Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 breaks record sales
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November 19, 2009 • Robbie White, Guest Contributor
Filed under 2009-2010
John Kerns of Wasilla said he waited outside for about five hours for the early, midnight release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. His time was spent talking with other gamers that had the same idea as he did.
Stores around the country opened at midnight, November 11 for the early release of the game and people stood in line for hours to get a copy of this popular first-person-shooter game.
“The Call of Duty franchise has become a cultural phenomenon showing the power of video games as an entertainment medium,” said Activision chief executive Mike Griffith.
The new release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold more than 4.7 million copies the first day with a sales record of $310 million in North America and the U.K. Most video games do not even come close to those numbers when they are released.
The shattering of these entertainment records is a testament to the compelling, cinematic and uniquely engaging experience that the ‘Call of Duty’ brand delivers.
“MW2″ is the sixth title in a franchise that has won a devoted following since the first version was released in 2003.
However, this game is not without some controversy over some of the blood and violence. There is an objectionable terrorist act on civilians and there is a brutal takeover of a civilian airport; it is a very bloody scene.
“We put a warning at the start of the game about the disturbing scenes and gave players the ability to skip them,” said a representative of Infinity Ward, the game’s design company.
“MW2” is a mature game and rated for people 17 years and older due to its graphic nature and violence. Non-gamers were the first to point out the inappropriate nature of the violence in some of the scenes.
One Game Stop employee said they had a line way out into their parking lot as people were waiting for the midnight release.
For Kerns, an avid “MW2” fan, standing outside for hours was, “worth the wait”.
