Modern Warfare 3 Tops 9.3m First Day (Biggest Industry Launch Ever)

A reported 1.5 million people queued at midnight globally to get their hands on Modern Warfare 3, with a total of 9.3 million copies sold on the first day. The Xbox 360 version sees around a 54% share, meaning it's the first game on one platform to pass 5 million on its first day. The PlayStation 3 version held 42%, which is around the 4 million mark. Both day ones are only slightly behind Black Ops entire first week sales.

[AmaZinG]

Almost no games can achieve that number in their lifetime, let alone Day 1.

Cod is really a monster.

[Thatguy-310]

And people think GTA has the power to top that ? Lol
COD might not have the quality that other games have but it is the most valuable franchise this gen. No other franchise will be able to reproduce the same type of numbers. The reason being IMO is because COD4 did everything right when it came to multiplayer and community. It's crazy what one installment does to a whole franchise !!!

[ape007]

gta iv is the no4 biggest ent. launch of all time, so i expect gta v to impress

[Thatguy-310]

@ape
It will do good but I'm just saying it won't beat COD numbers like a lot of ppl claim it will do.

[Dee_91]

.

[Dee_91]

well its possible for gta5 to pull that type of number
I think everyone who had mw2 bought mw3 because there was only like 30k online when its usually more than double that lol
Im not surprised at all tbh.Im actually temtped to go get it myself or borrow it because all my friends got it or getting it sooner than later.

[Loadedklip]

Actually CoD was selling a few million units before CoD4 ... CoD4 just BLEW UP.

Also ... QUALITY wise ... there aren't many games that can match CoD. Anyone that denies that CoD games have quality and TONS of content is being foolish.

ORIGINALITY Wise ... is another story ... but why fix what is clearly not broken. Just look at the sales. Until another shooter proves to be more addicting and takes over there is no need for them to make HUGE changes ... small changes on refining their game is perfectly fine in this case.

[cleanhealthy21]

@ NeloAnjelo

You are wrong on pretty much all of your so called points.

Typical sheep jumping on the hate bandwagon.

[moeqawama]

Lol couldn't agree with you more

[NeloAnjelo]

I am wrong on all my points, and I'm the sheep?

Look at all the issue MW2 two had upon and way after release? Why are you turning a blind eye to this? All the glitches, broken gameplay, unbalanced online, poor campaign. Not to mention the same promises being made every year upon every release.

Regarding gameplay, COD has the least recoil and the fastest reload and running speeds. Hence while it sells. Its user friendly. However don't ignore all the issues that plague every game. For a franchise that sells so much you'd expect thorough testing and minimal issues. I laugh at people that praise this game, when there really is nothing to priase. You buy the same thing every year... no change, no innovation. You get the same talk from the developers who can't make the game equal across all platforms. And after a year the game is no longer supported... why? Because hype is already generated for the next release. You are the sheep. Infact here is a list of problems that mostly remain in MW2... http://www.se7ensins.com/fo...

The good thing about this franchise was COD4:MW. MW2 was a joke and I will not be duped again. Even bought the prestige edition on 360. Fool me once.

I am not saying games need to be pefect on release. So before you jump on that band wagon, what I'm saying is all this money, where is the re-investment for the fans? Oh wait... there is none. Activision are the best at killing franchises by churning out the same thing.

[Jobesy]

Awesome! Congrats Acti, Sledgehammer and IW.

[Da One]

More spite bubbles

[Jamzluminati]

lol vegeta. So true. So I guess the ps3 version was the definite version????

[StraightPath]

damn! now where are the haters? cant take it and hurt by cod selling that much i guess.

[bumnut]

Everyone knew it would sell in crazy numbers, and have been saying it since last year.

High sales does not = high quality

[Clarence]

Master P sold a $h!t load of albums but that didn't make him the best rapper, it just made him rich.

Its the same with MW. It can sell millions, but it does not make it the best FPS. The quality of the game is crap. All the money Activision makes from this franchise you would think that they would build a new engine for the game.

Its disappointing that we as gamers can make demands for a better game, but are content with mediocrity.

What if other developers followed suit? We would have a bunch of crap games that sell millions, but are a waste of time to play.

[frostypants]

Yeah, it sold well. It's an OK game with broad appeal. But those great sales didn't stop me from ripping it out of my 360 and putting BF3 back in last night. Sorry, but the online in MW3 is a big letdown from MW2 and Black Ops. The lag issue is worse than ever, the no-scoping cheat is still there from MW2, the spawning is the worst of the entire series, and the maps are poorly conceived messes. That one map by the ruined expressway in particular is a complete waste of everyone's time.

It's still a solid game...but not "$60" good...

[Loadedklip]

@bumnut ... true ... but name a shooter with more quality out today?

You won't find one.

[TBM]

No surprise and the next one will be even bigger.

[MostJadedGamer]

No TBM I think the next one sees a SIGNIFICANT decline in sales. Everything has its peak, and tipping point.

[saladthieves]

I say this is a new monumental achievement in the entertainment industry. It's going to take a lot of work, dedication and sheer hyped guts for anyone to beat 9.3 million copies in one day.

I didn't buy a copy, so I don't care anyway. But congrats to Acti. Once again, Bobby's bank account just got richer.

