Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II had a massive debut, bringing in more than $800 million globally in “sell-through” after its first three days following release on October 28.
This makes Modern Warfare II the “No. 1 top-selling opening weekend ever” for the Call of Duty franchise, eclipsing the previous record-holder, which was 2011’s Modern Warfare 3. That was for a five-day record, compared to the three-day record cited in Activision’s announcement today.
Modern Warfare II’s $800 million in three days is a huge figure, but it’s not a record for video games. All the way back in 2013, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V generated $1 billion in revenue in its first three days. For another point of comparison, Bethesda’s Fallout 4 shipped 12 million copies and drove $750 million in revenue over its first 24 hours alone.