Modern Warfare 2 tops entertainment industry, not just games

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is enjoying big success.

(Credit: Infinity Ward)

If you think Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has had a major impact on just the video game industry, you may need to adjust your expectations.

According to Activision Blizzard, the game's publisher, Modern Warfare 2 has set records across the entire entertainment industry.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the "biggest entertainment launch in history," Activision said in a statement. In its first five days of availability, the game set a worldwide record with about $550 million in sales, according to internal Activision figures. It's impressive. But more impressive is the list of launches that it beat out.

In the first five days of availability, Modern Warfare 2 has eclipsed the largest worldwide box-office opening, held by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," which tallied $394 million over its first five days. It also beat "The Dark Knight," which holds the U.S. box-office record with $203.8 million in first five-day sales.

The game also narrowly trumped Grand Theft Auto IV, which captured $500 million in sales in its first five days of availability.

In other words, Modern Warfare 2 has had a major release.

The game's success also translated to major numbers on Xbox Live. Activision reported that "more than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day alone." On November 10, 2.2 million unique gamers played on Xbox Live, setting a new one-day record for the online-gaming platform.

Of course, it should be noted that all these figures come from Activision's internal estimates, which might differ from the NPD Group's official totals when it announces November video-game sales.

But until then, Activision can (rightfully so) celebrate Modern Warfare 2's success. And maybe the video-game industry, which has always received second billing to film in the entertainment space, can finally stake its claim to the top spot. Video games are, based on Modern Warfare 2's success, just as viable an entertainment platform as movies.

[Chao_Sama]

MW2 is shattering records

[cloudmatt]

my rank is like just under 4 million....how many ranked users are there?

[dank114]

I'm in the top 200k. But it's not that I'm that good I have just played alot in the last week.

[sharmajunior]

I am rank 400,980. Oh, not any more...400,981

[fgsdfgdsfgdsfg]

i'm ranked 1.2 mill myself.

[umbrae]

Same this sort of record could not be reserved for an actual good game like Dragon Age, and is instead leveled at a mindless FPS shooter from a company that alienated their core base due to the PC issues. I own it, but only because it came with the only XBOX with a 250gig HDD. Wonder how much that affected the sales...

[Spartan_458]

I'm pretty sure that the PC is no longer a "core base" to anyone but Blizzard.

[cloudmatt]

Valve loves your computer.

[kornedbeefy]

Stardock loves the PC. So does the devs that made Machinarium and Torchlight (two really good recent exclusive PC games) <br /> <br />There are more exclusives for PC than 360/PS3. Get out of your boxes and see what PC gaming has to offer. Plus for $500 to $900 you can be gaming with a very decent gaming pc. It doesn't cost $1000s of dollars anymore to PC game and you dont' have to upgrade every six months like the console fanboys want you to think. I know PC gamers still happily gaming with 4 year old hardware. <br /> <br />exclusive pc games list <br /> <br />adrianwerner.wordpress.com/games-of-2009 <br /> <br />If the link doesn't work just google "reasons why its good to be a PC gamer" and look for the adrianwerner links.

[modern2]

hello

[Haskett2]

This is a really wonderful time right now. Video Games are starting to get the respect they disserve. People are realizing that just because it's a video game does not make it a toy just for kids. In fact it's all the kids that grew up playing video game like me that are spending there hard earned money on adult games now. If a movie is rated R it usually gets a free pass. If a video game is MA 17+ politicians and groups get all bent out of shape that we are corrupting the youth. Entertainment is just that. Anyway I am just very happy to see my favorite type of entertainment growing up too. <br /> <br />Lead, Fallow, or get the Fu*k out the way!

[dirryian]

Shame that it's still not as good as Team Fortress 2 Multiplayer wise

[OfficerNelson]

Yup, I'm abstaining from MW2 because the PC multiplayer is just horrible. Sticking with TF2.

[chris8772]

How can you say MP is horrible if you don't have it? It's pretty good and Spec Ops is awesome.

[inachu1]

I bought the $100 device to let me use keyboard and mouse for MW2. <br /> <br />I refuse to be locked in to use a stupid joystick. joystick pads are for games like atari 2600 and not for first person shooters.

[OfficerNelson]

Exactly! I keep saying you can't shoot with a joystick. People don't understand that FPS games require an insane twitch reflex, and that can only be accomplished with a mouse. And I've got all of my keys bound to various commands anyways. When's the last time you saw a 106-button Xbox controller?

[cloudmatt]

+1 to that<br /><br />xbox has usb why not allow usb mouse and keyboard?

[SC00T]

Well you might like sitting in front of the TV like you're in class or something - the more relaxed (and probably shot) of us prefer to lay back on the sofa with a gin and tonic and take our virtual killin' and maimin' a little less seriously...

[Timetogetill7]

Wait...so you have to spend $100 to use your keyboard and mouse? The joystick is the only way to play? Thats ridiculous.

