Call of Duty: World at War outsells CoD4's debut in UK 2:1

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 18th 2008 at 4:15PM }

Looks like the Call of Duty franchise still has plenty of World War II to exploit as World at War outsold Call of Duty 4's debut week in the UK two to one. GI.biz reports that CoD:WaW stands atop the "All Formats" charts, but no actual sales numbers are given, merely chart position. The top ten can be found after the break.

Interesting to note is that Activision Blizzard accounted for 25% of all game sales for the week ending Nov. 15, with the one-two punch of CoD:WaW and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, followed by several other top performers like the Guitar Hero franchise. Not surprisingly, Lich King is apparently the fastest-selling PC title in UK. People needs their fix!

"All Formats" titles in the UK:

Call of Duty: World at War
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Football Manager 2009
Gears of War 2
FIFA 09
Guitar Hero: World Tour
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Mario Kart Wii
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
WWE Smackdown Vs RAW 2009

Tags: call-of-duty-world-at-war, chart-track, cod-4, cod-world-at-war, uk, world-at-war, world-of-warcraft, wrath-of-the-lich-king

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Dirty @ Nov 18th 2008 4:17PM

Say what!?

idiot @ Nov 18th 2008 4:18PM

who wants to play in some foreign sandbox when you can play in your own backyard?

primetime4 @ Nov 18th 2008 4:23PM

Looks like the Brits still have a bit of a score to settle with Jerry.

Shagittarius @ Nov 18th 2008 4:38PM

Damn Sausage suckers! Its time for some (more) payback Krauts!

343 Guilty Fart @ Nov 18th 2008 6:15PM

Potato masher, run!

SHAZAM! @ Nov 18th 2008 4:23PM

Two words: Wii version.

SHAZAM! @ Nov 18th 2008 4:25PM

Having said this, the popularity of CoD is at a peek at the moment, so I suppose that this would naturally sell more (or at least quicker) thanks to CoD4.

Although...PS2 version too!

ZaxCG2 @ Nov 18th 2008 4:40PM

Two Words: In UK

Ihavepants @ Nov 18th 2008 6:17PM

Two words.

t_m @ Nov 19th 2008 3:58AM

word!

B @ Nov 18th 2008 4:25PM

Only AFTER COD 4 revitalized the franchise.

ZaxCG2 @ Nov 18th 2008 4:41PM

Yes... and now we see how long they ride the wave before innovating more.
(Oh please let it be CoD6)

Lone Starr @ Nov 18th 2008 4:48PM

Exactly. I held off buying COD4 because I heard COD3 wasn't the greatest. I think you've definitely hit the mark in attributing this effect at least in part to COD4.

+1

fyreblazer @ Nov 18th 2008 5:03PM

I completely agree.

jumpshot @ Nov 19th 2008 1:31PM

Agreed. I was going to post that but read the comments first. If COD4 hadnt raised the expectation so high, COD5 would not have sold this much. It's like people are expecting the same quality as COD4 with a new skin.

Robert @ Nov 19th 2008 1:51PM

Just for the record, I don't belive this is Call of Duty 5. This game is made by Treyarch and Activision wants to be the one to make Call of Duty 5.

offday @ Nov 18th 2008 4:28PM

I played the beta, and didn't really think it was that great.

DBoyFlex @ Nov 18th 2008 5:38PM

diddo

ben_man587 @ Nov 18th 2008 4:30PM

I'm not very suprised, COD4 didn't have a great opening. Its sales really picked up over a few months instead of the huge first week sales that most games have.

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 18th 2008 4:35PM

I think it was mostly due to the growning cult status of it's (imo overrated) multiplayer.

Me for example, I picked it up the mentioned "few months later" solely because it was mentioned that this game was competing with "THE" Halo 3 for "THE" Top of the Xbox Live list.

Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 18th 2008 4:44PM

@jakka.

COD4 was the only multi player game I have ever played, other than the original Halo), a year after its release. The controls, matchmaking and general style of game play kept me coming back.

