Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Hits $1 Billion

Activision called its shot, so to speak, with Modern Warfare 2, and thus far the gigantic release continues to measure up by the numbers: It's passed the $1 billion mark in worldwide retail, the publisher says. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has exceeded our expectations and shattered theatrical box office and video game records," says Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. When it comes to expectations, Activision said it wanted the "biggest entertainment launch of all time" for the title, and it seems to have achieved it: Modern Warfare 2 sold $550 million in its first five days, trumping five-day box office gross for major blockbusters like Avatar and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. "There are only a handful of entertainment properties that have ever reached the $1 billion mark, which illustrates the power of the Call of Duty franchise and mass appeal of this game," says Kotick. Developed by Infinity Ward, the title released November 10, 2009 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Square Enix was the game's publisher in Japan. In late November, Activision said at the time that the Call of Duty franchise in total had generated over $3 billion worldwide.