to make the most amazing gaming experience.” With the game releasing three days ago, there have not yet been any teasers as to future Call of Duty collaborations.
Activision Blizzard’s CEO Bobby Kotick added in a release, “Thank you to our talented team that has created magic through extraordinary artistry and technology, and to the global community of players who find joy and connection through Call of Duty. This milestone belongs to them.”
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