That being said, the only mode that kept me interested was the "hardcore" game type. Anything on "regular" ended up being chaotic mess. Hardcore was more about movement and positioning.

The multi player in Halo is a lot different from COD though. I think COD WoW makes the difference a lot greater. After wrapping up the single player campaign last night, I hopped online and realized I was getting sucked in again after two hours magically disappeared.

sk8monroe81 @ Nov 18th 2008 4:47PM

+ cod5 has split screen campaign and online..
that feature alone is great.
no cod had that before.

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 18th 2008 4:54PM

@ Titanium

To each his own I guess. I always prefered games in which the skirmish experience and actual one-on-one combat(TF2,UT,Gears) plays a much more important role than ,what I like to call, the Sight-Battle(I saw you first so 95%of the time, I win - see CSS)

Haggard @ Nov 18th 2008 5:17PM

@Jakka

This is precisely why I love TF2. I hate the lack of tactics and actual duels of skill found in C0D4, because 40% of the time you're accidentally standing in the wrong place and somebody you couldn't possibly see is going to see you.

Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 18th 2008 5:53PM

I wouldn't say that CoD lacks tactics, its just a different kind of strategy you have to employ.

Also, there are duels in COD but you run into them a lot less frequently.

xFenixKnightx @ Nov 18th 2008 4:31PM

Hate to say I told you so but...

I Told you so. :P I knew this game would sell great. C'mon lurkers and trolls, come out of your caves and talk your smack now! lol!

.........................................................

In other news, Resistance sold a measly 300k. Blockbuster MY ASS!!!

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 18th 2008 4:42PM

They'll just blame it on COD4's hype-boost.

Personally I don't care for the game but it's nice to see those Treyarch haters proven wrong.

Dirty @ Nov 18th 2008 4:50PM

I believe they were calling Resistance a "killer app".... whatever that means.

KingOfGods @ Nov 18th 2008 4:51PM

I'm glad resistance isn't doing well. I rented it to give it a shot since I didn't like the 1st and man it was terrible. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought so.

I think it only gets the praise it receives because of who developed it.

Hala Madrid!! (THE BIRD IS THE WORD!!) @ Nov 18th 2008 5:02PM

You know, I played and finished Resistance 2 and I did't like it.

Resistance sucks ass.

LittleBigPlanet > RFOM 2

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Nov 18th 2008 5:03PM

Damn shame. Hope it doesn't happen to Killzone 2 as judging by the game's gorgeous looks(Yes, I have seen it live on LGF and it looks EXACTLY like on those videos!) if this game will fail, then it might as well be the finall nail to the PS3's coffin.

First LBP and now Resistance 2...makes me a saaaad gamer.

Hala Madrid!! (THE BIRD IS THE WORD!!) @ Nov 18th 2008 5:03PM

*didn't

xFenixKnightx @ Nov 18th 2008 5:04PM

Rented it too. I still have it actually, but haven't felt the urge to boot it up again. It just felt so meh...

Having just beat Gears 2 probably added something to that meh'ness lol! I might try it again, might. Maybe I'll let my kids play it, watch them, and see if it catches my eyes some. =/

Vcize @ Nov 18th 2008 5:11PM

I never understood why the sequel to a completely average game was being hyped up so much anyway.

KZ2 is in a similar boat, but at least its predecessor was on an old system so perhaps they could liven it up with the jump to the new one. But I have no idea why people thought R2 was going to be some killer app when R1 was so "meh" just a few years beforehand, on the same system.

xFenixKnightx @ Nov 18th 2008 5:12PM

"I think it only gets the praise it receives because of who developed it."

Right you are KoGs. I've always said the only reason Insomniac gets so much praise is because they are PS3 exclusive devs by choice. If they were multiplat devs their work would be even more meh. So whees Sony? What, no bragging on 300k units sold? LULZ!

ThePhoenixLament @ Nov 18th 2008 7:46PM

I mean Fenix you know why it sold well. Because it has COD in the title and people basing their purchase off the good vibes they have from COD4.

