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Modern Warfare 3 tops $1 billion in 16 days

Activision's latest Call of Duty breaks Avatar's record, reaching massive revenue milestone 24 hours faster than James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster film.

466 Comments

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.

Modern Warfare 3 has toppled Avatar, so what's left to take aim at?
Modern Warfare 3 has toppled Avatar, so what's left to take aim at?

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.

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importguy

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@x_hunter00 I highly doubt Activision will give some acknowledgement to their fans. If they do, I owe you a coke. Regardless, have a Happy New Year as well.

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x_hunter00

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@importguy The reason why i asked the question is that I find your use of Rockstar saying thanks a bit confusing. As you stated they said thank you to its fan 10 yrs after the release of GTA 3. You cant use this gratitude against Activision (in relation to CoD) because you haven't given them a chance to say thanks in the same way that Rockstar did. CoD4, which is a landmark game like GTA 3, only came out in 2007. How do you know that Activision hasn't thought of doing the same thing as R* when CoD4's 10yr anniversary comes up. They might even do something better. As for the ego/class part, to each his own i guess. Have a Happy New Year amigo, :D

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deactivated-6085a0bd46474

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So the game with the worst first player campaign of the year, is also the best selling game of the year. Amazing. Bright gaming future i can see ahead.

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importguy

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@x_hunter00 I personally don't think this is "perfectly normal." This lacks total class, in my opinion. You make a great product, the press gives its positive reviews, and it sells well. You let that do the talking, not publish how great you are on a grand scale. Some suits at Activision need to check their ego. Rockstar Games thanked the gamers to remind them that it was because of their support of Grand Theft Auto III, the following GTA games (and other franchises of theirs) after would not be a possibility. They didn't go all out stating its sales numbers for the franchise is: "larger than the combined populations of New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, and Madrid." They followed as to what I stated above: they made a great product, it sold well, and the press gave its positive reviews for the game. It was very fitting, on its 10th anniversary, to look back and acknowledge the fans for their contribution. Your question on me losing respect for Rockstar Games for not doing anything, when Grand Theft Auto III was released, is very perplexing. Nothing personal, but I don't care for your clarification on that. I stand by my opinion of Activision's corporate response to their Modern Warfare success. I confidently foresee this wonderful Modern Warfare journey coming to an end, in the near future.

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x_hunter00

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@importguy On your first point, why would you lose respect for them? They are celebrating what no other company has ever done. I think this is a perfectly normal reaction that I believe a majority of people would fine acceptable. On your second point, it took 10 years for Rockstar to say thank you to its fans, did you lose respect for Rockstar Games when they did nothing when GTA 3 first came out?

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zell1

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I thought it said, Modern Warfare 3 loses 1 billion dollars in under 16 days, but I was sadly mistaken. The world we live in.

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kenhu

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suckers

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true_hurdler

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@dom28: You must either be a fanboy, a troll, or some kind of super hybrid of them both...calm the hell down geez

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MrHatnClogs

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@Blink3r My brothers birthday is in nov, he got both games, and trust me your not missing out on much.

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crazimax

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@inaka_rob honestly i totally forgot what the hell we talkin about..i jus reply to whatever our reply was..never bother to read how it all started...haha

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importguy

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@x_hunter00 I'm not going to get into a pissing match with you, since you don't know me. To state it clearly for you, if any game developer/publisher was bragging the way Activision is doing, I would lose my respect for them. However, I doubt those other companies would do that since they show a lot more class. If anything, Activision should do what Rockstar Games did with the 10th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III: a trailer that thanks the gamers for their support. Maybe Activision can at least thank the gamers for helping them with their achievements.