[Focus]

And people said ps3 gamers were "smart" for not buying this game, it ps3 version share is up from 36% last year to 42%

[PetitPiPi]

Yeah. It seems like these "12 year old's" i keep reading about are evenly split over both consoles. SHOCKER!! This is why the majority of what you read from the usual Sony supporter on N4G usually ends up being the opposite. Take Majin-vegeta as a perfect example.

I personally find it ammusing. Keep up the good work fb's! Haha!

MW3 is awesome fun! Put that in your sandwich!

[Grendizer]

its over 9,000,000!!!

[mynameisEvil]

You know, for the amount of people who "hate" CoD and don't plan on "ever grabbing a CoD game again", a whole sitton of sales was going on here, leading me to believe that a bunch of people are just lying morons.

Here I was hoping that at least SOME impact would've been had on the sales, but no. Just bigger ones. *sigh*

[Legion]

I have jumped ship myself and did not buy Black Ops and will still not buy MW3.

I am very happy with BF3.

[Drabent]

with monster Lag.....

[frostypants]

You'd think with the monster sales, they could shell out for some dedicated servers...

[DanSolo]

I have to agree with frostypants....

I think the COD hate is dumb and although I currently play BF3 and got bored of COD I still don't see the need to bash it as it's still a fun game.

But as frostypants says, with sales and money making like that you'd think they'd put the effort in like dedicated servers, plus they could really polish the game and experience up to the best level it could be.... they could use that awesome and guaranteed success to make COD the best fun online game about.... instead they do tend to just milk it!

[solidt12]

The strange thing is I don't know a single person who bought it. There's 8 people at my office playing Battlefield 3 and non of them bought it. I will pick up the game once I rank up on BF3. Don't need any distractions right now.

[Mustang300C2012]

Gotta love these type of comments. Doesn't want distractions because your so focused on BF3 yet comes to comment on the sales of the game and doesn't know a soul that is playing MW3. Gotcha. Way to keep the distraction down Sparky.

[jeseth]

Wow.

I have to say it was definitely the biggest Midnight release I had ever seen! The good thing behind all the sales is that MW3 is much improved over MW2 (Black Ops was just and abortion). Better maps, modes, weapons, killstreaks/support streaks are more balanced and tactical.

Overall a much improved installment.

[blacktiger]

sometimes I feel like call of duty is like politician.
Same promise with more lies beneath it, and yet gamers/voters still buys it.

[SonyPS360]

And lo, the sheep doth flocketh to the gates.

[Catoplepas]

How depressing.

[NYC_Gamer]

why?how is it depressing for people to buy games/items they enjoy....

[Wintersun616]

The depressing part that CoD is the last series ever to deserve this.

I don't want this kind of business model to be encouraged. Every time a new CoD is released while giving the gamer so little new but still makes such big bucks, some other devs are tempted to do this too. It's all about the money nowadays, there's no denying it. And CoD makes a huge profit with much less effort from the devs compared to others while still having much less to give for the gamers compared to numerous other games from other devs.

If this business model starts to spread outside of CoD, how many other series will be ruined? Just look at the difference between CoD3 and CoD4: MW, where did that ambition and desire to improve go?

[reynod]

@NYC_Gamer

There are far better games that actually deserve the sales. All COD does is recycle content.

[HardCover]

Gaming doesn't need more shovelware getting put on a pedestal.

People just broke sales records by buying double dipped code that was triple teamed with a gutted developer. And they paid top shelf price for it. And from a company that fired and sued the people that made the game a good game and not just a good sales figure.

That sickens me, personally.

[NeloAnjelo]

@ Wintersun616 ... Thanks putting that so eloquently..

@ NYC_Gamer... Listen to Wintersun616

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

It's depressing because now every other developer will look at call of duty's sales, want a piece of that pie, and model their game around call of duty, thus making their games worse. All because people eat this sht up.

[Captain Qwark 9]

id be inclined to agree with wintersun616. but i don't think COD is the last series to deserve this, i don't like it but theres no denying its a solid game.

but on to his point, acticrap keeps cashing in on these year after year and each one makes more than the last. if they continue their astronomical succes than other devs are going to take note and stop trying to push the boundaries with their new games.

i mean why bother making leaps and bounds pushing a console to its limits and creating a true masterpiece when you can spend 1-2 years of resources, reuse oldm assets, remove some features, add a few others, then repackaging it, call it new, and sell it for insane profits.

COD is a blockbuster franchise and should be pushing the genre and games forward with every release, imagine what the series could be if they actually had to fight with their competition. COD could have destructible environments, vehicles, keep the perks and kill streaks, have infantry and vehicle based maps, a cinematic story that could rival uncharted if they wanted, etc.....instead we get last years game with a few new features.

and to prove my point further, look at these blockbuster games, with every release they push their genre or console to its limits, if they dont get a pass neither should COD....

COD3 to COD4 ( remember the difference in quality )
metal gear series
elder scrolls series
mass effect
batman AA to AC ( tough to improve but they did, bigger and better in every way )
god of war series
halos ( odst doesn't count, wasn't supposed to be a real release )

im sure there are plenty more, the point is, we should expect more from a series this big and if we keep eating these up like this, minimal effort may be put into every sequel from here on out

[NewMonday]

@wintersun
"Just look at the difference between CoD3 and CoD4: MW, where did that ambition and desire to improve go?"

it got fired

[ArmrdChaos]

Madden football has been doing this for yearssss but COD is now poster child for this type of model? It's all about graphics...isn't it...if it doesn't have a new engine then they did nothing. If you are going to bitch about this game then you should also be bitching about all the sports games out there that release EVERY year with minimal changes other than the BS names they license. People play and enjoy the game...that is why it sells. If you can't handle that then go find another game to occupy your time...there are plenty out now. Bitching about it on a forum thread or acting self righteous like you are above it won't change anything. Go out and start your own company if you feel they are not catering to YOUR needs enough...show us how easy it is. It really is amusing the entitlement people walk around with these days. If you don't like a game then don't buy it.

