'Call of Duty' Game Franchise Busts Sales Records
Perhaps it’s possible to draw larger sociological conclusions about why it is that, over the politically and economically tumultuous 2003-09 period, gaming giant Activision’s first-person shooter series “Call of Duty” raked in a staggering $3 billion in global sales. But we’ll leave the heavy theorizing to the countless communication and sociology scholars who are no doubt already digging into this particular topic.
Regardless of its controversial content, the latest in the blockbuster series, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” has already proved to be a recession-resistant sales item in its first weeks of release.
To help ground the “Call of Duty” success story in a more familiar entertainment context, VentureBeat’s Tom Slater helpfully points out that the James Bond franchise has grossed $5 billion in 47 years.
Reuters via Google News:
Overall, the “Call of Duty” series has sold more than 55 million units since its launch in 2003, Activision said, citing data compiled by NPD Group, Charttrack, GfK and internal company estimates.
The company released the sixth title in the series, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” earlier this month to record-breaking results.