Activision hopes Modern Warfare 2 is 'biggest selling video game of all time'
by David Hinkle 
{ Apr 2nd 2009 at 10:45AM } 
We're not going to say that people aren't excited about Infinity Ward's sequel (our tips inbox proves it), but we're going to need more than a teaser trailer if we're to board the hype train. Although ... the inclusion of teddy bears does help.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
paperless @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:50AM
It could happen...
joeybeast @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:05AM
Not unless they call it Modern Warfare 2: Call of Duty
xFenixKnightx @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:09AM
It could? IT SHOULD lol! IW are insanely talented!
Midnight Launch Please!!!
copa @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:13AM
Yup, Infinity Ward is one of those precious few developers that have built up so much goodwill, that I will just ignore all the previews to avoid spoilers and pick up the game on launch day.
Powaqqatsi @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:38AM
Don't say that shit out loud.
Nathan-DTS @ Apr 4th 2009 5:38PM
Never liked CoD 4/WaW; both games are fantastic single player experiences but they were loved because of their multiplayer which I found easier than I could believe.
maveric101 @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:52AM
adding up the sales from all platforms, its possible. but i doubt the xbox sales would beat halo 3.
golobulus @ Apr 2nd 2009 12:29PM
expect to see a $69.99 - 74.99 price tag on this bitch (regular edition). F*in' activision.
xFenixKnightx @ Apr 2nd 2009 12:43PM
No.
lylerk @ Apr 2nd 2009 1:39PM
Call of Duty 2008 was decent, Call of Duty 2006 was more enjoyable. Do you think with their anticipation of Call of Duty 2010 they will design multiplayer levels rather than taking a Cookie Cutter to the single player levels?
Also, they need to take into account that sometimes too "realistic" can be less fun when it turns every gun into a sniper--actually, better than the actual sniper rifle which blocks vision, takes time to scope, and is unsteady.
Lionbacker steamID: detfan1957 @ Apr 2nd 2009 6:59PM
I don't know about you guys, but I think that the call of duty franchise jumped the shark at Call of Duty 1987: Electric Boogaloo.
phinnvr6 @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:12PM
No way will this game be better to play online than Bad Company 2 coming out around the same time. But I'm sure it'll outsell it nonetheless...
FOXHOUND @ Apr 3rd 2009 7:25AM
As long as Price is in the game, it'll be a winner. ;D
Though the sniper and nuke parts of COD4 totally sold me on the game before I even tried the multiplayer... because I was playing COD2 almost everyday prior to it('eff the third one).
True_Darknight @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:50AM
Well They got my money!!!.. I ended up buying CoD4 like 3 times.. don't ask!
Bring it on!!
Rhinosaur @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:56AM
Right there with ya, bought it for PS3, 360 and PC. Bought it twice for the PC, gave away my first copy when I thought I was done with it.
Still playing it.
Cosmo @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:49AM
Why did you buy it for all 3 versions?
Moris @ Apr 2nd 2009 1:05PM
Maybe to play with his friends who own different systems?
kentuckyfried @ Apr 2nd 2009 1:57PM
lol...only game thus far that I have for DS, 360, ps3, PC, and Mac. =D
(ds copy was free, 360 and ps3 to play with friends on both consoles, and PC/Mac was to find something to do while stuck at parents' house on occasion)
xGeneral DEATHx @ Apr 2nd 2009 2:14PM
I also have it on 360 and PS3.
Rhinosaur @ Apr 2nd 2009 2:42PM
I first had it on PC only, then I got a PS3. All my friends played 360, so I ended up getting one of those (I don't spend money on much else besides games).
It works out well...if my wife is watching TV in the living room, I can play in the bedroom. Or, if I'm working on the PC and want a diversion, boom, there it is.
I've pretty much given up on PC gaming, tho...tired of blowing money on cards every couple of years, driver headaches, etc.
xFenixKnightx @ Apr 2nd 2009 3:26PM
Got it on multiple systems also.
COD4 (360 and PS3)
COD:WaW (360 and Wii)
LordChimp @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:50AM
When people see the words "Modern Warfare 2" on the store shelves, they are instantly going to remember CoD4 and buy it. I can easily see MW2 being the biggest selling game ever as so many people loved CoD4.
Bananarama @ Apr 2nd 2009 12:54PM
Really? I don't think Modern Warfare has the same brand recognition as Call Of Duty. Look at how well World at War is selling, and it's not quite as good as COD4. I'd be willing to bet a large part of those sales are based on the Call of Duty name alone. None of my friends (those that aren't big gamers, but love cod4) know it as anything else but Call of Duty 4. Talking to them about the name change, they all said that they would have had no idea what it was if I hadn't told them. Activision better be willing to put a ton of money behind an ad campaign letting people know it's the sequel to COD4.
The Dark Wayne @ Apr 2nd 2009 3:36PM
I agree with you banana, just look at the way you refer to it. You and everyone else just calls it CoD4 of Call of Duty 4, no one ever mentions the modern warfare
Riley @ Apr 2nd 2009 9:55PM
well yeah, but nobody uses the whole title of things in casual conversation, i think most people will know what modern warfare is, most people have heard of call of duty before 4
Walo @ Apr 3rd 2009 1:22AM
Modern Warfare may not have a strong branding name, but Infinity Ward is one of the few studios that has the distinction of being very well known on its own merit and not because of its publisher.