[Wintersun616]

@ArmrdChaos

You're forgetting a huge key difference between games like CoD and sports games. First of all, just how much can a sports game evolve and improve? Madden games have been around for over 20 years now. How much room do they have to change when they can't go beyond the boundaries of the sport itself?

Secondly, the sports games at least offer gamers an updated roster and a few new things here and there added to a working formula, and I suppose that's what sports game fans mostly want.

The thing is, you can't compare CoD and sports games like apples and apples, and say that because sports games do it too, that CoD is entitled too. What you should do is compare it to other games from the same or similar genre and see how they have evolved and compare that to CoD. There's a huge difference. And CoD would certainly have a lot of room for improvements, because the core gameplay hasn't changed much in 5 years, while the competition releases games at a slower pace and in most cases improve a lot over their previous games.

And no, it's not all about graphics, it's about gameplay features. I don't care if MW3 looks only slightly better than MW2. The bigger problem is that they're not improving on the gameplay itself. But graphics matter nowadays too and while most other games have improved a lot on that department, CoD is jogging in place at the start line. You can call me a graphics ***re for saying that, but it's the truth.

You see now why you can't compare sports games and CoD like apples and apples?

Also I don't have a problem with people playing and enjoying CoD. If you actually thought about my previous post, you would know what I have a problem with and I really suggest you to read my first post again, and think about it this time.

I'm not throwing rocks at anyone, I just don't want this kind of business model to be spread any further, because in the end all that would do is harm the gamers, and give more cash to developers who don't deserve it. There are plenty of other developers out the who work much harder and actually bring something new to the table, but still get payed a lot less at the end of the day.

As a gamer you should be worried about this too, because do you really want other games to stop evolving like that too? Your reaction seems more like you're a stockholder who benefits financially from CoD sales, are you?

The funniest thing is your hypocritical words of entitlement, because I'm worried about the whole business and gamers. While you are pissed off because I have logical reasons that concern the whole gaming business on why a game you like doesn't deserve the sales it's getting.

[JokesOnYou]

Armedchaos is exactly right, theres plenty of other games out there to play. Also your concern that COD will have this drastic change on the gaming industry causing devs to make a bunch of COD clones or rehash their own game is nothing more than jealous fanboy talk, Ive been on this site for along time, I remember when people were using the same excuse to hate on the Halo franchise this gen, and yet the market isnt flooded with Halo clones, truth is great devs take inspiration from other greats but they always ultimately follow their own path. Same goes for the wii, despite all the scare tactics that somehow the popularity of the wii would bring an end to gaming as we know it, were doomed to motion controls, blah' blah, now although both micro & sony got on the bandwagon we still have tons of superb standard control games to play, truth is most on this site are self righteous gamers who think they are entitled to dictate what is best for the industry, ironicly I think they have gotten so wrapped up in reviews, sales, metacritic, and of course this fictious console war that I think they actually know the least about what makes games fun compared to casual gamers, who just go out and buy/ play what they like........personaly Im glad MW3 sold so well not because I like Kotick or Activision but because I like the damm franchise and Im glad that these sales confirm what I already knew, which is all the crying and hating is irrevelant to COD fans, the pro BF3/anti MW3 campaign waged by EA and BF3 fanboys was a failure.

[Dee_91]

First off other developers adopting that "business model" isnt a walk in the park like your making it seem.They would atleast have to make a few groundbreaking games like COD was at the time.
Yea other games deserves this numbers
LIFE ISNT FAIR get over it.
If gamers buying games they enjoy make you sick you need help
I hate when people a make a issue bigger than what it is.
"OMG Other developers will start making crappy games and they will some how sell millions" haha gtfoh
If you dont like the game move along
I dont like it either but my god you all are making it a bigger issue then it is..

[Wintersun616]

@Dmarc

First off I never said it was a walk in the park. I didn't even say it's happening. All I was trying to say is that I'm worried that this could possibly spread to other titles little by little too.

"LIFE ISNT FAIR get over it."
Oh, and here I was thinking that this comment section was for sharing thoughts and opinions, silly me..

[ngecenk]

yes depressing indeed. as much as i like cod franchise, this may lead more studios to be less creative. i really expect this wont damage skyrim sales, though i dead curious with all the games coming out this quarter alone, how the hell it got that kind of sales.

there's a slight fear on me saying this number is just a marketing stunt.

[Hufandpuf]

Angry Birds for console. No substance.

[ginsunuva]

Just like lady gaga and justin bieber.

[Oner]

Well Said both of you...Well Said.

[Genghis]

crazy that it almost beat black op's entire first week! I'm having a great time with it.

[SephirothX21]

Many people love CoD and put hours and hours into its multiplayer. For them, the price is nothing in comparison to what they're getting from it. I enjoy it but I think its gone stale. More and more seem to be buying it every year so clearly Activision are doing something right to keep people interested. It will only last for so long though before the developers will have to innovate.

