Call of Duty 4 answered 10 million times

Infinity Ward's multiplatform modern military shooter makes latest milestone; studio head explains decision not to develop a Wii version.

Less than two months after Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare officially reached the 9 million units sold milestone, developer Infinity Ward confirmed for News.com that sales of the military shooter were now in the eight-digit range. Arriving at a lofty sales figure almost as commonly reached by hardware platforms as hit games, Call of Duty 4 has sold 10 million copies worldwide.

Studio head Vince Zampella declined to break down sales by the game's various platforms (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and DS), but he did say that the Xbox 360 edition had been the most successful to date. Zampella also explained the absence of a Wii version of the game.

"[I]t just doesn't fit on the Wii," Zampella said. "We thought it would be compromised to be on [that] platform."

Call of Duty 3 appeared on the Wii platform, but Infinity Ward was not the game's developer. Treyarch handled the Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 editions of the game, and Exakt assumed duties on the Wii version.

151 Comments

  • jimmmzerx

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 8:42 am PT

    You have to remember that Call of Duty 4 is on 5 game systems, but 10 million units is still a lot, and that beats Halo 3 with only about 9 million, but that is only on the 360. But Call of Duty 4 is still a decent game in my book.

  • happy321

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 1:28 pm PT

    lol trust me there the age demographic for the nintendo wii is a lot lower than 29, regardless of what the study says

  • jasonbarbour

    Posted Jun 8, 2008 10:26 am PT

    "@ DannyRice. Indeed. Nintendo's own demographics research put the average Wii gamer age at 29. Hardly a child's system, I'd have to say."

    -thats sort of flawed, there are alot of young people (kids) who have the system and thare are also substantial numbers of older people who have the system, middle aged people (upper 20's to uppper 40's etc) (including that mean number of 29) are probably the smallest demographic of WIi owners overall .... (plus, how do they get these numbers ... if they get it from the people who are buying the Wii's, most of those people will probably be giving it to thier younger child etc. you dot see many 10 ear old s going out and slamming 300 smackers on the counter for a gmaing system - i dident have that much money for myself at that age at least)

  • d3f1anc3

    Posted Jun 8, 2008 4:11 am PT

    CoD4 is amazing. Congrats to Infinity Ward on their success, they deserve every bit of it.

  • dulun19

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 9:45 pm PT

    ??? they have a DS version?? but not the wii??>.. ?..

  • akiwak

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 10:01 am PT

    COD4 is a great game! I might give COD5 a shot because Treyarch is questionable.... good news is they will use the COD4 ENGINE. I wonder what Infinity Ward will do with COD6???

  • darkride66

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 9:30 am PT

    @ DannyRice. Indeed. Nintendo's own demographics research put the average Wii gamer age at 29. Hardly a child's system, I'd have to say.
    As for your console choice, I'd seriously look at the PS3, if I were you. It's games library is growing at the exact same rate as the 360's did, for $50 more (the cost of one year of XBL) you get to game online for free, you don't have to worry about wiring your network connection and you get a Blu-Ray player thrown in just for the hell of it. Unless you feel the need to play those older games, like Gears or Halo, you probably won't even miss em. I know my friends who have recently bought a PS3 are loving them. And they don't sound like small jets taking off whenever you power them on. Just my two cents. I have all 3 consoles, but if I could choose only one I wouldn't hesitate to make it the PS3.

  • swhorl

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 8:02 am PT

    So it 'fits' on the DS, but not the Wii? Yeah, that makes perfect sense.

  • DannyRice

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 8:44 pm PT

    Wii isn't a child's system. RE4: Wii Edition sold a million units, and it was being released for the fourth time. The game just has to be good and people will play it, because Wii outsold 360, PS2, PS3 and PSP combined last month.

    That said, I'm getting a 360. Why? 360 has quality titles too. PS3 needs a few more in its library, and it's getting there, but then it's pretty expensive... Wii can handle graphics much better than most people think though. The Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2, and the Wii has twice the power of a Gamecube. So why are we getting crappy PS2 ports (graphically speaking)?

    I'm not saying it can play what the 360 can play. I'm saying it could've handled COD4 if the graphics were downgraded a reasonable amount. The same way the graphics of RE4 were downgraded for PS2.