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inaka_rob

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[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

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crazimax

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@inaka_rob that's a nice story and all..where did you get that story from? did you tell the story just to prove your point that's why MW3 was up to par with your new standard of what a new COD suppose to be?..and you still didn't answer why you hate MW3 so much..i have to admit i don't play MW3 as much as i do like with MW2 cause yes, it's basically the same thing..but again, it's the same thing that i love, and after falling in love with GEARS 3 because of the uncharted series, i totally love the new survival mode..EVERY shooter should have a survival mode and for it to have co op..that's just icing on the cake..IMO..MW3 packs way more content than BF3..and i don't know if this is true but IMO..i think kill streaks is the best hook for any shooter..i HATE fps games until i tried COD 4 MW..it was so much fun get REWARDED with every kill and not dying..and i think other than the kill cam that help noobs to learn the map and how the pros play, the tight and responsive control, and the michael bay style action set pieces, kill streaks is one of the best idea for a shooter..whether you like it or not, COD is the best fps shooter for ANYONE to get into..that's BF's problem, their steep learning curve scare away all the casual gamers..and please don't mistaken what i said and say BF is for real gamers with skill, the correct statement would be "BF3 requires more time and patience to master"

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ARAM_28

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they have done billions of dollars from this game , but they can't do anything against hackers. That's why i don't buy anymore this game and i want it.

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cardas1928

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Thats just the money from downloadable contents:D

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x_hunter00

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@nousername66 You do realize that 10 yr olds play BF3 as well, which means that according to your dumb logic, we adults shouldn't be playing BF3 either! Add another idiotic statement by a CoD hater to the record.

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Xstreak

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Sigh, I truly miss the good old days of the gaming industry, where innovation and creativity were the norm. Now it's just hype hype hype and an industry that has to cater to f*cking immature adolescent brats that need a good kick in the face. I don't hate CoD, i despise its brain dead fans. This is why so many game studios are closing...because the industry has been reduced to stupid children drooling over recycled crap. Very soon all the other studios will probably be forced to follow Activision's example and pump out recycled crap. Nobody appreciates truly good games anymore. But go ahead, with my everlasting f*ck you's hounding you for the rest of your days.Thanks for reducing gaming to this...pathetic mess

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rthanujaya

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I used to be a COD fan but then I took an arrow in the knee :P

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lewishim666

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How long is it going to take for CoD fans to realize that these games are complete S**T? Just like need for speed has been for years. The same recycled garbage year in year out. I guess a lot of people are tools. just because their friends and co-workers say it's good they go and buy it and think it's good. CoD fans have NO mind of their own. The best part is they aren't realistic in the least.

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general_kane_na

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@ nini200 Well, you know how internet is filled with guys who make of hating a videogame a religion and a purpose of life, in the end they are just a pointless minority, an outrageous and very vocal, but as sales show, still a pointless minority.

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dom28

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@true_hurdler Actually in this case action's don't mean sh*t. just means that a quarter of the earth's population (about 1 billion) are retarded losers who play this piece of sh*t. its a sad day indeed. years of the gaming industry evolving, just to get to this point where everyone is playing modern warfare 3 of all games. I can see now why the japanese are distancing themselves away from other countries and only making games for japan. call of duty is killing the game industry. soon by the time 6 comes out i'tll be 2 billion ass*oles who buy it and even more game developers of other genre's who leave the scene. great work though guys, your really f*cking the industry over well, keep it up =)!

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true_hurdler

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Seriously, not trying to troll or anything like that, but all you people bashing and hating on CoD have to realize something...your opinions don't hold water anymore..actions speak louder than words, and when tens of millions of people actively go out and spend a billion dollars on a game they apparently like, the roar of that action is quite deafening.

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addicted2050

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@Apostasy666 I agree with MW being repititive, but at least they didn't take a step backward in the campaign as Dice did with the campaign of BF3. Shooting someone feels amazingly awkward in BF3 like it did in Medal of Honor, so they took a step backward from BF:BC2. I don't know about the MP, but in general the shooting mechanic in BF3 sucks. But that's just my opinion.