[LoLZoRz]

DAAYYUUMM!!

guess CoD will not leave yet.

[JTX]

The justin bieber of video games

[majiebeast]

Thats basicly it. I bet the cost of making cod is 1 guys salary and a 6 pack. So he can pull a all nighter reskinning MW2 and import objects from cod4 to it. The world has 9.3m lemmings.

[cleanhealthy21]

i think you have MW3 confused with the entire gaming system known as a nintendo Wii.

[RyuCloudStrife]

this is the times where haters can cry me rivers

[PSX99]

Funny who someone is automatically a hater because they don't like recycled stuff.

[Cosmo811]

Did you buy the game?

I presume not otherwise you wouldn't be complaining.

So, given that you didn't buy the game, and you bought games that you do enjoy, where is the problem?

Does it annoy you that other people enjoy a game that you don't?

[radphil]

"Does it annoy you that other people enjoy a game that you don't?"

When it affects you over the long term future of gaming.....YES, considering they don't see the cons of what this affects.

Again I would go back with the concept of smoking. People say if you don't like smoking, don't do it. Second hand smoke hurts you just as bad in the long run.

[raWfodog]

@ radphil

But the COD haters have BF3 to appease them with true innovation, new game engines, etc.

And how exactly do you see this affecting the long term future of gaming? There are still plenty of developers out there that innovate and try to push the industry the way that some people want them to. Other games reuse the same engine from the previous game but they don't get the flack that COD developers do. Why is that? Because it's always popular to hate what's hot at the moment.

Don't try to politicize gaming. It's a hobby and will have no real effect on the status of more important things in the world. If you don't like the game, don't play it, don't buy it, don't look at it...but don't try to stop stop other people from playing want they want to play.

And since you bought up the analogy about second-hand smoke, nobody is strapping you down and making you inhale the second-hand smoke. You can always walk away.

[8bit_Nes_Rambo]

Sad state of affairs for gaming.

[Prcko]

:O

[JonnyBigBoss]

Disgusting.

[Louis_Guzman]

Lowest common denominator gaming at it's finest. More slop for the masses.

[BeaArthur]

Fine by me, less idiots playing the games I like to play.

[Ethereal]

Insane... I am enjoying it immensely so far. I have also purchased BF3, Uncharted 3, MGS HD and will be picking up Skyrim on Thursday night. Without a doubt the best year this gen, but I am so broke. I just hope people still buy the other great games that are coming out. hehe.

[FunkMcnasty]

What do you expect from the same consumer culture that popularized "Jersey Shore" and made celebrity icons out of a crew of drunken skanks and illiterate 'roid-raging meat-heads? Obviously they eat up mediocrity like it was chocolate cake... all for the sake of attaining the status quo of "it's popular."

[NewMonday]

(they eat up mediocrity like it was chocolate cake... all for the sake of attaining the status quo of "it's popular.")

^^this^^

[Yangus]

But.....but......but BF3 much better.......

9.3 million first day.
-End of story-

[HardCover]

In recent news, Kia sold more Optimas than all of Ferrari's car sales combined. When asked for comment, a local Ferrari dealer said "Who the **** cares?"

[creatchee]

Price of a Kia =/= Price of a Ferrari

Price of MW3 = Price of BF3

EA cares.

[cleanhealthy21]

Kia and ferrari are not competitors. I can get a KIA for $10K, yet a ferrari will cost me $150K, they are marketed for entirely different crowds, and bought for entirely different reasons.

CoD and BF are direct competitors. They are both $60. They both came out within 2 weeks of each other. BF3's slogan was even a knock to call of duty, something like "above and beyond the call"

MW3 destroys BF3, deal with it.

[insomnium2]

"MW3 destroys BF3, deal with it. "

In sales for sure (was there ever a doubt?) but what's in it for you? Why are you beating your chest about casual FPS selling millions? Aren't games on Wii selling like hot cakes all the time?

MW3 vs BF3 is like Forza vs GT. How on earth can anyone say that one of those destroys the other since they are not played by the same people mostly? In MW like 50-70% of the players are 15yo brats. In BF this is not the case at all. Prolly around 15%. What this means is that you get games where you totally own everyone (when there are many brats playing) and you get games where you get owned all the time (when a COD freak clan tears you a new one). Your experience is mostly one of those 2 with MW.

In BF your success is not based on luck AS MUCH as it is with MW. You need to be sharp and cautious to actually get success pretty much all the time.

[NewMonday]

@creatchee&cleanhealthy
your not supposed to take metaphors to literary

[HardCover]

I used extreme examples to highlight my point. EA got their profits. They sold well over 5 million copies of BF3 already. They don't care that they were outsold because they EXPECTED THIS TO HAPPEN. They just wanted to show they can release right in front of this storm and still come out with profits. It's a testament to other developers and publishers, not a dick stroking contest like people on here think it is.

"MW3 destroys BF3, deal with it."

One, you forgot to put the word "sales" in there; and two, I don't care.