    It's gameplay, not graphics, that make a good game. Additionally, it's entertainment, not power, that make a good system. Don't believe me? Look at the numbers. PS2 and Wii are huge sellers, and neither of them is a graphics powerhouse.

  • imakillaholic

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 7:16 pm PT

    Haha, wow

  • Zehydra

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 6:28 pm PT

    What? You thought the game would be compromised if it were on the Wii? But not on the DS? I'm missing something here.

  • shoeman12

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 5:56 pm PT

    wow, that's a lot.

  • Hellfire420

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 4:49 pm PT

    definitely sucks that we all can assume COD 5 will suck, nothing like their previous attempts will touch the popularity and playability of COD 4. And I also don't think it would be a good game on the Wii. People with a Wii should already know not to expect hardcore games for it, it just a party game platform. They should have known not to degrade it by porting to the DS as well, but they must have at least learned from the mistake

  • infamousdcgamer

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 3:29 pm PT

    finaly sumthin 2 rub in those wii freaks faces!!!

  • so_hai

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 3:24 pm PT

    They screwed up the port of COD3 to the Wii and they're not up to the challenge of porting COD4. Anyone who cares about FPSs have Metroid Prime 3 - a superiour game anyway.

  • Gadeos

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 3:09 pm PT

    Man that's cool, COD4 is one of the best FPS around, specially its multiplayer component. As for a Wii version of it, I don't think that system would hold up to its demanding features. Sorry Wii, gotta stick around small players and those looking for some "soft entertainment" and leave 360 and ps3 the HOT STUFF!

  • darkfox101

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 3:03 pm PT

    Wii+PC is teh combo of the win!

  • jcam432002

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 2:22 pm PT

    COD4 on the Wii would look really lousy by comparison. Same reason you won't see any games that utilize cutting edge graphics on it. If you bought a Wii expecting to see great looking games like Assassins Creed than the salesperson failed you.

  • artofshreddin

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 1:14 pm PT

    I game on Wii and PC, The controls on the wii would have worked better than the controll pad, at least i think so. On a graphics side I'd rather rock it on my PC, i played it on my buddies 360, it was good except for having to use a controller. (i owned a 360 and sold it months later, only games i can use a controller well on a hockey games, platforms.. shooters aren't clunky with pads)

  • fucirtens

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 1:12 pm PT

    Wii have best realistic control on FPS and COD 4 possible DS, why not Wii or Why COD 5 on Wii

  • taino1128

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 12:34 pm PT

    Cod4 wouldn't be AS good on the Wii because of controls and graphics

  • TheAcejoel99

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 12:19 pm PT

    call of duty 5 better be on wii.

  • link1813

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 11:59 am PT

    except for the fact that it breaks after 5 minutes

  • EliteKill1942 posted Jun 5, 2008 11:58 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    EliteKill1942

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 11:58 am PT (hide)

    if CoD4 was on the Wii i would never play it again. it just wouldn't work for the Wii, 360 is so much better

  • link1813 posted Jun 5, 2008 11:57 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    link1813

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 11:57 am PT (hide)

    thats a crappy answer, cod 3 came out on it and was fine, why wouldn't cod4 fit on it. They are just being gay

  • scott624

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 11:37 am PT

    Wii shouldn't have CoD4 on it! It a childs system, I bought one and for the first week me and my kids had a ball. Now we play it maybe once or twice a month. When the kids go to bed I get on XBOX live and get shoot a few thousand times and then call it a night. They should continue to make game exclusively for the Wii. Like MARIO (world, karts, golf or anything) It's not a serious gaming machine it's a toy!! Save the best games for the real gamers to enjoy!!

  • tjdeep_2007

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 10:54 am PT

    treyarch sucks ....infinity ward rocks...i m waiting for call of duty5...now...

  • Razzi65

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 10:22 am PT

    it really rocks.. wayyyyyyyyyyyy better than stupid MASTER CHIEF...

  • darth-sithious

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 10:08 am PT

    Vincce Zampella should have just said the truth .....the developers are just to lazy to put effort into the Wii.....I think this game would have worked well for the Wii

  • Joaquin0789

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 9:54 am PT

    I would say i'm sorry for Wii owners, but i'm not, because they don't care if there's or not a CoD on the console, i guess they knew what kind of games they are going to play on the Wii when they bought it and CoD is not one of them.

