Modern Warfare 2 day-one sales could total 7 million - Analyst
Broadpoint AmTech's Ben Schachter says game could top 11.7 million units globally in first week--nearly as much as analysts believed it would take in all quarter.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is barely two days old, but it is already breaking records. This morning, research firm Gfk Chart-Track reported that the game sold over 1.23 million units in the UK in 24 hours, nearly twice that of Grand Theft Auto IV's 631,000-unit day-one take in 2008.
Using UK sales as a basis, Broadpoint AmTech analyst Ben Schachter has extrapolated Modern Warfare 2's day-one global sales could total about 7 million units. Then, using GTAIV's sales history as a model, he concludes that first-week worldwide sales of the military shooter could top around 11.7 million units. That's nearly as much as the 12 million units a consensus of analysts estimated the game would sell during the entire October-December quarter.
"While the two-times week-one tally for GTA IV may seem aggressive, the bottom line is that we believe current consensus estimates of around 12 million for the December quarter may end up being conservative," he wrote in a note sent to investors this morning.
However, Schachter cautioned that the extrapolated figure may be less for a variety of reasons. First, shooters historically perform better in the US and UK, as opposed to territories, such as violence-averse Germany, where the game's controversial terrorist sequence was reportedly censored.
Second, Schachter pointed out that Modern Warfare 2 sales may have been inflated due to a price war between UK supermarkets and retailers. Several nationwide outlets had drastically marked down the Activision game as a loss leader to draw in customers.
For more information on Modern Warfare 2, visit GameSpot's launch center.
God of War Ragnarok Official Release Date Cinematic Trailer Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Could Be Nintendo’s Biggest Game Yet Skull and Bones Gameplay Reveal Livestream (Ubisoft Forward 2022) VALKYRIE ELYSIUM | New trailer | PS5, PS4, PC Steam GTA 6 & GTA Trilogy Changed Rockstar Remaster Plans | GameSpot News Skull and Bones | Livestream Teaser (July 2022) Apex Legends Mobile: Distortion Launch Trailer God of War: Ragnarok Release Date & Preorder Info Revealed | GameSpot News Biomutant - PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S Announcement Trailer The Division Resurgence – Official Reveal Trailer NBA 2K23 | WNBA Edition w/ Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird World War 3 - Feature Spotlight: Smolensk (Map Rework)
Please enter your date of birth to view this video
By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
Join the conversation