[JokesOnYou]

First you fail to make a decent point and get called out on it pretty good, then you say EA doesnt care because they made a profit, clearly you dont know much about EA, they themselves talked about beating COD, they dont just want normal profit margins, they want COD-type profits, along with the fame and noteriaty that goes along with having the " best- selling fps", EA is a giant, much like they did with Madden and buying out the NFL licensce, they dont play fair, instead of making Madden better to beat 2K they stopped 2K by using the license deal, I think they own Porsche too and just recently wouldnt allow Forza4 to have it now that the franchise is getting more popular. Either way the point is EA sure as hell does care. Finally you say you dont care yet here you are in a MW3 sales article commenting not even just once but 3 times, lol I guess if you had more bubbles you' d still be waisting them telling us more about how you dont care with even more terrible metaphors. lmfao

[Majin-vegeta]

Lmfao it's a rumor so don't get on that high horse yet cuz you might be kicked off xD.

[Captain Qwark 9]

yes becuase we all know sales=quality.....

so by your logic the best music artist in the world are lady gaga, spears, and beiber? they do sell the most afterall.

oh and i suppose transformers 3 and avatar are some of the best movies ever created? they did destroy the box office afterall......

oh and of course you must have gotten this on wii? becuase that is the best selling system overall right now, so its the best right?

[Yangus]

Yes,but BF3 sells 9.3 million first day......no probleme,correct.........and awesome!
MW3 sells sales=quality..........MW3=KIA /BF3=Ferrari?This incorrect.....
MW3 $52.49
BF3 $58.99
Kia price?
Ferrari price?

No,simply,maybe MW3 better game.

[creatchee]

I'm so tired of the sales don't equal quality argument - it's an elitist perspective taken solely by those who support products that aren't widely popular.

If 20 people like something and 1 person doesn't, then that person is an anomaly. It doesn't mean that they are smarter or have better taste - it just means that their ideas conflict with the majority.

If 20 people DON'T like something and 1 person does, then that person is still an anomaly and still isn't necessarily smarter or necessarily have better taste - it just means that they like something that nobody else does

[radphil]

"I'm so tired of the sales don't equal quality argument - it's an elitist perspective taken solely by those who support products that aren't widely popular. "

Smoking...millions do it. Harmful to your health.
Drinking health drinks, not as much as smoking, way more healthy.

Games were about being games, not being the pop culture of newer people coming into gaming.

[nanometric]

@Yangus
How's that Justin Bieber cd?

[TLG1991]

9.3 million sales doesn't make its good.
like many people say quantity isn't quality!

but what can i say people like the help of aim assist to do the work for them and makes them feel good. people love that feeling of being the best and cod replicates that fantasticly. but i prefer a challange and get what i want by working at it its much more rewarding. and that why cod player will stay with cod because they can camp, snipe like noobs in games like bf3 because the maps are to big and they get flanked by a group working as a team and can't hold there gun straight.

role on CS:GO

[SKUD]

Whatever Respawn Entertainment comes up with will surely be BIG.

[rataranian]

Just remember people bought disco albums too. When it was over they burned em.

[BabyTownFrolics]

wow

[Surfaced]

Dear fucking lord.
And my jaw dropped back in 2009 when MW2 did 4.7m in 24 hours.
My jaw has now fallen off. I didn't even think 9m+ was possible in just 1 day.

[insomnium2]

How can they even ship that many? Were they THAT sure it would sell THIS much?

I haven't played this game yet but I don't think it deserves all these sales. This game surely is the facebook of gaming. MW1 sure did it's job well and got all this started up. Even I loved MW1 but after that it was all downhill and same old.

[XDF]

the pre-orders were over 9 millions alone. I think by the end of this week it should be over 12 millions sold. I was one of the sheep that bought it day one.

[SJPFTW]

the sheep. so easily herded

[Zool 08]

The sad thing is that the COD series is like a McDonald's of the video games.

[Killman]

I was in GameStop yesterday and there were about 30 people in there getting this rehash. I kid(pun) you not, over half of them looked below the age of 13. Sheeeeeeeeeeep.

[ape007]

wow u actualy disrespect people for liking a game. WOW

[byeGollum]

damn lol .. that's crazy ... COD has become a religion ... it's either you're a believer or a non-believer. :) ..

[XIIIWARRIOR41]

I wasn't a believer myself until MW2. Then after that I was hooked. If anything, I wish they would have kept the option of 3rd person. I just personally loved seeing my character kick butt at times and I'm no GOD in this series as I only get anywhere from 15-25 kills per game at best. While others are getting 50-60 kills, I'm scratching my head on how they're doing it but oh well, it just fires me up to get better I guess. Anyway, I love MW3 and some of you that are angry should just suck it up and just enjoy the game or buy something different. Life is just too damn short to hate.

[spektical]

? its easy to crack 30 in this game. find a choke point and spray

man i remember playing CTF in MW2 and got nuke twice (theres 2 rounds). Let's face it MW3 is not challenging, and its done this way so many people feel like they are good at something. I guess that's all we want in this world.

[Grendizer]

all the people at the midnight launch i was at were well over 20..

[XIIIWARRIOR41]

Wow, just wow!

[LakerGamerEnthusiast]

Your picture! hahaha

[ape007]

unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable, im from saudi arabia, i bought my 360 version of mw3 hours ago, everyone was waiting for their version, like 50 copies sold in 5 minutes wow and also found SAINTS ROW THE THIRD on ps3did not buy it, i want it for 360, the sr3 ps3 game art looked sooo cooool

[Gamer-Z]

Well guys don't expect improvements anytime soon with COD, I mean why would they improve it when they can just recycle 80% of last years game call it new and make $9 million on release.

