Want to know why regulators are wringing their hands so much over Call of Duty, and Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of it? Well, the latest entry – which already broke a PS Store record for the series – just raked in $800 million during its opening weekend. In terms of raw revenue, that’s more money than the worldwide box office openings of Top Gun Maverick and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness combined.
“Through only its first three days of release, Modern Warfare 2’s opening topped the previous five-day franchise record, set in 2011 by Modern Warfare 3 in sell-through, to become the biggest opening ever in Call of Duty,” a statement reads. “Players around the world took part in the new launch, setting new player participation franchise records for number of unique players and hours played through its first three days of premium release.”
Frankly, these are absolutely staggering numbers, which once again demonstrate the power and importance of the franchise. Xbox boss Phil Spencer reiterated his intent to continue releasing the series on PlayStation this week, but these dizzying numbers will certainly catch the eye of regulators, and probably help reinforce Sony’s overall argument that it’s impossible for anyone to develop a Call of Duty competitor in this day and age.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 39
The epitome of ‘money for old rope’.
Just why is CoD so popular?
Imagine when CoD is finally an Xbox exclusive.
Wow, no wonder there is such a fuss being made over this game.
@MightyDemon82 no idea, been gaming for over 30 years and never actually purchased one. I have tried at friends or acquired through subscriptions many though. And never quite understood what makes them such a money maker.
@Lup income will be tiny, coz no one pays for gp
Jim rubbing his hands together after showing the Regulators this data .
@Cikajovazmaj same Just tried at a friends place. But never got the buzz.
Interesting swing, after two games (?) with a bit of a downwards trend. I guess skipping a year really does wonders. They should shift to a game every other year going forward.
Clearly a franchise on the decline. 🤣
This ladies and gentlemen is why Sony wants COD as close to indefinitely as they can. COD doesn't just make a lot of money. It makes a ****load of money every single year.
I'd love for Killzone, Socom, or Resistance to come back but there simply no replacement for COD in terms of cold hard cash.
@BeerIsAwesome That's a good way to look at it I suppose. A few guys at work only play these games and nothing else, according to them I play weird games 😂
I guess they are better off only buying one game a year!
@Cikajovazmaj because of how easy it is to pick up and play. Regardless of what people think about these games as a whole, the gunplay is unmatched and has been perfected over years. Games can last between 5 minutes or 20 depending on what you want to play.
Is this a remaster of the old MW2?
@MightyDemon82 because it's fun. It has a lot of online content. Because you can play it with friends. Because it gets a lot of support for a couple years. Because it's a consistent, and low risk game you buy, and know what it's going to be when you boot it up.
Because people usually have enough income to buy this game, and then whatever other game they want.
I've played CoD for years (I'm pretty good at it too), and still play other games. Niche games, more hard-core games, casual games. There's a lot of inherent value to a game that comes out yearly or regularly that is similar to the last, but different enough to where any that have played hours and hours of the previous entry can tell what improvements have been made, or what's been made worse.
It's kind of like fast food, more specifically, McDonald's. You know what you're getting, you get it, you're satisfied with it (most of the time), and sometimes you're even surprised.
@General_Spiller It is more of a reboot. It's very different from the original.
And now we see why Microsoft wants the keys to the call of duty empire…
Disappointing, but not surprising.
At this rate why would devs bother or torture themselves into making use of the PS5's power to make something magical...when these recycled games keep winning...
I wonder what people would say if playstation were attempting to buy Activision?
Wow... that is some good amount of cash.
Crazy COD openings are compared to Hollywood films and not other videogames. They on some other level.
Not for me. But tons of other games for me to play out there.
@BeerIsAwesome IDK what Infinity Ward is doing but Apple is a product placement monster every movie every celebrity every athlete and billions in ads on top of that, kinda like the crappy Beats headphones.
@Constable_What i've had a quick few rounds on tdm and free for all and i have to admit its pretty cool..controls are tight and the gunplay is really meaty..only thing is i cant seem to get the hdr right as everything seems a bit washed out..wicked online shooter..
These numbers are crazy for any other franchise but is pretty common for COD since MW2 2009 the reason Sony broke the 30-90 day precedent for timed exclusive content and did greedy unfair multiyear deals during last gen and now Sony feels entitled.
@mrtennis1990 Microsoft was in the middle of talks to acquire Take Two and Activision crashed the party looking for a buyer after Google hilariously turned them down.
@Northern_munkey I've experienced that weird glitch too tuning my TV off and back on clears it right up.
@Tharsman they haven't skipped a year yet. Apparently next year is the one they're skipping
@Blackbluto cheers i'll try that later when i'm home..👍
Just my two cents:
As any reader here probably knows, it’s easy to find fault with Activision, and the COD franchise is similarly easy (even popular) to criticize. I stepped away from it years ago but during the 2020 lockdowns returned for Infinity Ward’s MW 2019 and Warzone and got hooked, hard.
I skipped whatever’s come out since but did something I never do: I preordered MWII for PS5. I opted for physical…yes I learned firsthand about the 70mb disc data controversy and wish I had gone digital instead.
Despite this, I gotta say overall MWII has not disappointed, in fact I’m kinda loving it. I’ve heavily edited the visual and control settings thanks to some really detailed and helpful YouTube videos from other players. I’m running in 120FPS mode and it is just amazing, really. The look, feel, and sound in this game are so satisfying. I’m genuinely looking forward to the future multiplayer updates and continued support.
Most films nowadays main desire is to reach at least a billion for their total run in theaters, here's a video game that accomplished that in one random day of the week 🤷
Activision has literally unlocked the infinite money cheat code
It's fashionable to bag COD these days I know, but I still get excited to play every incarnation. Always simple, uncomplicated fun.
@TheArt for real . I’m not the one to ***** on peoples enjoyment but , COD legit is the large elephant in the room when it comes to why games nowadays are way less risk-taking and budget title effort ; because any genuine effort into making games and creativity is negated by the huge population of whales that look to ***** like COD all the time .
and i’m speaking for SP and MP games , they all suffer . This new COD is the epitome of rehashed and recycled cash-grabbing banking off the legacy of an original title from 2009 and reselling a knock-off under a new guise . SMFH
@nomither6 It's real sad. Reason why I don't really take offense when Sony's cash grabbing with its flagship masterpiece titles that don't sell a fraction of what these sell, or when Rockstar is selling games 3 times. Because these 2 - CoD, FIFA - have been getting away with this for years hiding in plain sight.
Wouldn't have broken even if it wasn't for that price increase to £70 poor Activision
@Northern_munkey I very much enjoy it too. I'm sorry about your HDR settings. That really sucks.
@Constable_What i tried turning the tv off and off again and that does indeed work..@Blackbluto cheers for the tip and i would have replied sooner but i was murdering annoying trash talking children online..the only legal way allowed..
@MightyDemon82 brainrot
@Northern_munkey Glad it worked for you man, enjoy murdering those filthy campers😊
@Blackbluto 👍
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