Treyarch is just riding Infinity Wards work so they really shouldn't celebrate at all.

sk8monroe81 @ Nov 18th 2008 8:01PM

jakka- haze was one of those nails last year... lol

remember haze was going to be a killer app too...

haha...

sony fanboys dont realize that if sony released games that i want to play i would play them and shut up about it, but the fact is they have made bad game decisions.

resistance isnt a blockbuster title and great franchise.
gta, tekken, and final fantasy, were exslusive franchises that helped sony sell over 75 million copies of those games on ps1 and ps2 platforms.
they have lost the rights to those 3 franchises.

sk8monroe81 @ Nov 18th 2008 8:03PM

vczie- every ps3 game is hyped because it is all they have. if they dont hype the few games they own rights to, there is no reason to play on the ps3.
the hype gets fans going and drives sales.
i have been back and forth with so many fanboys saying that killzone 2 is going to be the greatest game this gen, and blah blah, and none of them have even played the game yet.
it is one of few straws sony and fanboys have to hold onto.
2008 there were 4 "big" sony game releases.
mgs4, lbp, r2, and socom.
they have all sold fewer copies than expected.

Hyams @ Nov 19th 2008 7:41AM

LBP has sold very well actually. It's already sold a good 75,000, and that's with only a single week of sales in Europe (the PS3's biggest market). It's fair to say that it'll have probably have sold a good 1.5 million by the end of the year.

In what crazy world is this a failure? Very few games sell like Gears 2, and LBP's sales are certainly above average.

Resistance has also sold pretty well, given that it hasn't yet released in Europe. (BTW: Resistance 1 outsold Gears 1 in Europe.)

If you're gonna rag on anything, make it Motorstorm 2, which bombed, and bombed *hard*.

Vcize @ Nov 18th 2008 4:33PM

Fact 1: sequels typically outsell their predecessor near release
Fact 2: sequels are rarely better than their predecessor (for their time)

In almost all cases, the predecessor didn't have the hype of the original because people hadn't already played a predecessor that they loved.

While it's true that CoD5 isn't a "true" sequel to CoD4, most people out there buying games probably don't know that.

Ihavepants @ Nov 18th 2008 6:24PM

Why are you treating COD 4 (see the 4 there) like it's the first COD?

misbahneo @ Nov 18th 2008 8:18PM

killzone 2 may loook like the dogs bollocks but its really not all its hyped u to be i played it a month back and the controls are all messed up and not tight at all a real let down to be honest because it looked beautiful on the 50 inch sony tv screen with surround sound etc sorry to ruin pop your bubble..

Chase @ Nov 18th 2008 4:39PM

Pip pip. Cheerio.

horngreen @ Nov 18th 2008 4:47PM

Well so much for the WWII haters of which I was one. It's a great game online although having your ass handed to you gets old just like in COD4.

sk8monroe81 @ Nov 18th 2008 4:48PM

not 1 ps3 title on the list with the big 3 games being released???
i thought sony was doing ok in europe and asia??

ill trooper @ Nov 18th 2008 5:01PM

This list is for 'all formats.' That CoD number is probably a healthy combo of both the PS3 and the 360 sales.

ill trooper @ Nov 18th 2008 5:01PM

It's a good game, if you're into CoD games. It's reminding me of CoD2 a lot... and by that I mean I've been stuck at one 'veteran difficulty' battle for the last three sessions I've played.

CB @ Nov 18th 2008 5:06PM

Zombie mode rocks!!

Mostly Harmless @ Nov 19th 2008 5:19PM

Just get Left 4 Dead. I guarantee that Left 4 Dead is 100% better than Zombie mode of CoD5, also I guarantee that Left 4 Dead is better than CoD5 in general.
Seeing as I spent over 10 hours playing the demo over and over with my friends, and I played the CoD5 beta for about 1 hour before I got sick of it.

But a shout out to the World of Warcraft playas in the house!