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warhawk-geeby

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@nemesis1990 Actually yeah.. I see your point with the long cut-scenes. Some were amazing to watch though, but yeah.. A couple were a tad long. Still awesome though. We'll agree to disagree ;)

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ZOD777

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What bothers me more than anything is that the hackers seem to be one step ahead of the game developers. It used to be the other way around several years ago, but now, there are hacks available on day 1. It doesn't help matters much when they use the same game engine, but you would think that with all the money they make on this series, there would be more emphasis placed on making the game a fair and fun experience. Killstreak rewards only encourage people that cannot compete to use hacks. The worst part is, rather than being punished for hacking, it is almost like a reward! Here ya go...attack dogs and a carpet bombing for ya! Makes me sick. I don't care if people hack the crap out of COD2 or even COD4, because you cannot expect them to patch games for life, but new releases being compromised is unacceptable.

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Apostasy666

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They just love pumping out the same stuff every year don't they? MW3 is the exact same as MW1 and MW2, as long as there's 15 year old kids to cater it to the franchise won't have to change anything. Same crap every year. It annoys me how people actually think the MW games accurately depict what war is like. I wasn't all that impressed with BF3 but at least it's not the exact same as the previous BF games. Skyrim was the release of the year by far in my opinion.

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botsio

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punkpunker sya it again.BF3 dazzeled us with faultline.i thought well here is competition.when MW3 is released BF3 is nowhere to be found.the tried taunting call of duty with that catchy hook above and beyond the call.well it was best they never added of duty.

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botsio

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i knew it prior to its release on nov.8.just seeing the E 3 presentation alone was enough to all the anxiety this game generated.the call of duty franchise has come to stay it is the best military shooter on the block.the campaign mode alone puts u in the heat of things.it shows u the equivalent of wat goes down on the battle front.thumbs up activision.i salute u guys.

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punkpunker

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i still find it funny that BF3 trolls say that its better then MW3 when BF3 turn to a casual shooter to compete with MW3 in the first place.

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Sirbobislost

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@Lord_Python1049 Actually I hate MW3 because it's not MW3 it's blackops2 with MW3 slapped on the front which is a Shame because I LOVE MW2 and I'm not ashamed to admit it Ok maybe hate is to strong a word dislike is closer since I do like survivor mode

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inaka_rob

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@Lord_Python1049 it could just be that we like a better game and have not fallen victim to clever marketing, peer pressure, and propganda.

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inaka_rob

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@crazimax yeah. I got EA and Activision confused. What I was trying to say. which I do not know why I didnt say clearer was that Infiity Ward was basicly forced to make MW3 agianst their wishes. They started as an independent company when they made COD1. Acitivsion eventfully bought controlling shares in the company. As it was ceo and foudners of infitny ward almost left Activision once. over the first MW1. Activision wanted ANOTHER WW2 game. but after much back and forth they finnaly let infiity ward make modern warfare. and if people will remember inifity ward DID NOT want the Call Of duty name or brand on the box. activision insitited and the game became a hit. Of course they would make a sequal. AGIAN infintiry ward wanted to make one sequal and move onto a new game. This time activision refused, and FORCED infintiy ward to make MW3. infiity ward hated the game and were tired of COD. They wanted nothing to do with COD of MW anymore (the people who made it in the first place) and they left. They cared so little about mw3 and liked it so little they left even though they knew they would be suied. They were so angry at Activision and hated MW3 that they went to the company that ####ed them over for the very first time. EA. just so that they would have the freedom to make a decent game and give Activision and the whole COD world a big %%%% you. true story.

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Lord_Python1049

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The people who hate MW3 are the same people who lose against aggressive 13 year olds and can't stand the humiliation not to mention what effects it has on their egos. It's always blame the game, not the player.

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jasonlc3221

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@MrArmageddon17 What's even more pathetic is a bunch of so-called BF fans trolling every CoD article just to get a pat on the back from each other or going to every website that allows users to submit their own score for a game (i.e. giving CoD games low scores) rather than actually using their spare time to play the so-called "better game"

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jasonlc3221

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@krumtastic Your perception of a business model is flawed. I hope you're not a VP or any kind of exec for a company, otherwise you and your company are screwed. At my company, we don't even look (nor brag) about the number of customers we have. We look at MONEY. It's all about how much revenue your company generates, not about the number of people actually buying. Not saying we don't want more customers year over year, because we do, but ultimately the goal is to generate more revenue year over year. Sorry to tell you this, but in the money-making world, money is the most important thing above all else. Everything else is secondary. If I had to choose between owning a company that made $1 billion per year with 500 million customers and the other company that made $3 billion per year with 100 million customers................it's a no brainer (and that was just an example, I'm not using any factual numbers based on any existing company, so don't think I'm saying that Activision will make $3 billion off of one CoD game).

