Ben-DutkaThe sun is hot. Antarctica is cold. And the Call of Duty franchise keeps setting and breaking records.
Today, Activision Publishing has announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hit the $1 billion mark in sales according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information. It took the wildly popular game only 16 days to reach the milestone.
The press release mentions that 2011 box office revenue is falling (down 4% this year), but the number of people purchasing and participating in gaming is on the rise. And with over 30 million gamers to its credit, the Call of Duty community "now exceeds the combined populations of the cities of New York, London, Tokyo, Paris and Madrid." …Good God.
Said Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard CEO:
"Engagement of our Call of Duty audience continues to rise around the world. 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 are now valuing interactive experiences over passive experiences."
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg added that "while the franchise continues to set records, our fans still seem to want more." Yes, well, there's no denying that.
Related Game(s): Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3