The latest installment approached the $1 billion mark in just three days.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The latest Call of Duty game just set a sales record for the entire franchise. In its first three days since release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 pulled in $800 million (USD) worldwide. This makes it the biggest release for the franchise that dates back to 2003.

Activision did not specify how many actual copies of Modern Warfare 2 were sold, only that the sales surpassed that $800 million figure. For the sake of an unfair comparison, Modern Warfare 2's sales surpassed the worldwide earnings for most of the biggest films released in 2022. It would be fifth on the box office list ahead of The Batman but below Minions: The Rise of Gru. For an even less fair comparison, the $800 million worldwide sales figure for Modern Warfare 2 is more than the domestic box office pull for 2022's biggest film, Top Gun: Maverick.

I say these are unfair comparisons because, while $800 million in sales is impressive, you have to remember that the cheapest MSRP for Modern Warfare 2 is $70 on any platform. There is also a $100 "Vault Edition" of the game being sold, which skews the figures quite a bit more. A movie ticket is far, far cheaper in comparison.

Though Modern Warfare 2 has been released, there is still more to come. Activision plans on launching Warzone 2.0 on November 16. With it will come an entirely new era of battle royale gameplay for the franchise. Let's just hope that Warzone 2.0 doesn't need its own dedicated 500GB storage device to install the game on to.

Now, here is everyone's favorite CEO, Bobby Kotick, talking briefly about this year's successful launch. We also hear from Call of Duty general manager Johanna Faries about this milestone.

"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,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard.

“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. It is our honor and privilege to deliver such a historic launch weekend for the best fans in the world,” said Johanna Faries, General Manager, Call of Duty. “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.”​
Modern Warfare 2 is currently available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Battle.net. Those of you playing on Steam may also be surprised to hear that the game was recently blocked from Steam Family Sharing this week.