[AL-Graphic]

Exactly, when you put you i7Core and SLI video cards to higher setting, plus in a 1920x1080 24 inches HD, 2ms LCD screen, with surround Xi-Fi sound card, 5.1 speaker, no wonder Gamespot, and IGN already post screen shots shown PC version got the best video quality. Be PC FPS shooting since Doom in 1994, holding a mouse to aim and shooting just like you hold a gun or weapon on your hand as real, and plus put your mouse in higer sensativity, whereven you turn or see, will be exacltly as your head turn! Spc OP mode also awesome!!

[dhavleak]

@ inachu1 <br /> <br />Dude! That's cheating! <br /> <br />The reason the keyboard and mouse are disabled on consoles is to make it a level playing field for everyone. Mice are always superior to joysticks -- but game consoles use game controllers (which have joysticks). So everyone else is using a joystick. <br /> <br />Oh well, big deal. Just don't feel too proud of your sniper achievements. Anybody can snipe like a god when they're using a mouse.

[Babykins001]

Ok, that it beat out GTA is impressive. But, are you seriously comparing a game to films? A movie costs $10 to go see, a game costs $60. Is it really all that surprising that a game has a higher number-value revenue than a film? Hardly. In fact, at $60 a pop, that equates to be 9.2 millions copies sold. Compare that to the 39+ million people (@ $10 per ticket) who went to see Harry Potter (for some reason), and the number isn't nearly as impressive.

[mattharms]

While the number of people buying the video game is fewer, the barriers to entry are quite a bit higher, too. Motivating 30 Million people to pay $10 to see a movie is just as impressive as convincing 10 Million people to pay *six times as much* for a video game (plus the $300 console to play it on).

[mrjohnson1]

That is a nice fact to point out, but lets also consider how much "entertainment" is being offered by a good movie and by a good video game. If you sat down and watched all the Harry Potter movies back to back they would only offer a fraction of the entertainment hours one top tier online video game does. So a good video game still offers WAY MORE hours of enjoyment than a good movie. In the case of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, off the top you get at least 10 hours of entertainment via the story. And and INFINITE amount of entertainment via online. Some people only play a few hours a week, while some play a several hours everyday. Either way it's more entertainment than a movie. <br /><br />So when you look at the enjoyment hours to price ratio, a good video game beats a good movie every time.

[krazygraphics]

First off, games and films are all a part of the same industry, thus why they are comparing numbers WITHIN the entertainment industry. As stated by Mattharms, it is MUCH easier to convince someone to spend $10 rather than to spend $60. So if they were able to reach those numbers by offering a $60 game which requires owning $300 console just to play, is incredible. What if the Movie industry forced you to pay a $300 membership fee AND paying the ridiculous $10+ admission costs. Would they still have 39 Million consumers? I don't think so. Very impressed with these figures.

[renGek]

You're wrong on so many levels.<br />A. Film production is much higher than video game production (2012 the movie cost nearly $200 million to make), the average ps3 game cost $15 million to make<br />B. You watch a movie for about 2 hours (at $10 for a ticket thats $5/hour). You generally play block buster games for over 100 hours. (at $60 for a video game thats 60 cents/hour).<br />C. You're talking about a movie's gross over its entire run. The $550 million for mw2 is over 5 days.

[nerd.uk]

Considering the price difference between a cinema ticket and a game, I can't say I'm really surprised that the game has received more money than the mentioned films. Besides, so many people just wait around to download films which are in cinemas whereas games must be - as of recently for the Xbox 360 due to the 1 million people already banned - purchased for both the Xbox 360 and PS3. <br /> <br />I congratulate Activision/Infinity Ward for the success with their game but people really should stop going on about how it is gaining more money when it was inevitable, especially when the only other decent FPS game around is probably MW1 and Counter-Strike: Source (which is just available on the PC).

[alaris3k]

Pretty amazing considering the game has been available for awhile free if you pirate it.

[MattC867]

Not really. <br /> <br />How many ps3/xbox owners pirate games? I would be surprised if it were a significant percentage.

[Renegade Knight]

Not really, it just proves that piracy isn't the mega problem that folks have been saying. Or you would be right. They would have sold 1 copy and no others.

[cloudmatt]

Piracy happens even on console.<br /><br />check the link<br />http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/peripherals/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221601267

[pouque]

A graphic illustration of how sick and depraved our society is.

[ewelch]

No doubt the publicity of the extreme nature of that one mission actually pumped up sales to a large degree from people who decided to get it because they had to see what people are talking about.

[Renegade Knight]

I'm sorry, may you recover from your sickness and depravity soon.

[Hockeyfan333]

I'd like to know figures on cost of creating the game vs a major motion picture. For instance, what did MW2 cost to make vs The Dark Knight. I'd think that the game was cheaper to create and as such would be an even better investment. I'd like to see more and more "hollywood talent" doing the script writing, voice overs, and producing of games.

[Haskett2]

Yes I agree with you. At the end of the day is the all mighty $ that drives everything. Games are only going to get better as more and more jobs and money flow into the industry.

[NervClaX]

If Hollywood can do for games what they've done for Hollywood, I think I'd prefer they stay away. <br /> <br />Funny how with so many big titles and sales some game companies are still losing money hand over fist. I was really encouraged by how Electronic Arts was creating exciting new IP like Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, and Army of Two. I hope their recent losses don't doom cool new properties like them in the future. Glad to see Army of Two will be getting a new and improved sequel. Many times, the 2nd entry in a franchise is the best.

