Do you know how I know Call of Duty is the biggest franchise in the entertainment world? When I end up at holiday parties and tell people what I do, it’s usually the first game to come up. “So, you play COD?” they ask. I try to tell them that there are other games out there, but no one ever believes me. When talk moves to Christmas lists and the like, Call of Duty and iPads are all I ever hear about. I tell them to “trust me” and get the kids Battlefield 3 and a Kindle Fire instead. Then I giggle as I sneak out.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 continues to break entertainment industry records. Yes, it goes way beyond videogames these days. The title sold 6.5 million copies in just a day, and raked in $775 million in less than a week.
EA’s Peter Moore, boss of the house that makes COD’s biggest competitor, Battlefield, has been keeping a close eye on sales figures. He says that Activison’s latest has already hit 10 million sold, according to IndustryGamers. And Battlefield 3 is hanging in there with about 8 million.
Industry analysts say that COD3 will hit 25 million. I’ll use that factoid at the next holiday party.