[ape007]

im a die hard CoD fan and i really want them to overhaul the game and do it on id tech 5 engine, the engine showed its age tbh but still great game

[XDF]

Last years game was Black Ops, totally different game by different developers.

Funny, I just finished the campaign, and all the levels are different from MW2. If they recycled a few buildings, it could be there but I can care less.

[Gamer-Z]

^^This is the problem

[matgrowcott]

@Gamer-Z

The problem is that he enjoyed the new features the game offered instead of just dismissing them entirely?

You're right. THAT'S the problem.

[Cosmit]

What is the problem Gamer-Z? What is it?

You troll every freaking COD article like that's your purpose on earth. Your shit gets old and *REHASHED* See what I did there. Ha. We get it. You don't like CoD. Now get out. You stupid damn Hipster.

[Gamer-Z]

Lol chill out don't get your panties in a twist. I didn't say COD was a bad game, just that it can use an overhaul you know new engine, better graphics etc. Since when has innovation and progression been a bad thing? And please don't hit me with fans like it the same, well its been the same since 2007 don't you think its time for a change. I mean if you like something like COD so much why would you not want to see it improve?

[dawgsfan117]

Closer to $540 million. They sold 9 million copies.

[TLG1991]

they haven't made $9 million dollars they make more than $1 profit per unit sold lol more like going on for $500 million and the rest of the sales that follow

[despair]

I am not surprised if this is accurate. COD has been growing every year so why would this one be any different. Plus from what I've seen the MP is actually better than before if not much different and that's what the fans want, something familiar but different and improved enough to warrant a purchase.

[spektical]

im looking for ideas to create a FB game.. and i have come to the conclusion that it needs to be unoriginal, simple a caveman could do it, and the notion of infinite rewards for doing anything.. maybe you've been online for 30 minutes (heres a reward!).

[Kingdom Come]

Had each game in the franchise following Call of Duty 4 installed as much originality as the original Modern Warfare had, I would simply applaud Infinity Ward. But due to their sheer laziness and the unbelievable lack of improvement made since 2007, I merely shake my head at the blindness of re sheep following the herd. I haven't got a Call o Duty game since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and I say that with some certain sense of pride. They are undeniably fun, but I became bored of Modern Warfare relatively quickly, and seeing that despite the income the game has achieved, realised that we are being played for further money, being led to purchase the same game year after year, and that's not on. They're fun, but I don't want to play a game I got bored of 4 Years ago. The Original Modern Warfare was great, not Fantastic, but great, and after striking oil, Infinity Ward have realised that the people are too blind to realise they're being conned.

Had it been Gears of War 3, Skyrim, Uncharted 3 etc, I would be full of congratulations, why? Because Epic, Bethesda and Uncharted knowthis to develop a Videogame sequel, improving heavily on their predecessors, find a screenshot of a game from each franchise 4 years ago and then look at the visual leap they have made since, look at the tons of new gameplay mechanics implemented, that is improvement. The Call of Duty franchise is now a joke to me, as are the people who purchase them...

[Rattlehead20]

Very well said. Especially the bottom part.

It's shame that those games you mentioned are by developers that are among the best in the industry..They spend vast amounts of money on bringing us great games that stay fresh but don't sell the numbers they deserve just for the fact they don't have Call of Duty in the title.

The same goes for DICE with Battlefield 3. They built a whole new engine from the ground up that looks good, is original and keeps every MP match fresh with destruction. They gave us IMO the best MP shooter this gen and you can really tell they tried their hardest to put the gamer first and yet the CoD sheep just ignored it.

[DA_SHREDDER]

Im actually glad it sells so much. Most games that get released would be so much better if they would take a couple of ideas from the COD series, but no. For instance, KZ3 and BF3 have their own control schemes. Are they really so proud to realize that COD controls sells? Also, KZ3 didn't have a hardcore mode, another reason why Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3 could never sell the way COD sells. It's time for devs to get off their high horse, and do what the fans want. Maybe they will sell maybe half as much as a COD game?

[pctrollv4]

n4 cod mw3 fanboys are so sensitive...they get offended by the slightest troll message and they try to get ppl banned...i have 85 ips, try to get me banned ill come back to troll some more...seriously, you ppl need to grow up and accept the fact that call of noobs sucks big balls of juicy cock

[kennyboy]

i dont see whats so the same about mw3 and i actually have it, if anything is the same its the hackers, the game itself is more different from its predecessors than battlefield 3 from its predecessors

[Rattlehead20]

You are joking right?

[turnerdc]

I think it's the "cool thing" on N4G to hate on COD. I'm not a huge COD fan but there's no denying the fact that it's a good game that stuck to a formula that's fun and is loved by so many people. People want them to drastically change the series but that's like asking Naughty Dog to drastically change Uncharted, or 343 to drastically change Halo, or Santa Monica to drastically change God of War, or Epic to drastically change Gears. If you have something that works and is loved by so many people then why completely change it?

[0neShot]

All the hating going on all year round and everywhere was an exercise in FUTILITY. None of the trolling, negative publicity and even EA trashing of COD had an effect.

My advise is, if you don't like the game, then ignore it and move on. It's just a game and did not in anyway have any problems with you. This way, we see less hate and more kindness all around us.

[Ch1d0r1]

Good for the Economy and to keep the unemployed entertained.

