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Back in 2009, James Cameron released a little film about a bunch of lanky blue cat people. Reasonable people, like myself, watched with confusion as Mr. Cameron started filling swimming pools with money, but there was no denying that Avatar was a runaway success. It broke box office sales records around world, making $77 million on opening weekend and eventually grossing over $2 billion (so far). 
Yesterday, the developer announced that in just 16 days, their latest Call of Duty title had grossed over $1 billion—outpacing Avatar by an entire day. These sales numbers might be enough to start calling Modern Warfare 3 the most successful franchise in entertainment history. But either way, it’s enough to place Call of Duty in the same category as Star Wars , Harry Potter , and The Lord of the Rings . In a press release, Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, was happy to brag about the company’s success: “Engagement of our Call of Duty audience continues to rise around the world,” he said. “Call of Duty as an entertainment franchise has made an indelible mark on popular culture and its broad and continued success is further validation that audiences increasingly value interactive experiences over passive experiences.” Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, also weighed in on the topic: “Call of Duty has become that rare entertainment franchise that transcends its own genre. Core gamers love it, as our stellar reviews show. But every year, new people are drawn into Call of Duty,” said Hirshberg. “And while the franchise continues to set records, our fans still seem to want more, demonstrated by our record setting start on Call of Duty Elite. We are committed to helping everyone connect, compete and improve their game, Call of Duty style.” 
Modern Warfare 3 fans will also be happy to know that Infinity Ward is about to release another patch with several significant changes. Here’s the breakdown: The developer is also looking into fixes for the terribly annoying spawn system and lag compensation, but it sounds like those might be a ways off. Either way, MW3 will have fewer morons running around with Akimbo FMG9s and this can only be a good thing. By Josh Engen |