Blkant @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:51AM
Just for that comment I wont buy now :P
uncle jesse @ Apr 2nd 2009 12:58PM
I don't take this comment as IW being cocky. Everyone wants their game to be the biggest and best ever, but they said it out loud. This will just put even MORE hype and pressure on them to deliver the goods and they are clearly confident in the game.
Bring it on!
Rob Bourne @ Apr 2nd 2009 1:22PM
It wasn't IW that said it, it was Activision.
Danny @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:24AM
WII PLEASE
Cody @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:01AM
Yeah, I definitely don't understand how Wii doesn't get COD4, but gets its follow up game running off of the same engine in COD:WoW. Puzzling indeed.
xFenixKnightx @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:08AM
I've always said they needed to port COD4 over to Wii. COD:WaW is pretty damn good on Wii. Doesn't look too bad with component cables either. Wii in 480p FTW!
amart @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:40AM
why is this down voted? Do they really expect to sell more than any other game if they don't tap into that 50Mil Wii market?
Mr Khan @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:51AM
Not sure in this case, since Call of Duty now has a strong (million strong) brand presence on Wii, but Modern Warfare still has no history on the platform.
I'd look for it (Wii version announcement) at E3, but they'll keep quiet about it before that, if it exists.
Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Apr 2nd 2009 1:13PM
I think modern warfare released for the DS if I'm not mistaken. While we are porting over to non HD consoles how about giving the PSP some Modern Warfare love this time around. The more people who get to play it the better chance they have of making it the best selling game of all time. Let's get some PS2, DS, iPhone and Mac-OSX love going around as well.
SoulBlade @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:54AM
I hope to win the lottery. I like this game!
Nathan-DTS @ Apr 4th 2009 5:37PM
I hope to win the lottery. I hate this game!!
The Baron @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:55AM
Unlikely. It has to contend with stuff like the 50 million-selling Nintendo games and The Sims at 30 million.
CoD4's 11ish million was a nice suprise and a hell of a haul, but I don't think the sequel is going to triple that.
BananaBoat @ Apr 2nd 2009 12:39PM
I have a feeling that the new Pokemon will out sell MW2. I base this on all of the cats that are going to need new Pokemans to show us.
Jake B @ Apr 2nd 2009 2:00PM
I agree completely about the pokemans.
Lord Negatron @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:55AM
Well what else is "hope" good for?
The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:08AM
Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.
Apollo @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:55AM
Just like Brooks did?
Sir Buzz Killington( The Artist formerly known as Jakka) @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:56AM
Shawshank quote = win.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 2nd 2009 12:44PM
"Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment." - Librarian, Dawn of War
Adrian @ Apr 2nd 2009 10:57AM
Hopefully not. Cod4 was a generic piece of crap.
Neuromancer @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:04AM
Sort of agree with you on that, I really didn't like the single player. The multiplayer was fun though.
Puffles @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:09AM
The Metacritic scores speak for themselves:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/callofduty4modernwarfare?q=call%20of%20duty%204
94 out of 100 just screams "unoriginal garbage."
acefondu @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:26AM
Well...it is unoriginal. A War based shooter? They've made those since Atari. Difference is CoD4 was really, really well done. Although I do feel MW2 is going to be an exact clone with very few differences. $60 for that? Hard to say.
Syke @ Apr 2nd 2009 11:39AM
@Puffles - If we're considering reviews and copies sold as the end-all of quality, then Britney Spears is a better musician than people like Mozart or Johnny Cash, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is the greatest song in the world because everyone knows how to play it.
Not saying those numbers are insignificant, but of course a derivative game is going to make a killing on the mainstream. CoD4 didn't bring anything new to the table, nor did it do anything particularly better than its predecessors. The first SAS mission on the freighter was great, then the rest of it was the same humdrum stuff you'd find in any mediocre FPS. The only refreshing break after the freighter was the Pripyat segment.
But you have the same mechanics -- scratch that, you have old mechanics. No cover system, which is understandable if you want to keep your game in first-person perspective, but is it really excusable nowadays to not even have a lean feature for an FPS game? Run of the mill guns, identical combat system and useless team AI. I played through on Hard and the entire time I had to stay way, way back and pick off enemies from ridiculously long range, because any time I found cover near them they instantly know where I am and lob 5 grenades at me. Suddenly I become the only target amongst all my comrades, even the selling trademark of the series when it came out was that you are one soldier amongst many, unlike other WW2 games at the time like Medal of Honor where you were a one-man army.
It really wasn't that amazing. R6: Vegas deserves way more recognition from both the fanbase and the industry, but what's good for the industry is not necessarily what's going to sell. Deus Ex, Thief and System Shock 2 were both groundbreaking games that got steeped with praise, but met poor sales. Ken Levine even stated that they enormously simplified the mechanics in SS2 for Bioshock so they can sell more copies to an audience that's becoming increasingly casual.