Call of Duty breaking records
2009-11-19 08:38
New York - The video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is blasting its way into entertainment history.
After hauling in the biggest-ever first-day sales total last week, the game continues to break records.
Activision Blizzard Inc, which released the game on November 10, said the latest game in its Call of Duty franchise made $550m in worldwide sales during its first five days.
That would put it over the $500m record set last year by Grand Theft Auto IV, from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
Activision didn't say how many units it has shipped. But Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian estimates the company sold between 8.5 million and 9 million copies.
The game is also blowing past records set by other media. After Grand Theft Auto IV comes $394m in worldwide box office sales brought in by the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince over its first five days, according to Activision.
In its first 24 hours on sale, Call of Duty made $310m in North America and the United Kingdom alone, while Grand Theft Auto made that same amount worldwide.
It was also far above the record $155m opening weekend for the Batman movie The Dark Knight last year.
The game, which sells for $60, runs on Windows-based computers, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.
- AP
