Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Breaks One Day Record With $400 Million in Sales

Posted on November 12, 2011

Activision Publishing, Inc. announced that it shattered its own day-one sales records, with the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The hotly-anticipated game sold more than 6.5 million units in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information. That's $400,000,000 in sales in one day.

This is the third year in a row that the Call of Duty franchise has set day one launch records across all forms of entertainment. Last year, Call of Duty: Black Ops sold $360 million in one day. In 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, set day-one records with estimated sell through of $310 million.

This year's launch was a huge success. On November 8, 2011, millions of fans attended more than 13,000 midnight openings at retail stores all over the globe. Microsoft said that two days after the launch, there was a new record number of gamers playing simultaneously on Xbox Live.

In light of these numbers we can forgive the wildly enthusiastic, Donald Trump-esque statements by Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, Inc. Kotick said, "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. Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office for Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time."

Here's a little taste of what fans are so crazy for with a trailer starring Sam Worthington and Jonah Hill. And yes, it is awesome:

More from Gamers Game