Analyst: Modern Warfare 2 DLC Could See 10 Million Downloads

2.5 million first-week downloads of Modern Warfare 2's $15 Stimulus Package DLC are just the beginning, says Signal Hill analyst Todd Greenwald, who expects to see 10 million downloads of content packs for the game by the end of this year. "This is an overwhelming response to an offering of 5 new multi-player map packs," says Greenwald. "By comparison, very few developers have been able to sell even 1 million downloads of DLC." Greenwald predicts that Stimulus Package, thus far exclusive to Xbox 360, will re-launch on the PlayStation and PC in the next two to three months, and that the next installment of major multiplatform DLC will come in the fall. As Greenwald points out, Electronic Arts has seen 1 million downloads of Battlefield 1943 on Xbox Live Arcade -- "however, this occurred over nearly a nine-month span," he notes. By comparison, the first downloadable content pack for Infinity Ward's first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare sold 1 million units in its first nine days. The Stimulus Package consists of five new multiplayer maps. It was released through Xbox Live on March 30, with temporary technical problems hampering a launch that nevertheless saw extreme commercial success. "The rapid adoption of additional MW2 content speaks to the unprecedented demand for additional Call of Duty content, and expansion of multi-player action in the Modern Warfare 2 ecosystem," adds the analyst. As for the strong launch of Stimulus Package, "We estimate that the 2.5 million units will equate to about $26 million in net revenue, and about $11 million in operating income," Greenwald says.