;-)

[lyvon]

Oh well. The masses will buy and play what they want to buy and play. Really hope people don't forget about other games that actually do NEED sales.

But I won't begrudge or bicker over someones success, Activision are a pretty rotten company and one day this lucrative bubble will burst.

Till then, game on.

[kma2k]

Still amazes me Activision bougth Infitniy Ward for $5 million dollars. That has to be the all time best money return on an investment all time!

[grailly]

maybe someone can help me with this... I'm an activision share holder... why did the share fall 6% after this great launch?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Well the company is bigger than just COD games. They have all the Blizzard properties too... why it fell 6%? Couldn't tell you but it could be due to shareholders selling off large amounts of stock to cash in on the high water mark of the company. I am sure stocks were on the rise as we got close to release.

[grailly]

the company is bigger than juste cod, but right now it doesn't have much going other than the cod release, I doubt something negative bigger than cod's amazing release happened at the same time. and blizzard is doing fine.

I guess the sales "only" met expectations rather than blowing them away, so people just decided to cash in on the high price point...

[OC_MurphysLaw]

As for MW3, I find it pretty funny that people here hammer this game for being an annual franchise which admitedly stays close to formula for every game...and yet sports games like Fifa or Madden on a whole do the exact same thing yet nobody gets all up in arms over that. I mean those games on average see minor changes year to year in terms of what they do and they give you a roster update. Activision simply is treating COD like a sports franchise...you know what to expect with some minor changes here and there and a new story mode.

[Optical_Matrix]

Lol no, I can assure you, FIFA has more improvements on a yearly basis than COD. Hell more improvements than some 2 year dev cycle games. A lot of the tech innovations in todays gaming are being lead by sports games in fact. Because you obviously need to get realism on POINT in those games, so collision physics and animation engines are being pushed far yearly. Hell, the fact DICE used FIFA's animation engine for Battlefield 3 backs up my point.

[Phantasm]

1. The hate campaign was in full force.

2. BF3 hype was in full force.

3. BF3 had an impressive week.

In the end, MW3 said F**K all of you, and laughed last with a record day.

It really goes to show just how small our voices are here on N4G... whether we're talking postive or negative.

I've played the BF3 campaign, and would like to play the MW3 campaign as well.

[e-p-ayeaH]

MW3 campaign is quite epic if your a CoD fan.

[SuperbVillain]

Sales aside,quality wise MW3 blows so far.I just got it a couple hours ago and the map sizes are laughable....I'll keep giving it a chance but so far BF3 is kicking this in the nuts

[Cosmit]

Since when did CoD have big maps? Its an arcade shooter. Why do you want big ass maps like BF3? If you want that then play BF3. NOT COD.

[SuperbVillain]

Where did I say I wanted BF3 sized maps on COD.These are easily the smallest sets of maps I have ever seen in a COD game.Compare them to COD 4,hell even MW2,and BLOPS had bigger maps.If you can't see this then you are blind.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

have to agree w/ Cosmit. MW3 is all about infantry combat. Map sizes are smaller to ensure you get that more CQ feel unlike BF3 where that won't play well with vehicles.

[Relientk77]

Omg wow

that's like not even fair

that is ridiclously a lot lol

[MaxMurdoch]

Cod is ahead because its management doesnt have its head up its ass like the people at DICE and EA.

MW3, unlike BF3 is on Steam. Not only that, but steam gave them VIP treatment with a timer, and then a huge poster on the front of the page after release.

Steam owns 70% of the pc digital download market according to forbes.

If EA and DICE are too incompetent to reach an agreement with VALVE, a company that is easy to deal with for everyone...then what do you expect? Indie devs said this, and so did major devs. Activision and everyone else doesnt have a problem with Valve, but EA does? Obviously they just wanted to peddle their crummy origin service and sacrificed BF3 sales as a result.

[Venjense]

PC sales account for virtually nothing.

[MaxMurdoch]

O RLY ? Good to know an expert opinion on this. Oh wait wtf am i saying you are an idiot.

Online now:

Global stats

PC online 54 663
PS3 online 74 367
360 online 109 728

PC is not far from PS3 player count. Not only that but you may want to go and read up where the money that you pay for a game actually goes.
When you buy a console game, only a tiny portion of that money gets paid to publisher / Developer. On PC digital platforms, EA and DICE dont have retail fees, and no fees to pay for MS SONY. Let me spell it out for you... 1 Sale on PC brings a lot more profit than 1 console sale. And that is what they care about... the amount of money they can earn, not how many total units they moved. AKA the PC version probably made as much money for DICE as the xbox version.

read here:

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/r...

40% vs 70% is a huge difference. Thats nearly double of how much money you can keep per copy sold.

Oh yeah and thats not counting that whatever they sold on Origin, they kept even a higher % for that. So that was double or better. Had they put the game on steam, they wouldve sold even more units and made even a bigger profit.

That is why the game's leading platform was PC.
Dont you feel stupid now? It must really suck to be a fanboy.

[Muffins1223]

If sales standed for quality this would look like fuckin real life

[Venjense]

Amazing how from COD3 to COD4 a monster was born that just gets bigger every year.

[e-p-ayeaH]

After selling so well the next CoD better have more something to it than a CoD Elite.

