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Modern Warfare 2 smashes UK sales records

  • By Nick Akerman, GameSpot UK
  • Posted Nov 16, 2009 5:37 am PT

Modern Warfare 2 sells 1.78 million copies in its first week of sale in the UK, grossing £67.4 million.

It has been nearly a week since the release of Modern Warfare 2, and the first official UK sales figures have just been released. Unsurprisingly, the numbers are very impressive, with sales high enough to not only top the all-formats chart, but also put Modern Warfare 2 up there as one of the most successful entertainment launches ever to hit the British Isles.

According to figures released by ELSPA/GfK-ChartTrack, an estimated 1.23 million units were shifted on the first day of sale, grossing around £48 million. The game has since gone on to sell a total of 1.78 million copies in the six days since release, resulting in a gross of £67.4 million in the British Isles. These figures eclipse the launch of last year’s Grand Theft Auto IV, which made a record £39 million in its first week on sale in April/May 2008.

According to ChartTrack, Modern Warfare 2’s sales record easily surpasses other high-profile UK entertainment launches. Mamma Mia holds the record for the top grossing DVD release for taking £25.8 million in its first week. The video game’s launch also destroyed the highest grossing opening week in the music industry, making the £9.5 million made from Oasis’ album Be Here Now look measly in comparison.

Michael Rawlinson, director general at ELSPA, commented, “These figures tell a clear story. The video games industry is now an established part of the mainstream entertainment mix. Whilst the launch of Modern Warfare 2 has indeed been extraordinary, it is indicative of the growing popularity of video games. One in three people in the UK now play video games regularly.”

This sales success means that Modern Warfare 2 now sits at the top of UK all-formats charts, knocking Nintendo’s Wii Fit Plus from the top spot. VG247, meanwhile, reports that the game has been removed from sale in the Russian market following controversy surrounding one of the game’s single-player levels.

25 Comments

  • TheRealUser101

    Posted Aug 8, 2011 8:46 am GMT

    MW3 will be the third installment in the Modern Warfare series, and the eighth Call of Duty installment. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be released on November 8, 2011, while the Modern Warfare 3 pre-production started on April 9, 2010.

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 12:45 pm GMT

    So the the record of sales in a week goes to a war simulation game and the second place goes to a criminal simulation game.... says something about us really doesn't it.

  • eastwoodmaniac

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 5:35 am GMT

    @Gifted_One

    Did you even read what I said? I said MW2 is a GOOD game. How is that belittling it exactly? If I think it is good why would I be surprised that other people find it good? And of course it's comparable to other games. Is it so spectacular that it is immune from comparison? And where'd you pull that nonsense about my standards and that I should expect every game to be perfect? I never even said anything remotely close to that. Also if you don't like the way I say things why was the first thing you said to me an out and out ad hominem? It smacks of hypocrisy.

  • SicklySunStorm

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 12:54 am GMT

    The only reason they see themselves making £48million in a single week is because the games cost £40 - £50 a pop.... OK, the examples of Mamma Mia and Oasis it gave didn't reach £48million, but then those DVDs or CDs would have been about £10 each, meaning they had to sell a lot more individual units to reach the levels they got to.

    With such a good guaranteed return on their investment, why Activision thought it was OK to charge yet more than the usual £35 - £45 per game is just laughable. If they have such a title that is 100% guaranteed to sell like this one, they should be forced to sell it for slightly less, not more.

  • xunhallowed

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 5:35 pm GMT

    @metalkid9

    The campaign was epic, but too short. The multiplayer, however, is miles ahead of the competition. It really is.

  • metalkid9

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 4:03 pm GMT

    This game seriusly doens't bring anything new to the table. I dunno why everyone's still hyping this game. co-op has been done 40 times already. Multiplayer is almost the exact same thing as the first one and the storyline jumps around like a kangaroo and you lose track of what's going on and not to forget it only takes a couple of hours to finish. Don't get me wrong though i think it's a great game but nothing new. Same sh*t different game.

  • metalkid9

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 3:59 pm GMT

    ok we get it, MW2 sold billions and gajillions copies. can we move on now?

  • Gifted_One

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 1:58 pm GMT

    @eastwoodmaniac

    The only thing i can agree with is that numbers dont tell the quality of a game persay. However, i believe(as do most) that there is a damn good reason for these numbers... millions of ppl dont go get a game simply based off hype. Some do im sure. If you ask me thou. The hype is well deserved... and what do u expect? every game should be perfect? the day a game is perfect is the day the world ends. ur standards seem to be misplaced and irrelevant to popular opinion.