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MrArmageddon17

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If you think you're better than other people because of what game you play then you are pathetic.

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Deathclimax666

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well i ended up buying mw3 mainly to try out my new headset. sold it on the game market after a week. the maps are way to small. cut and paste engine. rambo style fps. it kinda gave me a flash back in highschool when i did lan party with doom and duke 3d. i played both mw3 and bf3. ended up keeping bf3. i play sniper class in fps and enjoy teamwork. so to me i stuck with what works best for my play style. i rather camp near some brush or trees or in a destroyed building than a non destructive map, hallway or behind a trashcan.

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MrHatnClogs

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So, will there be a thank you gift to show apreciation, or will there be more $15 map packs?

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crazimax

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@inaka_rob im confuse..why are you telling me about developers having to finish a game that they dont even like?..are u talkin about activision ppl or ea ppl?..cause at first i thought you were talkin about activision but when you mention "ea" at the end, i got confuse..or is it a typo and you meant to say "..they left FOR ea"..but you type it wrong and say "before they left ea"..is that it?..what didn't you like about MW3?..yeah its the same formula..but i love that formula..tight and responsive control with killstreaks and a good kill cam so ppl can learn the game faster..did you expect a MAJOR change to the formula and that's why you were disappointed? i have BF3 too..but i dont even bother playing multi on that cuz it requires to much patience to learn the ins and outs of the game..trust me..all EA needs to do is have a separate mode that has the same still of kill cam as COD..then i'll start for sure..cuz it piss me off so much when i get snipe and can't find the guy that killed me..thats just my opinion man..im just tired of stupid ppl complaining its the same game..and yet they buy it..and WORST, they keep it!! if that's not stupidy, i don't what is

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general_kane_na

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Now those are great news! It's good to see the anti-human film defeated by captain Price and the boys!

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dxdevilex0

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Money Wasted for the 3rd time.

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Maverick2448

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Call of Duty: Madden Warfare 3. Absolutely unreal, but I guess if EA can do it....

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BrutalityNZ

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and there's idiots in my country that pay $120 to play this?..... arrow to the knee.

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Blink3r

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I'm glad I didn't help those numbers... I didn't buy or play any COD or BF game yet... I would much rather play Uncharted or Zelda... It feels like the right choice XD

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djpetitte

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@nousername66 THAT IS HILARIOUS. Ive heard some pretty good ones too, like Call of Dollars, Money waster 3.

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daub11

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i don't why people are complaining about MW3. just because they didn't like it or that it didn't have all the good things people are expecting it to have, like good graphics or better playing. all i'm saying is that this game kicks a whole lot of @$$.

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slonekb05

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@p40tomahawk For 5bucks it was worth it

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jayjay444

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lol that 1 billion they made will go into the next cod ie copy and pasteing to bring another cod out in a year lmfao there really is alot of dum gamers out there theses days......

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krumtastic

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alright it really doesnt beat avatar since video games are 60 dollars and movie tickets are only 10 dollars. so call of duty didnt top avatar since avatar has had more tickets sold compared to call of duties units sold. so all you of call of duty fan boys dont get to far ahead of your self.

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nousername66

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If you're an adult who still plays COD it's time to grow up and start playing more mature games and shooters like BF. Do you not realize that you're playing games with kids like 10 years old, some even younger? Do you wonder why the game is so easy to play and get kills in? Why aim-assist is maxed out? No wonder it sells like crazy, it's COD = Children's Online Daycare. kIDS LOVE THEM SOME "POW POW" TIME! ROFL

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