(Image Source: GeekTech)


BY AUSTIN FAX
 

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

Much like its predecessors-- the latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare 3, was expected to make money. But if Friday’s reports are any indication-- Activision’s moolah machine could be rewriting the entertainment history books.

The CBC’s Diane Buckner tells us Hollywood might want to move over.

 

“Experts have been saying the gaming business is worth more than the movie industry for years. Now, the hype and dollar figures around the release of this shoot-em-up video game seem to prove it.”

So, how much are we talking? The Associated Press says Activision sold 6.5 million copies to the tune of more than $400 million... IN ONE DAY. A blogger for the LA Times says Call of Duty might be delivering exactly what it promised its fans.

“Game publisher Activision is popping open the bubbly — and the hype. Eric Hirshberg, CEO of the company's [p]ublishing unit, called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,  ‘more than a game. It's become a major part of the pop cultural landscape.’ High-flying words, [but today’s numbers] give the hoopla some validation.”

The Guardian’s Keith Stuart thinks while the series may lack in the story department, it delivers on the over-the-top violence game enthusiasts have loved for decades.

“For many of us, Modern Warfare will be a guilty pleasure. It is difficult to reconcile ourselves as functioning, feeling adults with the ceaseless cacophony of fantasised violence this series represents. … [T]wo simple components – the button press and the ‘death’ – [are] unnervingly compulsive.”

But some aren’t ready to jump on the Modern Warfare 3 bandwagon just yet. Forbes’s E.D. Kain says he’ s seen better from the Call of Duty franchise.

“Having played Modern Warfare 3 for the past few nights, I’m still a little baffled by these numbers. It’s a solid game but it’s not that solid, and user reviews haven’t been exactly stellar. Activision is doing something right, but it’s not clear what that something is exactly – at least beyond a successful marketing campaign.”

This is the third consecutive year a Call of Duty game has set a first day sales record. The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Gallagher wonders how long the series will be able to keep up the pace.

“There is the risk of so-called ‘brand fatigue.’ With a new COD game every year – and potentially two coming in 2012 – some analysts believe Activision could face risk if gamers begin to tire of the series.”