  • AnimeNewtype

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 9:53 am PT

    Nintendo is scared of soccer moms, that's why there's no good M-rated games on the Wii. All they have is Manhunt. Other than that, it's all party games and movie-based crap for kids.

  • specialed

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 9:45 am PT

    ""[I]t just doesn't fit on the Wii," Zampella said. "We thought it would be compromised to be on [that] platform." So they didnt 'compromise' to put it on the ds, but they woudl be compromising to put it on the wii?

    Somethign doesnt make sense there.

  • Dave1518

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 7:34 am PT

    I feel like they just didnt feel like making a wii version, or were too lazy to i dont think its right that because the wii does have alot of family friendly games, developers think all games on the wii have to be like that, but i get SSBB which by the way i like better than any FPS still its a damn shame.

  • the_sorrow_MGS_

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 7:25 am PT

    Nice job

  • JohnnyNeat

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 7:21 am PT

    @ aug_ga_man5
    Agreed.

  • da_chub

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 7:16 am PT

    3rd parties dont put the effort into a wii game becasue they think it is goin to fail. But the ones who have put effort into a game, have been sucessful, RE-UC, Redsteel, No more Hereos, Okami, Godfather, are all great games and just a few of the good 3rd party ones. NO MORE SHOVELWARE!!!

  • aug_ga_man5

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 7:03 am PT

    Ok Im confused. Im not a Wii owner but they can put COD4 on a hand held system but not put it on the Wii. Makes no sense and Im wondering if someone can explain that.

  • AnthraxAngel

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 6:15 am PT

    Im not suprised that there has been so many copies of COD4 sold... literally one of the best shooters I have EVER played and its well deserved. Its just a huge shame that its really hard to beleive that COD5 is going to live up to that hype, with it returning to the WW2 era, we need a miracle.

    However I also agree with not bringing out a Wii version of COD4, I just dont think that it would of worked out, features and control wise I mean. I can imagine gamespot would only give it 7/8 out of ten.

  • Destroyeron13

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 5:42 am PT

    Really wish COD5 wasn't going to suck.

  • 02sfraser

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 4:59 am PT

    i agree. COD4 just wouldnt have been right on the Wii

  • lendrahcir

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 4:30 am PT

    That's some achievement, but a well deserved one. Lets hope COD5 can live up to the new standards that COD4 has left for it.

  • ninjasam

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 4:18 am PT

    I feel bad for the people who aren't gamers like us. Imagine not knowing much about games, besides the fact that call of duty 4 was the best game you've ever played, then seeing call of duty 5 on the shelf.

  • metalhead1364

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 4:06 am PT

    "I'm glad Treyarch is making Call of Duty 5.
    Vehicles and Medics WOO" get out of my gene pool...infinity ward makes a call of duty game 100 times better than tryacrch

  • drangel_jam

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 3:23 am PT

    I don't understand why they developed CoD3 for the Wii, but chose not to make CoD4. We all know it would suck compared to the new gen systems, but I believe that Wii users deserve it too, especially since CoD3 wasn't bad on the Wii.

    Congratulations! By the way...

  • Extreme124

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 3:05 am PT

    The Wii cant handle the Power it takes to run the COD4 game so they made it for the DS

  • akiwak

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 1:50 am PT

    Being a Halo fan I must say that this game totally blows Halo 3 out of the water. I can't believe Gamespot gave Halo3 a higher score! This game deserves those sales numbers, I waited until the GOTY edition. All it is is the same game but you have an access code to download more maps....

  • Meko_Gear_Solid posted Jun 5, 2008 12:10 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Meko_Gear_Solid

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 12:10 am PT (hide)

    i really didnt think cod4 was guna be anything worthwhile.. but i was totaly wrong infinity word rafted a superb gem worthy of the original old 2 computer version (all of them after where so bad esspecialy #2 on that crapbox 250 w.e haha only cool think about that game was the freekin smoke bomb but cod4 is totaly awesome great great game best online game until metal gear online played the beta it was nuts... but cod4 also has remarkably great single player... wonderfull game!

  • sanjeev3

    Posted Jun 4, 2008 11:08 pm PT

    gj no wii version, dont redo cod3

  • Olaoye_tw

    Posted Jun 4, 2008 11:05 pm PT

    Infinity Ward does a way better job @ making Call of Duty than Treyarch, so i guess i'm gonna have to wait for Call of Duty 6.

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