This claim is based on sell-through sales, with Activision bean-counters reporting the game managed to pull in $US310 million in its first 24 hours on sale. And that’s not a worldwide number, that’s just in North America and the UK. $US310 million. In a single day.
Sure, games cost more than a movie ticket, but $US310 million in 24 hours is still a mighty impressive number, regardless of the admission price.
That $US310 million was earned off the back of an estimated 4.7 million units sold, another frightening number when you consider it’s again excluding PAL sales.
James Dunn
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 12:18 AMMy mind is blow! I Just can’t fathom it. My hats off to them, I haven’t even bought the game yet XD.
plmko
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 12:24 AMHoly cow, advertisement campaigns work.
formulated
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 3:37 AMor lack there of.
TiM
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 12:32 AMWow. If I’m reading Wikipedia right, that’s more than double of what Halo 3 did on its first release day!
Deadlydorito
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 12:50 AMhow did this game sell in japan?
Sabmac
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 1:32 AMDamn you, my boycott mattered!
Ryan Fernance
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 1:51 AM@TiM: Well that’s what happens when you launch of PC, PS3 and 360 and not just one platform.
blake
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 6:31 AMyeah, even if its just a port to the pc… *facepalm* (no im not having a go at the multiplayer, I think its great. I just wish that what started as a game for the pc stayed a game for the pc :|)
Andrew Mills
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 7:19 AMLike Halo you mean? =P
Dousatsu
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 9:10 AMZING!
doubleDizz
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 9:56 AMHoly crap.
Does this mean video games are officially more profitable than films?
Richard Jones
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 10:35 AMWell, we’re yet to find out (if ever) how *profitable* the game is :)
greg
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 10:41 AMthats been the case for a few years now actually
Jay
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 11:43 AMPublishers/Devs don’t really disclose information on the budget of their games and marketing etc…
Usually its predicited. They said GTA IV was upwards of $100 million and that made $300 million on day one. $500 million on first week.
Halo 3 was predicted to be around the $50 million and made over $150 million day one and over $300 million first week. Now i would assume these are budgets for producing the game and not including marketing cause i heard that Halo 3 was over $25 million with advertising & endorsements.
IMO- MW2 wouldn’t be anywhere near $100 million. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was less than $50million. It had less development time than Halo and GTA and the marketing wasn’t anything like the others. Here in Aus i saw nothing except for online and in GAMING stores. I mean Assassins 2 has TV Commercials and saw NOTHING for MW2.
To me it seems like a game that was done of a cheaper budget but thats not describing the game in anyway. I would imagine Assassins having a larger budget.
GmBH
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 3:07 PMAre games more profitable than films? Maybe if you look at blockbusters but if you look at the comedy / indy space then not at all.
Napoleon Dynamite made a ratio of something like 117 so if Modern Warfare 2 cost $50 mill to make it would need to Gross $5.8 Billion to be in the same ball park.
Pixx
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 12:20 PMGood on em’. Game deserves it.
Snacuum
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 12:45 PMThe game industry is ruined.