Modern Warfare II has delivered the biggest launch weekend in Call of Duty history after topping $800 million in sell-through revenue in three days.
According to publisher Activision Blizzard, that total eclipses the previous five-day franchise record set by Modern Warfare 3 in 2011, and also makes Modern Warfare II the “biggest entertainment opening of the year.”
The publisher noted that Modern Warfare II also set a new record for unique players and hours played for a premium Call of Duty launch.
The first-person shooter rolled out on October 28, 2022, across numerous platforms including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
A fistful of dollars
Activision Blizzard is currently in the process of being acquired by Microsoft in a deal worth $68.7 billion, and Call of Duty has become a crucial part of the approval debate in key regions.
For instance, UK regulator the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) claims the deal would allow Microsoft to make major franchises like Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox Game Pass, letting the company “degrade” their rival’s access to influential content.
The CMA also believes that Call of Duty has higher levels of user engagement and revenue spend on PlayStation than Microsoft estimates, and Sony claims the blockbuster series currently has the “highest awareness and ownership levels of all third-party franchises”
Microsoft, meanwhile, has publicly refuted the notion that it will make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox platforms, and claims the concerns raised by the CMA are “misplaced” and based on “self-serving statements by Sony.