[kornedbeefy]

I'm passing. 5 hours of single player gaming and castrated muliplayer is not worth $50+. Not when I can grab a game sitting next to it that will provide 12 to hundreds of hours of gameplay. Unfortunately the majority of gamers are clueless and get caught up in hype purchases. <br /> <br />Thankfully being a PC gamer (first) and console gamer I have tons of other great games to choose from. <br /> <br />You won't be eating lunch off my dime IW/Activision.

[agriffith96]

What game are you grabbing that's sitting next to it? <br /> <br />I've played COD WaW for hours upon hours. Now I'll play MW2 for hours upon hours.

[Shinobi2099]

@kornedbeefy <br /> <br />I completely agree with that man. Socom and Uncharted 2 are better to me than MW2. Its the same game with better graphics. It's really arcade-y and I like my shooter s to be strategic rather than a spawn and kill. just my 2 cents

[mouseclick]

Video games have been trumping movies for a while now. The writing has been on the wall for a while now that video games are more than just a viable option over movies - they are obviously the preferred option. As Hollywood continues to focus on pushing fast-produced, little-plot movies more and more, they'll also keep pushing daisies for the movie industry as games just keep getting better and better and better. Way to go, Halo, GTA, CoD and all the other great titles! Keep them coming!!!

[hellzfireice]

What's the breakdown for PC vs consoles?

[vamman]

Most publishers do not see the PC as a viable platform. Most don't even consider it a platform anymore. XBox, PS3, Wii are considered platforms. You are talking about a million copies on the PC vs. 4+ million copies on consoles. Consoles have a much larger market share. This is mostly due to the PC industry and its insane hardware costs. Most young guys I know don't give a damn about playing games on the PC. Mom buys the cheap dell. Mom buys the XBox360. Mom can count on less hassle with the XBox360.

[vamman]

I'd actually buy it if there was a PC version that worked. There's no way in hell I am sitting on my couch playing a FPS that should have been a PC hit not an XBox hit.

[js555554]

I bought the PC version. Seems to be working just fine for me. Online play as been exceptional. But I have not seen it on a console so I don't have anything to compare it to.

[kornedbeefy]

^^^ <br />This. Me and my 25 LAN party friends would have bought it.

[Michichael]

Hey, the Halo fans were starved. No wonder it's got such a large xbox launch. :)

[Shinobi2099]

agreed.

[PhillGiroux]

I am on the same page of Cinema being roughly $10 and the game being $60. Plus, what are the figures of when the Harry Potter movie got released on DVD and all those people then paid another $15 for the DVD?<br /><br />Don't get me wrong I am a gamer and excited with the success. But this just sounds like trying to work funny numbers. It's not apples to apples. Now if they would just state it that way. "Hey, we realize movies are less, but we motivated over 9 million people to spend $60. In some cases even more with the special edition. With that we have had the largest opening for a video game in history. Further, even though not a side by side comparison, we toppled the largest box office opening as well."<br /><br />That would have made me not complain.

[Renegade Knight]

They compared roughtly the same thing. Initial box office and initial sales. <br /> <br />Later folks will buy the DVD and the T-shirts. Meanwhile the games will sell extra scenarios and the Game of the Year Edition. Then you can add up "lifetime gross revenue" and still have a fair comparison. <br /> <br />Apple to apples? Not perfectly, but close enough.

[mrjohnson1]

That is a nice fact to point out, but lets also consider how much "entertainment" is being offered by a good movie and by a good video game. If you sat down and watched all the Harry Potter movies back to back they would only offer a fraction of the entertainment hours one top tier online video game does. So a good video game still offers WAY MORE hours of enjoyment than a good movie. In the case of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, off the top you get at least 10 hours of entertainment via the story. And and INFINITE amount of entertainment via online. Some people only play a few hours a week, while some play a several hours everyday. Either way it's more entertainment than a movie. <br /><br />So when you look at the enjoyment hours to price ratio, a good video game beats a good movie every time.

[highway61--2008]

$10 bucks for a movie? Not me. Today's movies aren't worth that expense. With the exception of Wil Smith, there aren't many really good actors out there. I generally wait for a movie to come out on NetFlix and watch it for free.<br /><br />Video games are very much like movies, plus you get to take part in it. $60 is pretty steep, but unlike a movie it isn't for a one shot deal. You can play it forever. Plus video games tend to be multifaceted and much more involving than the sit still quietly passivity of movie watching.<br /><br />As for PC's vs consoles, I think it is a wash. I don't particularly like playing games on PC's anymore. I got sick and tired having to upgrade the RAM for this game, the HD for that game, by then your graphics card wasn't adequate. I decided, screw all that and got a console. Everything is good until the next gen models come out.

[Zoobie]

Netflix has duped another one into thinking the monthly subscription cost is free.

[highway61--2008]

Zoobie, I pay $9-10 a month for unlimited streaming via computer of Xbox360. I am basically just paying for access and the movies are free. Oh, you can get DVDs in the mail. My access plan provides one out at a time. Whatever. The streaming is way to go.