Modern Warfare 3 tops $1 billion in 16 days

If there's one thing Activision wants people to know, it's that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been hugely successful. The publisher released press releases touting the game as the biggest launch in entertainment history after a single day on shelves, and then again after five days. Today, Activision echoed the sentiment once more, saying that Modern Warfare 3 reached $1 billion faster than any other entertainment property, needing just 16 days on sale.

The publisher said the "fastest to $1 billion" title was previously held by James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster Avatar. That film reached the milestone on its 17th day of release.

Beyond the fastest-selling claim, Activision also said the Call of Duty community has swollen to 30 million gamers, and pointed out that the number is larger than the combined populations of New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, and Madrid. The newly launched Call of Duty Elite service is not quite so sizable, with a total membership of 6 million players, of which 1 million are paying subscribers.

Activision said its shooter franchise is "now amongst that rarified group of sustained franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the National Football League that attract or engage tens of millions of people every year or every new release."

For more on the first-person shooter behind the records, check out GameSpot's review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.