[Claudinho69]

haters should give it up by now, they are on a loosing streak against cod

[g5bay]

bad news it don't deserve this sales on ps3 the fans should have got uc3 instead

[Ocean]

9.2 million sold v 863 negative user reviews on Metacritic...hardly anything to worry about

Still prefer BF but thats just my personal preferance

[jasonpugh]

Activision will keep the same game engine for next gen and the same people will be on here, next gen, defending MW5 by saying "But it runs at 120fps".

I just played it for the first time last night because my friend brought his copy to my place. I know it's only my opinion, but I was not impressed. The story or multi doesn't make up for the lackluster audio and outdated graphics with static backgrounds. I supported COD games right up to Black Ops, but no more. I, for one, am done buying the same game each year.

[Buff1044]

That's power, Battlefield fans. True power.

[Kahvipannu]

Hmmm, not really. It's sales, it has nothing to do with anything else. If sales would determine anything else than sales, Sex and City 2 would be masterpiece of a movie.

Not saying the game is bad, all have theyr own taste for games and others, but I think my point is clear..

Those sales are insane tought..

[ha2e48]

you only get those sorta sales when you release quality state of the art games, crap like batman (lol) and uncharted (groan) can suck it, try making a game as good as cod and maybe you might sell a game that aint in the bargain bin the next day while cod is still selling at a premium price 2 years later, and ea make low quality budget games, same old need for speed and battlefield every year and they wonder why no one cares! try some innovation guys, you know, stop just putting out the same old game all the time.

[bub16]

NOW BATTLEFIELD!!! STFU OF GTFO!!!!! idiots who thought BF3 will outsell cod! thank god its over!!!!!!!!!

[Sargerus]

All I gonna say is HATERS GONNA HATE.

But seriously. Is time for CoD to innovate. MW3 is a good game, but if Activision wants to keep this franchise lucrative is time for some innovation.

[C_Dub]

No surprise here, a lot of people buy milk.

[nCiTy]

99 problems but sales aint one.

[Kahvipannu]

I saw what you did there :D

[Kahvipannu]

That's just... insane. Congrats to Activision, I still think they are just milking CoD, but respect to them who it deserves, those sales are insane.

How are by the way people liking it who have bought the game?

[Psychotica]

That is amazing, though I don't get the attraction to it

[Gamerita]

they "u know who" talk the talk & call of duty franchise walks the walk. ;)

[Der_Kommandant]

The Sheeps Head Way

[MasterofMagnetism]

Looks like nothing can stop this franchise.

[Drabent]

With all that money maybe we can get dedicated servers next game eh?

[babis1974]

I am sad that it's call of duty for everyone to buy this game, but everyone must try battlefield. Then you will see which game is new and how an old game with a few things added sell more....

[Valkyre]

This is simply sad...

the only franchise in history that is actually removing features or drops the quality of previous installments yet sells eveytime more...

recycled buildings, animations, textures from 3 years ago (COD4)

Campaign length gets shorter and shorter

The graphics engine is as old as hell

This is pathetic really...shows how narrow minded people (sheep) are. All you get is an ancient gfx engine, with the same gameplay but just different maps, coming from a developer and publisher who make BILLIONS of $ for selling you a poor product. They arent even willing to use a small amount of these money to make COD a better game, nooo just put some new maps, change the cover and alas!! MW4 is upon us! lets go for 10 million day one this time!!!

As I said... SAD!

[mynameisEvil]

Everything is true... even the graphics engine part... because you know why that part is especially true?

Cause that engine their using now? Yeah... IT'S 12 YEARS OLD.

The ol' Quake III engine.

Anyway, people (read: Stupid, uneducated teens who go for things that require little skill) are sheep. That is all.

[deno]

Generic garbage. Im more then happy playing resistance 3 and uncharted over this sucker game.

[MasterD919]

Its the MODERN WARFARE name that is really selling it.

People loved COD4 MW1 and most liked MW2 while it seems MW3 isn't as well received by gamers as the last few but certainly is doing beyond well. That to me says that the brand name is carrying it.

[TopDudeMan]

Am I the only one who was expecting this?

[MasterofMagnetism]

I was expecting huge numbers as well just not over 9 million in 1 day.

[Ultra Gamer]

*yawn* Is Skyrim out yet?

[tonywood]

MW3 is good fun....not surprised with the numbers sold. I still like BF3, Goldeneye Reloaded, and uncharted 3 MP. I play just about everything...and could see the call of duty MW franchise growing to this point.

[CoryHG]

That's a lot of blind people. Too bad I don't know anyone who actually likes the game.

[ybadr]

Holly s**t ! that's just a legendary sales number !

[hadriker]

I like how vgchartz presents this as fact when Activision hasn't released any public sales figues yet. They were off by a few million when they did this fir BF3 a few weeks ago.

[hadriker]

Called it. 6.5 million first day.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011...

People really need to stop giving vghartz attention

[Snowii]

i dont want to live

on this planet anymore

[MaxMurdoch]

no problem. Be a man and have the balls to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. all the info you need is right here;

http://www.thebestpageinthe...

[Snowii]

geez i said i dont want to live on this planet anymore not that i want to suicide

[contra157]

Wish fps wouldnt follow this games mechanics turning every FPS game into a COD type. what happened to fantasy game play, what happened to fast paced gaming what happened? Hopefully developers go back to hardcore FPS style and not noob style. still think its due to using a controller which for fps GAMES DOESNT WORK out that well and gameplay has to be slowed down, all FPS games should be keyboard and mouse required , unless its slow as hell like very FPS title out.