  • Gifted_One

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 1:55 pm GMT

    and as for the pc version.. the only real problem ppl gave the game crap for was the server issue.. everything else that matters.. seems to be fine to most everyone.

  • Gifted_One

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 1:54 pm GMT

    @eastwoodmaniac

    My point to you was that you make it sound like MW2 is nothing but an avg game. You talk about it like you cant believe ppl think its a good game. It is a great game. It may not be the most innovative ever but lets be real. You cannot honestly believe that this game is comparible to most other games like you stated. Between online customizations, spec ops, campaign, graphical fluency and other features that some may find appealing(titles and emblems) This game has a lot to offer for a lot of different people. Of course there was hype for this game. But the way you came out talkin like it shouldnt have been successful and is just mediocre is just absurd in my opinion. I wasnt personallyu offended.. I just dont understand how ppl can take a game like such and belittle it just because its not a favorite of their own. I think your comment was unfair and carelessly stated to the point where it sounded ridiculous. Clearly different ppl will have an opinion about how good or not good it was. But to say what u said the way u said it... its completely false. Hype or no hype. its a great game. currently the best FPS has to offer right now if you ask me. that being said. I would like to know how you came to the conclusion that its just another game like so many others... Personal preference and majority's opinion states the opposite of you. Fact: CoD:MW2 is a leap forward from CoD4 in many aspects.

  • ztg360

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 1:48 pm GMT

    in regards to your comment on the patches ok think about this infinity ward maybe has a couple hundred people working on looking for patchable things (a very liberal estimate) and now look theres millions of people playing it of cousre theres gonna be a lot of patches done.

  • uberjannie

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 1:32 pm GMT

    who designed the PC version of the game? The guy that made the decision to NOT have a server browser should really be shot in the face.

  • yoyo462001

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 12:31 pm GMT

    @ eastwoodmaniac in a sense you are totally right but in another you couldn't be more wrong. it does depend how you view good and bad, from an economist point of view it is good, its what the consumer what, it increased their utility. The market provides for what the consumer wants, if the consumer doesnt want it then it doesnt sell, hence its not a good product. If billions of people buy something (which isnt a necessity) its perfectly reasonable to say its good.

  • efunk25

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 12:25 pm GMT

    Hype or no Hype a game doesn't reach these numbers without being Epic. The COD 4 fan base is what made this game as big as it is. They did it right the first time and even better the second.

  • eastwoodmaniac

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 12:08 pm GMT

    @d_kell411

    Yes, but my original point is that these numbers were only generated by the hype not by the quality of the game. Saying that a game is good because it sells well is nothing more than an appeal to the majority and a logical fallacy. All truths relating to the overall quality of a game are subjective and not empirical. Besides, plenty of people think much less of the game than me, have you seen the average user score of the PC version?

  • d_kell411

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 10:42 am GMT

    @ eastwoodmaniac

    If these numbers are correct...clearly the rest of the world doesn't share your opinion.

    Have you even seen the amount of customizations available online? It's like COD4 on steroids...you could literally fit a M4A1 Rifle to serve any function in the game, how is that not bringing something new to the table when you look at how similar COD 1-3 were?

  • eastwoodmaniac

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 10:05 am GMT

    @Gifted_One

    I think that Modern Warfare 2 is good just not fantastic. It doesn't really bring anything new to the table and was released in a partially finished state (three patches in just four days). If that fairly reasonable and justifiable opinion makes me a nobody then so be it. Rather that than a drooling fanboy lacking the ability to think objectively. But why would you take my opinion so personally anyway?

  • Gifted_One

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 8:06 am GMT

    You must have a Wii... HaHa

  • Gifted_One

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 8:05 am GMT

    @eastwood

    Really dude? You think modern warfare 2 is only as good as every other game.... LMAO.... That's all you can say to that... LoL... Cuz clearly this kid is a nobody.

  • hamza_jedi

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 7:45 am GMT

    Hoorah for gaming

  • AlbertPerk

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 7:20 am GMT

    @ efunk25 I agree man this game is wicked and has been a total blast online. Congrats to infinity ward on releasing such a great game.

  • efunk25

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 7:17 am GMT

    I love this game and have been playing it non-stop since I got it. I can't wait to see the US sales figures. I know there were lines out the doors at every game store I passed the first 2 days of it's release.

  • eastwoodmaniac

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 6:47 am GMT

    It's all due to the hype. The game itself is no more special than any other on the market. Quite a lot less special in a few instances in fact.

  • brian_13un

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 6:38 am GMT

    Yeah this is really a hit ^_^ Good luck Modern Warfare 2 ^_^

  • Kvon403

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 5:46 am GMT

    I got first comment and I knew this would happen it's a awsome game

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